Older Guns

Recently I was just given a very old shot gun. 16 gauge from the early 1900s, maybe the 20's or 30's. It needs a new firing pin which I've been able to track down and order, and given the age I plan on having a gun smith safety check it before going out and shooting it. If it turns out to be as fun to shoot as it looks like it will be, I'm thinking of maybe looking into some other old style models to entertain myself with. What older guns do you guys have, and how much do you use them?

 

I have a Remington rolling block action 22LR that belonged to my great grandfather. Old-style octagonal barrel, everything original, taken good care of in general. I shoot it every time I go to the range and whenever I'm plinking in the back yard with CB caps. Even with cheap ammo I have no problems popping soda cans at 100 yards over iron sights.

 

Nice. Even nice that it's a family heirloom. Not many gun types on my side of the family, so nothing with some real history in it for me.

 

The oldest gun I own that I use regularly is a Winchester Model 12. By the serial number it was made sometime in 1917. I don't use it all the time but it does see some action on the sporting clays course from time to time. I shoot an over/under most of the time so when I do take the Mod. 12 out I have a hard time remembering to chuck the thing.

 

On top of the old Remington, I have a Glenfield single shot bolt action .22 and a Stevens 20ga. Not sure exactly how old since they were both made before serial numbers were required by law. I got both of them from the 50% off rack at the local gun store since they needed a bit of work. $52.50 plus tax for both of them.

 

Currently in the safe I have a Winchester Model 1894 bought new by my step-dad in 1956. He passed it on to my son for his 13th BDay. I am hoping to inherit my step-dad's 1973 Browning Superposed 12 ga. with a full set of Briley tubes. It's not a real valuable gun (a couple thousand, maybe) but it's the gun he has shot skeet with, 3 days a week for the last several years, so it holds a lot of sentimental value.

 

old enfields- I have one from 1916- and old mosin nagants, nagant revolvers, and an old tokarev tt-33- thats about as far back as I go..... btw, the enfields have really stolen my heart, and the ishapores are still out there pretty cheap.... easy to get ammo for them forever too, no fear of the supply of it drying up

 

My family had an old GI Winchester '97. That thing was pretty awesome.

 

Well, the old shotgun was a bust. Local smith deemed it unsafe to fire, and it would have taken about 120 to do the repairs to a $75 dollar shotgun. Gave it to a buddy of mine that just really likes the old guns like that and is willing to put the money into it. As a consolation prize to myself, I'm looking into building a TT-33. Should be a fun project.

 

On an up note. Won the frame for a TT-33 7.62x25 on gun broker for 13 bucks. Going to build it from the ground up, ordering it piece by piece when I get the money for the parts. Should be a fun project.

 

Nice shooter, mate. What's the arsenal and year of manufacture?

You may also find that she shoots best with the bayonet attached, or at least shoots to point-of-aim that way. The Russians/Soviets intended for the bayonet to be permanently mounted, and regulated their guns as such- part of why the bayonet is serialized to the rifle. If you're consistently shooting off the bull, try attaching the Stabby. I've seen many, many cases of a 91/30 that was a "consistent misser" until the bayonet was attached, and which then shot exactly where the sights said they should.

Of course you'll want to do a no-bayo sight-in if you want to do anything other than plink at the range, but it's a neat historical curiosity in any case.

 

My only old gun is an Iver Johnson Target Model, 9 shot, .22, DA revolver. I'm not sure of the age, my research didn't turn up much, maybe the early 1900s. It shoots just fine, trigger pull shooting DA is heavy, but that's not unusual for a DA revolver. It has no $$ value other sentimental, family heirloom.