My dad is cleaning out some of the guns that he has inherited. A lot of them are pretty old. He has offered me my pick of a couple of them. I know that old guns can be valuable collectible items, but does anyone actually use them to hunt with? I'm a little worried about the functionality of them, but he swears up and down that they are perfectly fine. I'd rather just have them on display.
Old Guns
- Thread starter stealth
- Start date
Hikenhunter
Well-Known Member
If you just want them for display purposes then there is your answer. If however, you would like to shoot them and you aren't sure if they are safe to shoot, I would suggest that you have a good gunsmith take a look at them just to be safe and ease your mind.
CozInCowtown
Moderator
From a gun shop owner (partner).
PM me the make and model numbers and I can get you a book value for them.
Some may be very valuable and some are worth .33 cents a pound (scrap value).
Before you go shooting run them by your local gun shop or gun smith and have them take a look.
Many old barrels are not safe to shoot modern ammo in, especially snotguns.
Remember the safety adage, "When in doubt, DON'T!!".
DC
PM me the make and model numbers and I can get you a book value for them.
Some may be very valuable and some are worth .33 cents a pound (scrap value).
Before you go shooting run them by your local gun shop or gun smith and have them take a look.
Many old barrels are not safe to shoot modern ammo in, especially snotguns.
Remember the safety adage, "When in doubt, DON'T!!".
DC
wvbreamfisherman
Active Member
I'd be leery of shotguns without an inspection, but rifles will be mostly OK with standard commercial ammo, which is loaded pretty conservatively.
If they are old enough to have been fired with black powder ammo, I'd say in inspection is definitely in order.
Even junkers can make nice display pieces.
As Coz says(kinda)- if in doubt, use as a wall hanger.
If they are old enough to have been fired with black powder ammo, I'd say in inspection is definitely in order.
Even junkers can make nice display pieces.
As Coz says(kinda)- if in doubt, use as a wall hanger.
ppine
Forester
It depends what you mean by old. Most firearms made after around 1905 are safe to shoot with modern smokeless powder if they haven't been damaged. Check to be sure using the serial number and a competent gunsmith.
Many other guns made in the 1700s and 1800s are corroded with missing parts. It is easy to blow them up. Check them with a gunsmith. If he says okay, lay the gun on a stump and pull the trigger with a string from a safe distance. It is not worth the risk of a gun coming apart near your face. Use extreme caution. A good example of what not to do is the TV show "Pawn Stars." Those guys want to shoot everything that comes thru their store. Do not imitate them. One of these days they are going to have an accident.
My Dad is an old Winchester and Colt collector. He says shooting collector guns is like shooting a 10 dollar bill down the barrel every time you pull the trigger. Hunting puts carrying wear on firearms. I hunt with a 1948 Winchester I got from my great uncle because the nostalgic feeling overcomes whatever wear I put on it.
Many other guns made in the 1700s and 1800s are corroded with missing parts. It is easy to blow them up. Check them with a gunsmith. If he says okay, lay the gun on a stump and pull the trigger with a string from a safe distance. It is not worth the risk of a gun coming apart near your face. Use extreme caution. A good example of what not to do is the TV show "Pawn Stars." Those guys want to shoot everything that comes thru their store. Do not imitate them. One of these days they are going to have an accident.
My Dad is an old Winchester and Colt collector. He says shooting collector guns is like shooting a 10 dollar bill down the barrel every time you pull the trigger. Hunting puts carrying wear on firearms. I hunt with a 1948 Winchester I got from my great uncle because the nostalgic feeling overcomes whatever wear I put on it.
wvbreamfisherman
Active Member
I'm still hunting with my granddad's AH Fox and L C Smith shotguns. The finishes are worn to the point that there is not a lot of collector's value, and the weapons themselves are straight field grade to begin with.
Out of respect for the age, I use light loads at all times.
I like the idea of being connected in this small way to my granddad, who taught me a lot about the outdoors.
Out of respect for the age, I use light loads at all times.
I like the idea of being connected in this small way to my granddad, who taught me a lot about the outdoors.
Theosus
Backpacking Noob
I love older guns, specifically communist bloc weapons... SKS, AK47, Mosin Nagant. Not much of a shotgun shooting enthusiast, and I prefer modern pistols (either revolver or automatic), but there's something about older rifles I like. I'd love to have a flintlock, even if its just a reproduction... I had an old a-10 (or was it A-5?) shotgun I was given. I sold it because it took shorter shells than are produced now, and I don't hunt with a shotgun.
i have some old shotguns too. i love my Itheca. it is bottom ejecting and has an adjustable poly choke. it is from the 60's. i also have an old side by side i sawed off and pistol gripped, great to wear on the hip while stream fishing and you come across some ducks or geese
AK Hunter
Member
- Messages
- 124
- Points
- 18
Just like Hikenhunter said get a good gunsmith to look them over & if he says there good go ahead, shoot them if that is what you want. But I would feel real bad if I destroyed a inherited gun, so if you hunt with them be real careful. I would double check to be sure you are not using corrosive ammo & don't use it if to hunt if there is a chance of bad weather. I use a inherited .410 that my dad gave me to hunt squirrels & a WWII surplus gun that is over 70 years old to hunt deer. It is a 1942 Mosin Nagant 91/30 PU sniper rifle the same type rifle used in the movie Enemy At The Gates.
