At what age does a handgun become too old for a ccw?

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A backup pistol I carried was in its 40s and I liked to call it "the old man." Did I doubt its performance? Not really. It was a picky firearm so I gave it a bit more than the usual testing at the range to see what it liked and didn't as far as ammo was concerned. The only real benefit of carrying modern or current production pistols is the availability of parts and/or warranties.
 
Things do wear out, but that has more to do with initial quality, amount & type of use, than it does age.
I have a S&W revolver that was made in 1921 that sees some CCW use. If it was all I had, I would have no qualms about using it for EDC. I trust it more than I do any current production S&W revolver.
 
I wouldn't fret much over the age of the firearm but I insist it use smokeless powder and be a breech loader!:D Seriously though I've routinely carried guns as old as I am. Many new guns aren't nearly as well made as the older ones. Heck, you can even see the corner's Glock has cut from the Gen 1's to the new Gen 4's.
 
Vodoun da Vinci said:
Got two Colt 1903's- one from 1917 and one from 1930 and *both* of them fit in the same holster/ I have a neat little IWB holster and they ride in the appendix/1:00 position just fine. I shoot both regularly and hand load for them and they are utterly reliable.
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Was it you with the silver dime on the holster?

I was seriously considering going with a nice OC holster for my 1903 and maybe modern Kydex for the Savages (they need a refinish badly anyway)
 
"I wouldn't carry an 1849 Pocket either"

I carried an 1884 S&W .38 break-top for a couple of weeks. It had belonged to my great uncle Ed and he carried it everyday for many decades. It worked just fine.
 
True story; older handguns....

In the early 1990s, I read a gun magazine article about a police investigator in a mid-size US city who reportedly packed a WWII era 9x19mm Luger on duty. :confused:
The cop explained to the writer that the Luger would jam after every 2/3 9mm JHPs but he still liked to use it.

I wouldn't knock anyone's choice of sidearm if it was a budget or availability issue. Some officers or CCW license holders have limited choices but if $ is not a factor, then you can get a much better brand.

You don't need to be a bullet-head or own every copy of Guns & Ammo or Jane's Defense Weekly but you should have a working knowledge of most brands, calibers & models.
 
I have carried a Colt Agent (the Cobra with smaller grips) since the late '60's. Shoot it every 3 month. The finish is gone but I feel very comfortable with this piece. If you shoot the gun often you should know how well it works.
 
There have been some reports of people using cap and ball percussion revolvers as defensive pieces :)barf:) either for carry on the person or in a dwelling environment, in countries that forbid ownership of anything more effective. I myself would rather have a baseball bat or crowbar next to the bed! I for one couldn't imagine trying to defend my life with such a useless weapon.

God I'm glad I live in the USA! We might have our problems with gun laws, but we have the best gun laws in the WORLD and some people forget that!
 
I for one couldn't imagine trying to defend my life with such a useless weapon.
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Ever fired one?

They aren't much different than a Blackhawk unless you go past 6 shots. More than capable of dropping a horse or human.
 
Sitting in front of me is an S&W .38 Single Action, Second Model, in 98% condition. Would I carry it? Probably not, if I had a choice; the small sights, single action and spur trigger would be pretty slow for defensive use. But would it work? Absolutely. I have fired it with regular .38 S&W ammo and it is as tight and mechanically perfect as the day it left Springfield, MA, some 135 years ago.

Jim
 
I had one of those and shot it occasionally until I sold it to a collector. It never failed to go bang. If I had lived in the day, I would have wanted one, if I could afford it.

I guess the oldest thing I have ever carried for self defense was my 1911 vintage 1918, AA rework. I shot it a little the other day to see if Tuner was right about the old GI guns handling semiwadcutters and hollowpoints. It did. It had not when I first got it, but we are a lot of bullet generations ahead of Norma and Super Vel.
 
Cooldill said:
There have been some reports of people using cap and ball percussion revolvers as defensive pieces :)barf:) either for carry on the person or in a dwelling environment, in countries that forbid ownership of anything more effective. I myself would rather have a baseball bat or crowbar next to the bed! I for one couldn't imagine trying to defend my life with such a useless weapon.

God I'm glad I live in the USA! We might have our problems with gun laws, but we have the best gun laws in the WORLD and some people forget that!
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I have fired hundreds and hundreds of shots from 1858 and 1860 replicas. Never had one misfire...ever. I have had 4 ftf through a 9mm Glock.

I'm not saying the cap and ball is more reliable, but for me, I wouldn't have an issue grabbing one if I heard a bump on the night. Lots of smoke, lots of fire, but it thumps pretty hard and gets the job done. The muzzle loader has planted a lot of men in the last several hundred years.

It's not ideal, but a cap and ball is far from "useless".
 
"At what age does a handgun become too old for a ccw?"

When you're too old and feeble to hold the gun any more.

;)

Seriously, it looks like others have already hit the nail on the head with this one. Age does not have anything to do with the suitability of a gun for CCW. Material condition does.

Well...maybe ammunition availability, too.

Too many people associate age with run down or worn out and while it's true that guns that have been around longer often show more wear and tear, that's not really a mark of age so much as how well it's been taken care of or abused over it's lifetime.

It's use, abuse, and neglect that affect a gun's material condition, not age alone.
 
Cooldill said:
There have been some reports of people using cap and ball percussion revolvers as defensive pieces either for carry on the person or in a dwelling environment, in countries that forbid ownership of anything more effective. I myself would rather have a baseball bat or crowbar next to the bed! I for one couldn't imagine trying to defend my life with such a useless weapon.
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Tell that to all those men planted on Boot Hill when they were on the wrong end of a pair of 1851 Navy revolvers carried by Wild Bill Hickok. Many say they were only 36 Caliber but the dead men didn't know the difference.

Those 36 Cal. percussion revolvers were no less effective than a .38 Special and could be reloaded quickly if you carried a spare set of loaded cylinders.

Just a note, it takes a special type of person to be able to bash someone's head in with a baseball bat or crowbar. It's a lot harder than pulling a trigger.
 
Age has nothing to do with it's effectiveness,,,

Age has nothing to do with it's effectiveness,,,
Assuming it is in good condition,,,
The initial design was okay,,,
And good ammo is there.

I wouldn't carry a revolver chambered for S&W .38,,,
Because while I can easily find a LNIB handgun,,,
The ammunition I can buy is not to my liking.

But I would confidently carry an older Savage in .380 ACP,,,
Again assuming I had one that was mechanically sound.

I do own a Model 189? French Lebel 8mm revolver,,,
This particular revolver (made in 1903) is 111 years old,,,
If this were the only handgun I owned I would feel well armed,,,
It's as solid as a tank and I do have 500 or so rounds of new ammo.

Look, I know there are exceptions to my conditions,,,
But as long as it was an appropriate carry gun in the first place,,,
Simple age of the gun is not a factor that makes a gun inappropriate for carry.

A poor analogy but I just have to throw it out there,,,
Just because the old man walks with a cane,,,
Doesn't mean he can't still kick your butt.

Aarond

.
 
Posted by aarondhgraham: Age has nothing to do with it's effectiveness,,,
Assuming it is in good condition,,,
The initial design was okay,,,
And good ammo is there.
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I don't think you can argue with that, but it would be nice to have a source of parts and service before wearing out a firearm.

I had a Smith and Wesson Model 39 that I sold for two age-related reasons: one cannot find replacement extractors, and they do break (some say they all break); and the feed ramp was such that functioning with JHP ammo was iffy at best. When the gun was deigned, the stuff wasn't made.
 
I have a Colt 1911, which was made in 1918. It is stamped US Property on the frame, and I would say it has seen a lot of use! I don't fire it very often any more, but it has never failed, if it were my only pistol I would be confident it would do its part just fine. The Springfield 1911 I use in IDPA has seen many thousands of rounds down range, and is as reliable as an auto pistol can be. With routine maintenance the life of a quality firearm is very long indeed!
 
your Walther PP in 7.65mm/.32acp is fine. rimlock is only an issue with short OAL rounds such as h.p. or flat nosed FMJ.
 
At what age does a handgun become too old for a ccw?
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Hard to say. I bet if kept in great condition even a 1860 .44 Cap-n-Ball would still do.

Condition is what matters.

Deaf
 
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