What firearm(s) have been in your family for the longest time?

[Armored farmer]

This old damascus barreled Sterling 12ga sxs is a family heirloom.
Unfortunately it was the gun involved in a fatal hunting accident. My grandfather's brother John was mortally wounded.
The accident occurred circa 1915.
We have photos of my grandfather posing with this gun around 1920.

 

[Blkhrt13]

I have my grandfathers Enfield revolver. Will inherit my other grandfather sears 30-30 and model 36. I have to go pick the last two up.

 

[DeepSouth]

I have a Hanover Arms 12ga double barrel (with laminated barrels) that my great, great, grandfather bought new when he was 16, which would have been 1881.

He shot it loads, feed the family with it through the depression, and before. Then passed it down to my grandfather who primarily used it for dove and squirrel hunting, my dad killed his first deer with in in 69, shooting 00 buck.

I've never shot it (despite massive temptation) because it looks like it's been unsafe to shoot since the 50's when my grandfather wore it out. My dad (a machinist) made a firing pin for it many years ago. The laminated barrels are stupid thin, the breach has about a 3/16" gap in it when closed. I got it shortly after my grandfather passed.


I also have a sealed 8 that my grandfather bought used as a kid in the early 40's. My dad says he (my grandfather) used to load it and go squirrel hunting and come back with 8 squirrels. This one functions, after much work on my part. I've considered having it restored/reblued and giving it back to my dad, but I just can't decide as it is very worn now. Little to no original finish, grips completely worn out, homemade front sight, all of that done by my grandfather.

 

[Leanwolf]

What firearm(s) have been in your family for the longest time? ..."

This one. Colt's 1860 Army percussion .44. My great grandfather, a sgt., fought with Co. B, 40th Georgia Infantry in the War Between The States. Colt's factory history claims it was manufactured in either late 1862 or early 1863. According to the family history, he picked it up off a battlefield from a dead yankee officer after the battle. It was passed down through the family to me.



The only thing on it that is not original is the wedge screw.

L.W.

 

[stageman]

Passed down from my great, great grand father.

 

[ccoyle]

I inherited three firearms from one of my grandfathers. I was quite surprised the day he gave them to me, because before that time I had only known about the existence of one of them; Grandpa never talked about his guns, and he never took me out shooting. A pre-'64 Winchester 94 is by far the nicest of the group, but the oldest is an old Stevens 16-ga single-shot that had obviously seen a lot of rough use before I got it. I don't remember the model number, but I think it was one that was introduced in 1928 or so, maybe a bit earlier, so that's the oldest it could be. I took a few turkeys with it. All of Grandpa's guns have since been passed on to the next generation.

P.S. Leanwolf: I had a 3x-great-grandfather in the 39th Georgia.

 

[langenc]

Have Grampas shotgun that he bought in early 1900s and Dads 22 ss that he bought in 40s I'd guess.

My son took the 22 to the range back about 96 when we had some Welsh Scouts here on an exchange. He came back and said-"wow that old gun will shoot". It is a single shot Western Auto special that has no safety but the bolt must be cocked after closing so it will fire. Only gun each of the above ever owned.

Gramps said he once shot into a flock of blackbirds on the ground and got 15 or more.

 

[25-5]

I have my grandfather's Winchester 1897 that he used to kill geese during the depression. On the shore of Lake Geneva in WI, he would line a couple up and shoot them on the ground. This was not sport, but shopping for dinner.

Winchester 1897 6.jpg

 

[jmace57]

I have my grandfather's Model 12 Winchester he bought in 1924...and a Walther PP my Dad captured in WW2. My uncle has the Colt Dragoon my GG Grandfather carried as an early Texas Ranger and in the Civil War.

 

[Curator]

I have a "great coat" flintlock pistol from about 1780 and a pair of "box-lock" percussion pistols from circa 1820 that all were made by my English ancestors who were involved in the Birmingham gun industry from about 1770 to 1840. These and a Webley MkIV .455 and Martini Henry .303 British Mk !!! from the Boer war make up my inheritance from my paternal Grand Father. I also have a Western New York "plains rifle" made about 1850, commissioned at the end of the Erie Barge Canal and brought back to England in 1860 by a shirt-tail relative. These and my Dad's sprorterized Jap Arasaka rifle, and a Remington-Rand 1911 pistol make up the oldest "family" guns in my collection.

 

[browningguy]

I've just got one from my grandfather. Back in the 1920's he farmed tobacco in NC during the season, and spent winters trapping in Canada, his trapping partner in Canada got him a pre war drilling. Two 16 ga. barrels on top and a 9.2x72r on the bottom, my dad used it in the 40's but they couldn't get the right ammo so somehow got 38-55's to shoot in it, not very accurately from all accounts. Sometime in the early 50's dad was bird hunting on the farm and when he pulled the front trigger both shotgun barrels went off, he put it up and it stayed in a closet until around 1972 when grandpa told me I could have it if I wanted to try to get it shooting again.

All of the shops I went to didn't even want to try to take it apart and look at it, but someone gave me the name of an old German gunsmith who was semi retired. He took pity on a poor high schooler and hand made the parts to fix it for around $15 at the time and I shot it for many years dove hunting. I finally retired it around 1991, the action was getting loose and the cost to fix was way more than the gun was worth, so now it's a wall hanger in my study.

 

[JTHunter]

My mother made my father get rid of all of his guns when I was born. She was sure I would accidentally kill myself with one of them.

I understand your pain. When they were getting divorced, my father went to his house to collect some personal items, including a variety of BP long guns. Wife #2 and a sheriff's deputy met him at the door and refused him entry. He was told that these guns and swords had been "stolen", along with some other items. As he was leaving, he glanced into the garage and saw a small radio/TV combo unit partially coverd up that was one of the items he had gone to collect.
Among the guns that were "stolen" were a 12 ga. SxS percussion cap shotgun, 3-4 rifles with at least one being a flintlock, 2 short (and heavy) swords that looked like a gladiator would have used, and 3-4 cavalry sabers, one of which had a large filigree bell protecting the hand and a curved blade at least 3' long.

All "gone".

From my maternal grandfather, I have his old .38 revolver that he had kept under the cash register in his store since before I was born. It no longer functions as the cylinder no longer locks in alignment with the barrel. It "wobbles" even when the revolver is cocked and is unsafe. It is estimated to be between 95 and 110 years old now.

 

[herrwalther]

There aren't many firearms in my family period. Let alone long standing heirlooms. The only thing that comes close is a single shot .22 rifle that was made on July 22, 1900. (I think) No idea the model number and I doubt it could even fire. It was bought brand new, the day it was made, by my great-great grandfather. Second place is a Marlin model 36 30-30. The original owner was my great-grandfather who bought it new in 1936. Which I am set to inherent.

 

[Sarge]

Nothing very old, but I have my dads collection of Mod 12 Winchesters which includes a 28 ga that he bought in 1941.
Sarge

 

[IowaWinter]

Unfortunately, the closest my family has to an heirloom gun is a break barrel pellet rifle that's only about 25 years old.

I have two older brothers that bought it when they were around 16 or so. One told the other to shoot him in the backside with it "to see if it would hurt." Needless to say that was the last time they ever got ahold of it, and it soured both my parents on guns forever after. I'd be surprised if they put even a hundred pellets through it before it got taken away.

 

[commygun]

Grandfather's Remington Model 12 from the '20's.

 

[Stevie-Ray]

This is "Old Toasty" a Colt Pocket .32 Auto that my Grandfather passed down to my Father and is now mine. My Granddad carried it, illegally of course, as probably everybody did in those days, for many years. He died in 1956, leaving to Dad. Dad kept it in a drawer and never fired it. I first fired it probably in the 80s, when Mom took it out of the house and gave it to me, fearing Dad's onset of Alzheimer's. Sucker gets hot. We took care of the paperwork upon Dad's death in 1987. Before that I had it cleared with the local police, that it was not only fine that it was kept at my house, it was best.

 

[freyasman]

What firearm(s) have been in your family for the longest time?

In my case, two stand out. The first is a Spanish matchlock arquebus musket that has been in my family for at least 10 or 11 generations. The other in an 1895 Winchester that been around for 5 generations.

The Winchester is still a pretty good shooter. The matchlock is purely a wall-hanger.

I was handed down a Colt SAA in 45LC that belonged to my great-grandfather. From the serial number, it was manufactured in 1901. No idea whether he was the first owner or not.

 

[Sarge]

I was handed down a Colt SAA in 45LC that belonged to my great-grandfather. From the serial number, it was manufactured in 1901. No idea whether he was the first owner or not.

My SAA is in 38/40. It was also made in 1901. I bought it used at a gun show in Denver in about 1961.
Sarge

 

[JTHunter]

This is "Old Toasty" a Colt Pocket .32 Auto that my Grandfather passed down to my Father and is now mine. My Granddad carried it, illegally of course, as probably everybody did in those days, for many years. He died in 1956, leaving to Dad. Dad kept it in a drawer and never fired it. I first fired it probably in the 80s, when Mom took it out of the house and gave it to me, fearing Dad's onset of Alzheimer's. Sucker gets hot. We took care of the paperwork upon Dad's death in 1987. Before that I had it cleared with the local police, that it was not only fine that it was kept at my house, it was best.

Stevie-Ray, those are nice little guns, if the barrel's rifling hasn't been worn out. Mine is pretty worn and isn't very accurate anymore. It's only good at 10 yds. or less for a "center mass" shot. One of the first times I shot mine, fortunately at an indoor range, the front sight popped off ! I was on my hands and knees looking under the bench and feeling around the floor 2-3' in front of the firing line and got lucky! Took it to a gunsmith I know and he was able to "pin" it back on securely.
So keep an eye on yours or have it checked out. If yours is the a similar "vintage" to mine, the post that holds that sight to the slide goes all the way through the top of the slide. When the 'smith checked his book, we estimated the age of my pistol at about 1922-24. based on the serial number. You also have nice wood grips on yours. Mine has the black "plastic" ones with the Colt name engraved in them.

 

[Deus Machina]

As far as I know, grandpa's 16ga that was used when he got it, and still in mint condition last I saw it. He took many a squirrel, pheasant, and deer with it.
Including the squirrel he popped because he forgot his deer slugs were still in it.
Aside from that, some old break-top revolver. I believe in some sort of .32. S&W or H&R. Been a long time since I've seen that out of the box, because I remember the trigger spring had broken.

 

[Hardtarget]

I'm sure the oldest in my safe was my grandfather's (mom's dad). It is a Remington, mod. 510, .22 single shot. My grand children really like shooting those old .22 single shots.

Mark

 

[Mango88]

I have a Type 94 Nambu pistol that my father acquired in WWII. If I remember correctly it has a date stamp that translates to April 1945. My father was in the 1st Cav Division and was stationed in Tokyo during 1945-1946 as an occupation troop, I believe that he acquired it there.

 

[Mn Fats]

My Grandfathers Great Model 8, and a handful of others that were bought by me before his passing. Other than that, he was the first real gun guy in the family so no firearm in the family went passed on from other generations except by him in my home. He passed the world of guns on to me and I'll be doing the same to my boy. And hopefully him to his and so on.

 

[EIB0879]

LC Smith 12 ga with Damascus Steel barrels that belonged to my Grandfather originally.

 

[lpsharp88]

I've got my great grandfather's old Model 12 in 20ga. It's a 1929 production I believe. I think he bought it new, but can't say 100%. Other than that, nothing. Unless you count the 1942 Garand I bought from the CMP a year ago