What's the oldest gun you own ?

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I have an original Winchester "Winder Musket"- a version of the M1885 Hi-wall in 22.l.r. and a 6' barreled Colt "Army Special"- Circa 1907(?).

These were left to me by my Dad. I know the Winchester was used when my Grandad bought if for my Dad in 1915.
Wouldn't sell either one.
 
I have a Savage Sporter 22Lr made in 1915. It was my Great Grandfathers. A very accurate rifle, the only problem is the mag spring is getting a litte weak.
 
You know you have Alzheimers when you answer the same question thread twice as I did on this one. At least I said the same thing in both posts. Please close this so I don't have to embarass myself again!
 
An interesting thread and I just skimmed over several pages of it. I find it interesting as to what some people consider "old". there are a few really, truly old guns listed here though.

As for me, my oldest gun is an 1873 Winchester lever rifle, OBFMCB, in .38 WCF caliber (.38-40). According to the serial number my rifle was actually made in 1899. I bought the rifle in 1991 just to satisfy my love for things from the old west period of American history. The Winchester '73 along with the Colt Peacemaker were truly the "guns that won the west". I also have a couple of old SxS hammer shotguns which belonged to my Grandfathers but I think they date from around 1910.
 
1922 Winchester Model 12.

My grandfather used it for about 30 years, then gave it to my father. He used it for about 35 years, until he passed away. Personally, I'm planning on using it for somewhat longer, but one of my boys will get it when I'm done.

FWIW, I've used the M12 a bunch over the past few years and taken a lot of pheasants with it. It may be old, but it's still a workhorse.
 
Russ,
You know you have Alzheimers when you answer the same question thread twice as I did on this one. At least I said the same thing in both posts. Please close this so I don't have to embarass myself again!
Click to expand...

Sorry, when I originally posted to this thread yesterday (Feb. 12, 2004) I had not realized that the last previous post before mine was from August of 2003. Oh well, everyone has added a lot of interesting items to the list of old firearms, so it can't be a bad thing.
 
Oldest one I own: 1917 .45acp Colt New Service army, made in 1917.

Oldest on I hope to own someday. GGGGrandpa Collins Rifle. It's a .24ish caliber kentucky squirrel rifle that is nearly 200 years old. It was origianlly a flintlock made in the 1820's by a blacksmith, the lock was English. Some time in the 1860's it was converted to percussion caps. It was fired for the last time somewhere back in the 1930's. My dad used to clean and oil this relic regularly. It's 4 feet long, weighs a ton and isn't worth much financially, say $100 for the rifle and $100 for the horn, bullet block and starter. My dad left home in the early 60's for the Air Force , and he said at that time it was still shootable. It seems 30+ years in a damp closet took their toll. All the iron fittings are rusty (read more than a patina) and the stock is starting to dry out. One of the odd things about this rifle is an aproximate .22 cal bullet hole running down the right side of the stock. If someone was holding this rifle when that happened he certainly got shot! I've often wondered if that was a ricochet or if this old relic saw "action" of some sort, ie a feud, or was pressed into service. The rifle hails from Hatfield Bottom, over the hill from Matewan in Mingo County, WVA. Back in 1820 that was wild country. It was still wild in 1920.

I'm hoping to find someone at the Colorado History Museum that will help me clean/stabilize the decay on this old family heirloom. It's a hell of a wall-hanger.

Someday I might have a replica made of it.
 
Oldest gun?

I have a 1870 Springfield 50-70 that may be unfired; also a Remington Hepburn in .40 x1-7/8" Sharps bottleneck, and a Winchester HiWall in 38-55 w/loading tool & bullet mold.
Nice guns all.
 
Vector Uzi. Receiver was stamped back in '86 right before the ban.

I would have an Arisaka my grandfather brought back at the end of WWII, but my uncle got it. :(
 
The largest chunk of the G98 collection is WWI-era.

But here's a few:

Remington Rolling Block, 1868 Egyptian contract, rebuilt into a .45-70 Long Range Creedmoor

Steyr-Mannlicher Dutch Cavalry Carbine in 6.5x53R, 1895

U.S. Model 1898 Krag in .30 U.S. Army (.30-40 Krag), 1898

Oberndorf M96 Swedish Mauser in 6.5x55, 1899

Remington Model 8 in .32 Remington, 1906

Carl Gustaf M96 Swedish Mauser in 6.5x55, 1907

Steyr-Hahn M1911 in 9mm Steyr, 1912

Schmidt-Rubin M1911 in 7.5x55 Swiss, 1912

Remington Model 11 in 12 gauge, 1914

Then the really modern stuff starts showing up in the list, and my hands would go numb typing. ;)
 
I thought for sure I had already responded to this thread, but it appears that I haven't.

My oldest gun is a 1916 Luger, brought home by my grandfather from WWII. I have replaced the grip panels because the orignals were long gone, and it was wearing an ill-fitting pair of 1950's era white plastic. (yeech!). Also replaced the mainspring, because it was out of a P38, and was a bit long and would bind. And, replaced the trigger return spring because it too was missing. I've put about 60 rounds through it to make sure it still works, it does!

luger.jpg
 
I have a civil war era 69 caliber muzzle loader. Unknown manufacturer or date on it. Few stamps on the bbl or lock. The gun was handed down to me by my father two years ago.

I would appreciate any info on how I could find out more about this gun if anyone has any ideas.
 
My oldest gun is a toss up between two muzzleloaders. one is an 1850's-60's era sporting rifle in .38 and the other is an old Tennessee Rifle in .54 that very well may be older. It is rough as a cobb, but has tremendous character! My dad bought it for me when I was 13 from an old widow in my home town. It was her grandfather's and she was in her eighties when we bought it in 1970. It came with all of the goodies, horn, measures, moulds, etc. My oldest cartridge gun is a 1870 .577 Snider Enfield carbine. It was given to me by my friend in Newcastle upon Tyne, England in 1992 when I went to visit him. I didn't want to take it , but he convinced me that he had two of them and had no use for either. He did say that I had to research the obsolete ammo and if I could make some, he wanted to shoot it if he ever visited me. He did come over a few years later and shot the gun for the first time in his life!

PS...Does anyone have an original flintlock Kentucky rifle that they have no use for? I'll be glad to take it off of your hands....and pay shipping too!;)
 
High Standard Model B. 1943 manufacture. My gunsmith says it's 98%.

Really, "wall hangers" are a waste on me. If I can't shoot it, why have it. Unless it is an original single action used by Tilton or somebody of notoriety, I'm gonna to bang it. But then I've never had a gun that was considered rare.
 
My oldest shooter is a 1906 M-96 Carl Gustav mauser. Dad has a Colt Navy percussion revolver (the streamlined one, maybe 1861 model, that came from an uncle who was a horse trader back in territorial days. I suspect horse trader may be a euphemism for no-goodnik.

I also have a Steyr M-95, but not sure of the date of manufacture. Fascinating to think what these guns may have been through.
 
Rust Collector, does your Stery M-95 look, by chance, like this turnbolt 6.5mm?

Or is it the "other" Stery M-95, the straight-pull 8mm?

dutch95-3.gif
 
Submin

I agree with you on the wall hangers. I like to SHOOT my guns. Now if it was a wall hanger that was solidly linked to a certain person or event, then that's different. For example, a non-functioning 1871 Mauser that was documented to have been used by the Irish Volunteers in 1916. A fully functional 1871 would be better though, and I even have the brass for 11mm Mauser. :D
 
I have an 1873 45-70 Springfield Trapdoor, that was made in 1884 and the rifle serial number that is two numbers away was issued to the 3rd Nebraska Infantry for the Spanish-American war sooo who knows.
 
Old guns?

I have a .32 rimfire Remington Elliot (4 bbl derringer) dated 1860 and an Allen & Wheelock revolver also dated (July) 1860.

I also have have a small precussion gun that you guys where helping me try and date over in this thread, which could be older or younger than the other two depending!
 
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