Whats your worst condition gun?

[silicosys4]

Just for fun, and because I like guns that look like they have a story behind them,

What is your worst condition gun?

Here is mine. It's an Army Special in .38.
I have no idea the history, I bought it as a non functioning parts gun on an online auction because the original hard rubber grips were pristine. I was going to use the hard rubber grips on another gun, then strip it for the internals for use as a parts gun, but it turns out the only thing wrong with it was a $5 part and I ended up just fixing it. The wood grips on it in the picture are aftermarket and were just to check fitment, it still wears the original grips.

There is a little pin that connects the cylinder release to the cylinder bolt that had sheared off, so the cylinder wouldn't open without a hard smack...and whoever had the gun before me had smacked it open and closed so many times there was peening at the entrance to each chamber so rounds wouldn't chamber. After a $5 part and a little bit of dremel work, it chambers rounds and fires just fine.

Its mechanically smooth and tight, and though I've never seen a functioning gun in worse condition...literally no finish left and every surface looks like the surface of the moon, the bore ain't bad and it is decently accurate.

Lets see your ugliest, most beat down, rashed out, roached up rust bucket you own

 

[DustyGmt]

Probably muh colt .38 Cobra Its in great shape mechanically, still nice and tight. The finish wore off that aluminum frame in all kinds of places, it has been that way since I've known it. It looks like hammered crap by most standards but I think it's beautiful.

 

[.455_Hunter]

Of any personal significance is the family heirloom .32 Iver Johnson 2nd Model that has been shot completely loose goose, has a cracked forcing cone, broken trigger return spring, and a uniform brown patina. As a teenager in the late 40's & early 50's, my Dad said it was in the exact same condition, so the first ~40 years of it's existence were pretty rough. He thinks his uncles shot the pee out of it, which is surprising given the relative cost of ammo compared to the gun itself back in the day.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Ive brought quite a few basket cases back from the dead, but at the moment this is the roughest-


Model of 1905, M&P, .32-20.

An older lady walked into my buddies shop a few years ago (while we were having lunch) and dropped a plastic bag on his counter. "My husband died and I found this in his closet. I dont like guns," she said, and walked back out.

My buddy, Roger, set down his sandwich, opened the bag, pulled out a vaguely gun-shaped bundle of rust, opened the cylinder, gave the rod a sharp whack and ejected six vaguely cartridge-shaped green cylinders on to the countertop.

He slid the poor old Smith and its ancient ammunition across to me and said "Dispose of those, gimme $75 and its yours."

So, for $75 and a few hours of media blasting and cold-blue, I got a pretty decent shooter and a nice memento of the good times at Roger's shop before he passed.

It photographs ok at low-res, but up close has heavy exterior pitting. The bore and internals are still good, though, and she locks up tight.

 

[Rexster]

I bought an ex-San Antonio PD duty revolver, an S&W Model 58, .41 Magnum, in 1985. It showed the evidence of having been ridden hard, and put up wet, and its action and lock-up were not the tightest. I then used it as my duty handgun until 1990, by which time its action was quite loose, and its was going out-of-time, with the hammer wanting to fall before the cylinder was firmly locked, at the ideal point. By then, I better understood the importance of gripping the weapon in a most-ergonomic way, which meant that I should not be trying to shoot an N-Frame double-action, with my K/L-sized hands. I still have this Model 58, which can still be fired, though I would use single-action, cocked gently.

Nobody would mistake my 2004 SIG P229R DAK for a safe queen, though it is not particularly thrashed. I carried it on the mean streets of Houston, as my primary duty handgun, from 2004 to 2015. It original rear sight took a beating, from occasionally hitting or scraping against door and gate frames, and such things, plus a roll on the ground, now and then. One corner of the accessory rail is a bit rounded-off, from a fall, while cycling, during personal time. The sturdy nylon fabric of the Wilderness Safepacker prevented worse damage. I retired this pistol because the high bore axis, and the .40 S&W recoil, were working harshly against my arthritic right thumb and wrist*, which limited my training with realistic street ammo. When my chief OK’ed 9mm as an alternative duty cartridge, I soon switched to a more “orthopedic” Glock G17 Gen4.

I have a sad S&W Model 19-5, and a Walther PPK/s, that were under a few inches of water, for a while, during Hurricane Harvey. It was a couple of days before I could get to them, detail-strip them, and coat them with Ballistol. The Walther’s bluing fared much worse, and rust started worse, but at least it is complete. The 19-5 parts became separated, so I may end up buying a replacement cylinder/yoke assembly, and side plate. Being flooded is not much of a story, so I almost did not mention these two. The 19-5 was my roll-out-of-bed gun, to be reached if I were to be on the floor, so was intentionally positioned at floor level. I have forgotten why the Walther was on the floor. It was not a carry gun, and not kept loaded for home defense. I think that it was inside a box or bag, left there after a range trip. Most of the guns were in the safe, and were rescued by a family member, after I was able to talk her through the combination, over the phone. (I was on duty, unable to leave my patrol area, due to high water.

*I do not blame .40 S&W for being the major cause of the damage. The improper way I was gripping N-Frames, in the Eighties, when I was in my immortal twenties, shooting .44 and .41 Magnums, probably played the much larger role.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

I bought an ex-San Antonio PD duty revolver, an S&W Model 58, .41 Magnum, in 1985. It showed the evidence of having been ridden hard, and put up wet, and its action and lock-up were not the tightest. I then used it as my duty handgun until 1990, by which time its action was quite loose, and its was going out-of-time, with the hammer wanting to fall before the cylinder was firmly locked, at the ideal point. By then, I better understood the importance of gripping the weapon in a most-ergonomic way, which meant that I should not be trying to shoot an N-Frame double-action, with my K/L-sized hands. I still have this Model 58, which can still be fired, though I would use single-action, cocked gently.

Nobody would mistake my 2004 SIG P229R DAK for a safe queen, though it is not particularly thrashed. I carried it on the mean streets of Houston, as my primary duty handgun, from 2004 to 2015. It original rear sight took a beating, from occasionally hitting or scraping against door and gate frames, and such things, plus a roll on the ground, now and then. One corner of the accessory rail is a bit rounded-off, from a fall, while cycling, during personal time. The sturdy nylon fabric of the Wilderness Safepacker prevented worse damage. I retired this pistol because the high bore axis, and the .40 S&W recoil, were working harshly against my arthritic right thumb and wrist*, which limited my training with realistic street ammo. When my chief OK’ed 9mm as an alternative duty cartridge, I soon switched to a more “orthopedic” Glock G17 Gen4.

I have a sad S&W Model 19-5, and a Walther PPK/s, that were under a few inches of water, for a while, during Hurricane Harvey. It was a couple of days before I could get to them, detail-strip them, and coat them with Ballistol. The Walther’s bluing fared much worse, and rust started worse, but at least it is complete. The 19-5 parts became separated, so I may end up buying a replacement cylinder/yoke assembly, and side plate. Being flooded is not much of a story, so I almost did not mention these two. The 19-5 was my roll-out-of-bed gun, to be reached if I were to be on the floor, so was intentionally positioned at floor level. I have forgotten why the Walther was on the floor. It was not a carry gun, and not kept loaded for home defense. I think that it was inside a box or bag, left there after a range trip. Most of the guns were in the safe, and were rescued by a family member, after I was able to talk her through the combination, over the phone. (I was on duty, unable to leave my patrol area, due to high water.

*I do not blame .40 S&W for being the major cause of the damage. The improper way I was gripping N-Frames, in the Eighties, when I was in my immortal twenties, shooting .44 and .41 Magnums, probably played the much larger role.

Ooooh, never get tired of M58 pics, even rough ones.....just sayin.

BTW, they command quite a premium these days- might be worth it to get it professionally restored?

 

[bassjam]

I have a very old Marlin 1892. Dad said his sister's ex-husband was selling it before I was born and Dad thought it'd make a nice companion to his 39 Mountie so he picked it up, cleaned it, and put in in the back of his closet. A couple decades later when I was in my mid teens and starting to get into guns I insisted we shoot it, and we couldn't hit the broadside of a barn. We went to my mom's uncle who was an avid shooter and knew far more about guns than either of us, and discovered it tumbled bullets. IIRC it had about an 10" pattern at 25 yards. Around 15 years ago Dad gave his 4 guns away to my brother and I, and I ended up with the 1892 while my brother got the 39 Mountie. While the outside of the gun is in OK condition with some minor surface rust and an old looking patina and a missing buttplate, and the mechanics function perfectly fine, the bore is pitted with maybe 60% of the rifling remaining. I keep debating hanging it on the wall in my home office, but the only location there's room is right in the line of site during video conferences and I'm not sure it's worth the risk since I work for a large corporation.

 

[wiscoaster]

Well, apologies in advance for having posted this photo before, but it fits the OP:

My "worst condition" gun. Unshootable and in pieces - I don't think it gets much worse.

well, OK, I suppose it could be rusted as well --- time will take care of that

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

Take your pick.

Todd.

 

[WestKentucky]

currently disassembled. No grips, missing parts, and the frame itself is no longer structurally sound. The old brass frames on these guns was soft and mine has loose parts and other issues. It needs the frame replaced. Colt New Line 22 rimfire. 1870s production. I paid $0.25 for it on Gunbroker and $40 between shipping and transfer. I have shot it with colibri ammo just to say I did. Doing so required duct tape to align the cylinder and a heavy pair of welding gloves just in case it spit or split.

 

[wiscoaster]

I gotta admit, that's pretty bad!!

 

[HOWARD J]

Colt Woodsman--took it apart to reblue it about
60 years ago. Never got around to it. It sits quietly in an old cardboard box.

 

[FL-NC]

I have an old S&W 38 hand ejector. It was "found in a garage after someone died" and gifted to me. The firing mechanism works but the cylinder doesn't turn, it has almost no finish left, and it is missing a couple of screws in the frame. Even if I could find the parts (and motivation) to repair it, I still wouldn't trust it. But it does look cool sitting in the "man cave".

 

[CapnMac]

Least best finish is my Gov't Model .380, at around 50%. Used to be it was my Colt 1903, whcih was a charitable 33%.

 

[bannockburn]

My worst condition gun would probably be my Ruger Single Six that a buddy of mine gave to me when he quit running his trap lines. Needless to say being out in sometimes harsh weather conditions did little for the condition of the Ruger. Plus he had bought it used so there's no telling how much wear and tear this gun had already seen prior to coming into my friend's possession. It was already on it's second pair of grips with the original ones having become cracked and no longer viable to use. The replacements were some generic looking slabs of wood that did nothing for the overall complexion of the gun. There were also various marks, scratches, and dents to the metal portion of things but everything else on it still worked fine.

First thing I did was give it a thorough cleaning after taking the gun apart. The insides were remarkably enough in nice shape with no rust or gunk built up in the action, the cylinder, and the barrel. So at least that was good news but still the outward appearance left something to be desired. Most of the anodizing on the frame was somewhat worn and scuffed up but at least it was still intact. Same with the bluing so I gently took some Flitz to both finishes and they did come around a bit to appearing slightly better than before. I found a .22 Magnum cylinder for it and had it fitted to the gun and then after attending numerous gun shows I finally came across a pair of Ruger factory grips (still in their original factory packaging), and they fit perfectly on my gun! Well worth the wait as now it looks a whole lot better and fits in with the rest of the Ruger revolvers I have in the stable!

 

[DustyGmt]

Ive brought quite a few basket cases back from the dead, but at the moment this is the roughest-

View attachment 969913
Model of 1905, M&P, .32-20.

An older lady walked into my buddies shop a few years ago (while we were having lunch) and dropped a plastic bag on his counter. "My husband died and I found this in his closet. I dont like guns," she said, and walked back out.

My buddy, Roger, set down his sandwich, opened the bag, pulled out a vaguely gun-shaped bundle of rust, opened the cylinder, gave the rod a sharp whack and ejected six vaguely cartridge-shaped green cylinders on to the countertop.

He slid the poor old Smith and its ancient ammunition across to me and said "Dispose of those, gimme $75 and its yours."

So, for $75 and a few hours of media blasting and cold-blue, I got a pretty decent shooter and a nice memento of the good times at Roger's shop before he passed.

It photographs ok at low-res, but up close has heavy exterior pitting. The bore and internals are still good, though, and she locks up tight.

That's funny, I have a $75 lost cause revolver story too. Except mine was a Colt frontier scout. Gas station clerk who got to know me a lil bit from my comings and goings happen to mention he had this rust bucket .22lr he wanted to get rid of for a few bucks. I told him to bring it with him on his next shift and he was right, it wasn't pretty. I asked him what he thought was fair and he basically left it to me. He said he would be happy with $50 for poker money. I gave him $75. I guess I shouldn't have brought it back in after I cleaned it up and gave it a little TLC. He didn't recognize it.

I think he was equally annoyed as he was impressed. It didn't look like a $75 gun when I was done with it. I guess in retrospect bringing it back in good shape could be interpreted as rubbing it in, he probably didn't need to see it. Better he be happy to make $75 off some worthless to him rusted steel than to think he got taken. I wouldn't do it over like that.

 

[Reloadron]

Among the worst condition would be this old Colt 1911.


It does have wood grips on it now. My guess is at some point someone had it parkerized. The gun 5 digit serial number puts it manufactured in 1914 so third year production 1911. It does shoot. I also have a few old revolvers, I think H&R manufacture, one hammerless and one with exposed hammer.

The picture of the Colt was taken when I first got it. I have since cleaned it up and gave it a light coat of oil. Considering it was a hand me down the price of free made it a good deal.

Ron

 

[MosinT53Hunter]

Currently, its my winter projects. All are Ishapore Enfields, in rough shape. Two are in .303, and the other in .410.
One of these days, I'll put them all together.

 

[MedWheeler]

I don't have any that would show their conditions in pictures, and they're all in pretty-good, or better, condition.

My worst are:

a Rossi Model 68 (Interarms-vintage) that I picked up in a pawn shop a couple of years back. Someone apparently hacked off the last 3/4 inch or so of the barrel (maybe more, as I don't know how long it originally was.) They did a pretty good job; I didn't notice it until later, so it might have even been done by the importer. The barrel currently measures 2 1/2 inches, with only a small bit of ramp sight at the muzzle. The bluing is heavily-nicked, but not worn, and the cylinder frequently locks up under recoil; popping it open, then closing it again, lets you shoot some more. The gap between the cylinder face and the forcing cone is so tight I can't see light in it, so that's probably what's causing it.

a Chinese-marked SKS rifle that I got maybe three or four years ago, but never cleaned or fired. It's not a Norinco, and cannot be dated. It's in typical surplus condition, still bearing a bit of Cosmoline in its innards and barrel, and the bolt's original finish is pretty much all gone. Pretty much every SKS rifle I've seen in person has, to me at least, appeared nicer than this one.

 

[hemiram]

Easy, I currently only have one real "messed up" looking gun, an Israeli surplus Jericho 941 in sad looking satin nickel. No pits, no rust, just rough looking. It's a SAO and shoots fine now, but came with a recoil assembly that obviously was for a compact gun.

 

[MosinT53Hunter]

This M1 Carbine has been messed up quite a bit. Shame too, USGI Inland receiver has a really nice purple hue finish on it. I bought it off of Gunbroker for $300, a steal in my book.
I think someone in the past rebarreled it to 5.7 Johnson, as the barrel is a Winchester Model 77 in 22. lr soldered into place. I wanted the parts off of it more then figuring that part out.
My Universal M1 1st Gen needed a trigger pack badly since the one I had was cracked and broken when I got it.

Just a barreled receiver now, with a few threaded holes on the side someone mounted a scope base to. Its interesting all the same.

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

This M1 Carbine has been messed up quite a bit. Shame too, USGI Inland receiver has a really nice purple hue finish on it. I bought it off of Gunbroker for $300, a steal in my book.
I think someone in the past rebarreled it to 5.7 Johnson, as the barrel is a Winchester Model 77 in 22. lr soldered into place. I wanted the parts off of it more then figuring that part out.
My Universal M1 1st Gen needed a trigger pack badly since the one I had was cracked and broken when I got it.

Just a barreled receiver now, with a few threaded holes on the side someone mounted a scope base to. Its interesting all the same.
View attachment 970420

Those Johnsons - depending upon how well they're done - are collectible in their own right. Sure was a cool concept.

Todd.

 

[theotherwaldo]

I've still got three revolver-shaped lumps of rust that are too far gone to tell who made them.
I've got a Stevens pump shotgun with a shortened barrel and a broken lifter that I haven't got around to fixing.
An Iver Johnson hammerless .38 that belonged to my great-uncle that has a poor bore and a filed-down firing pin.
Those are the worst - then come the Bubba jobs... .

 

[Palladan44]

Colt Trooper first generation
Probably spent time at the bottom of a lake.
Pitted. Looks to have then been rough sand blasted at one time.
I bought it for cheap, and tried to polish her "in the white". Upon reassembly, the revolver is out of time.
Its an ambarassing pile of junk. I cant believe i paid actual money for it.

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

Colt Trooper first generation
Probably spent time at the bottom of a lake.
Pitted. Looks to have then been rough sand blasted at one time.
I bought it for cheap, and tried to polish her "in the white". Upon reassembly, the revolver is out of time.
Its an ambarassing pile of junk. I cant believe i paid actual money for it.

I had a .32 that was in a garage-sale tackle-box.... A SALT WATER fisherman's tackle-box.

I had almost consigned it out of hand to making a gate handle or some such. Sat around for EVER unloved and bearing my open scorn.

Then one day, one slow day, I picked it up to clean it up for the gate or shed door. Turns out the owner had completely packed the internals in grease and the exterior that I thought was gun-cancer like you read about was really the disintegration and over flow of some vintage rubber-like artificial bait.

Todd.