Curio & Relic Carry Piece

There really aren't many differences in the process before carrying one of my C&R handguns and these days I fear some of them don't even seem 'OLD'. The one significant difference is how closely I examine some key component after a range session and before putting on in service. I do examine things like the striker or firing pin and extractor and frames under higher light levels and often under magnification looking for signs of damage. I did have a striker break on one of my 100+ year old Colt vest pockets and the new one had to be hand fitted. Fortunately the tip of the striker broke while I was examining it before putting the little thing in my pocket.

Honestly I've had more parts break while at the range on newer pistols; most recently a Girsan 1911 with less than 200 rounds through it.

You need to be able to practice with what you carry. Are you comfortable doing that with an older gun, especially if you only have the one gun? Would you trust your life to it?

I don't see the point of putting wear and tear on something best left for occasional fun and enjoyment at the range, and maybe the occasional BBQ. At least that's what I do with the older guns like that that I have. Not that they wont work if needed, but I have better choices available that I feel are more trustworthy and more easily replaced if need be.

When I first started carrying concealed it was a 1908 Colt pocket auto .380 with Win Silvertips. I also shot it all the time and made myself a nice IWB rough out holster for it. The gun was made in 1915.

C&R I've carried and shot within the last 12 months:





















These are just a sampling of guns that are C&R and that yes, I do trust and have trusted.

i have carried this m-57 in 7.62x25 as a farm tractor pistol, and this S&W m-10 in 38 spl in a shoulder holster.

I carried my Polish P64 on vacation once for giggles after getting pretty good with it. That crazy heavy DA pull makes for a wonderful safety.
If in a pinch, I have a few C&R handguns that could fit the role. I don't think I'd carry the P64 again, though it too can do the job if needed.

That little front sight allows for some decent groups at 25 yards, though sight acquisition suffers.

Ive carried these from time to time-

I bought a 70+ year old S&W .38/44 Heavy Duty six months ago. After doing some maintenance and replacing a few parts, and working up some loads, I have carried it from time to time. And expect to continue to do so.

It's just another N-frame, and I have carried and trusted a number of N-frames (as well as K-frames and J-frames) for a number of years, so I have no problem with carrying this one.

Although, in all honesty, if I'm going to carry an N-frame, the caliber generally starts with a 4....

Mr. Mosin said:

That a Pocket Positive ?

Click to expand...

Nah, just a 3" Police Positive Special.

They don't get worn out or unreliable just from sitting around. If it's not worn and doesn't have rust or dried grease in it, it's about as good as it ever was.

I have gobs of snub revolvers. Practicing with one carries over just fine to the others. I don't have to do all of my practice with one specific snubby.

So yeah, I carry this one occasionally. It's only about 64 years old, so maybe it's too young to count?

It was a LE turn-in. Someone carried it a lot and shot it just enough to smooth out the trigger. 50 years from now my daughter might have it sitting on her nightstand.

They dont get worn out sitting around and not getting shot, but that's the whole point too. If you only have "one" of something, and you're the least bit realistic about using it and keeping up with it, then its getting shot a lot.

And if its an older gun you got used, you have no idea as to how it was shot and maintained in the past and how its going to perform going forward. Is something like that worth betting your life on?

This is a NY DOC trade in I got a while back. This one didn't look like it was shot very much, with no wear in the finish on the recoil shield at all, and only very minor finish wear in the usual places you would look, but the second time out with it, the barrel spun off while I was cleaning it. No "pin", and all it had was a big lump of some brown thread locker on the threads.

I cleaned it up, put some blue Loctite on the threads and timed it back up the best I could and have been shooting it ever since. Its the one I shoot all the time in dry fire and at the range.



I have a number of other snubbies too, and randomly shoot them a good bit too, but, as much as I like this one, unless there was no other choice, this isn't one Id carry.

And don't assume that just because you have a bunch of the same or similar "type", the MOA is always the same. If you're mixing S&W and Colt revolvers, etc, that have different things going on in how they work and what you need to do to run them, they are not "the same". And that goes for anything. You see people all the time at the range when their gun stops or does something they weren't expecting, and there they are, just standing there staring at it, and thats with a gun they know. Whats going to happen under stress?

By all means, carry and do what you want, all Im saying is, daily and/or regular mix and match, especially with things you don't know where they stand as far as history goes, and you cant work without having to think about working them, especially under stress, isn't a good thing.

Carried one very similar to this one, on duty, for a couple of years.

Model 1917, First Brazilian Contract. I now carry a similar but more modern piece, but it would not bother me to carry the old one again.

Kevin

I think my old M36 Chiefs was just old enough to qualify. I currently have my 1903 Colt Pocket Hammerless on my CCW permit, but I've never actually carried it. It isn't entirely drop safe and 32 ACP is more nostalgic than effective.

I would refrain from carrying anything that is long out of production-a Remington Model 51, e.g. and for which spare parts are extremely hard to find.

Any of these will do. I carried the CZ 82 until I got a CZ P-01. I've also carried my Colt Series 70 bought in 1970.

I've carried a CZ 82, Russian Makarov, FEG Pa63, and a CZmodel 70 in the past. That was mostly over 20 years ago, when all those pistols were under $200 and ammo was cheaper. I never carried any of them until I had put them through their paces at a range. I felt like I really needed to be sure of their reliability and sure of the ammo, esp. the various versions of 9x18 surplus ammo that was out then. Most of those models were former police or military pistols so I felt like they had good potential.
I'm older now, so are those pistols. I'm sticking to current production models now. Slides are easier to rack(I have arthritis now), Lots of good ammo choices, and parts and service are available from the manufacturer. I still love those pistols and the history they have.

For me I personally stay away from carrying them as a defensive pistol, only because older guns aren't as replaceable as a modern one. A perfect example is the Walther P-38; I'd more than willing bet my life on it, it's a wonderful pistol. If I had to carry it I would, but as long as I still have choices of carrying more modern 9mms (or any other caliber) Im not going to carry it.
On a hunting trip it's a little different, because you're less likely to be in a defensive (against humans) scenario so needing to be replaced isn't much of an issue. Plus inspecting and making sure a pistol is safe enough for a hunting trip is alot easier done than inspecting throughout a EDC lifespan.

I've carried a few C&R guns at times. A Bulgarian Makarov, and a CZ-82 (I think that's right...the 9X18 one) come to mind. I carried a little Colt Pocket Positive in 32 New Police a couple of times, but that was more for grins and giggles than any serious carry.

Hard to argue the nostalgia and elegance of older weapons; a 1910 Savage followed me home from a recent gunshow. But a G42 or BodyGuard .380 makes infinitely more sense as a daily carry.
Guys over on the Walther board were forever wanting to carry an utterly mint PPK, especially older European examples, simply because they loved the gun so much. Dropping it, ending up in an evidence locker, or even ordinary wear and tear, simply didn't factor in their thinking. And it's their pistol, their call.
Something new, of known reliability, and ease of replacement, help me decide on what to actually carry. Though I did have a Colt Vest Pocket for my daughter's wedding.
Moon

Assuming the basic C&R definition of "anything over 50 years old", I don't really see anything remarkable about carrying such things. Of course, removing the majority of DA revolvers - not to mention the 1911! - does narrow the field a bit, but still...

My cut-off for defensive carry is roughly 1900. Something like my 1908 production Colt New Service in .38-40 leaves little to be desired for a belt revolver.

Forgot my old CZ Vzor-50 made in 1968, a year after I got married the first time. It's another 7.65 DA/SA kinda/sorta/maybe designed on the Walther PP model. Then there is my Austrian Police PP.





People have mentioned the possibility of it ending up is a police evidence locker. Frankly, if a pistol saves me or someone else from harm and ends up in an evidence locker then I will honor it and await it's return home like the Prodigal Son.