How old do guns need to be to be considered OLD?

[Seedy Character]

My 1100 is 51 years of age. I don't consider it old. Looks and operates as it did 51 years ago.


So much comparison with autos. Apple to oranges. Cannot be compared. A 30 yo car typically is in need of major repair. Even a cheap, 30 yo gun has a good chance of being as good as it was when new.

 

[Dunross]

If the gun was made after me it is not old.

If the gun was made before me it is old.

 

[Jimbo80]

I was born in 1953. 30% of my collection was made before I was born. 10% are over 100 years old. Less than 10% were made after 2000. I like old guns.

 

[grampster]

I have my dad's old Ranger double barrel shotgun in 20 ga. He bought that sometime in the 1920's iirc. Put lots of small game and 1 deer on the table when I was younger. I also have his Remington .22 LR, bolt action, tube feed target rifle. Got lots of squirrels with that. I believe he bought that about the same time he got the Ranger. So both of those wonderful firearms are close to being 100 years old.

 

[3Crows]

If it is my age or less then it is NEW and if it is my age or older then it is OLD and if it is older than dirt it is an ANTIQUE.

 

[Y-T71]

Great question!

The first gun I spent my own money on was a S&W 629 that is now 35+ years old.

I consider it to be "new" and my 1917 Erfurt Luger to be old.

But, I'm gonna be 52 shortly and still consider myself to be "new"

 

[jmorris]

Cars in my State are considered antique if they are 25 years old or older. I have T shirts that are older than that…

 

[DeepSouth]

I’m my head I kind of break it down like this

Black power = Antique
Pre WW2 = Old
Post WW2 = Modern
After 1980 & Still shiny = New

*not applicable to buying & selling as I realize it my scale and no one else’s.

 

[orpington]

I like this, but ammo makers are aware of it. My dad once had a 32-20 revolver. He had a box of ammo marked "for rifles only." But today, if you buy "modern" (as in, recently produced) 32-20 ammo, it's "safe for all rifles and pistols," meaning it has been downloaded from previous decades' standards.

Unless you're talking smokeless powder in a black powder only gun, I think you're probably better off with newer ammo.

The .32-20 ammunition could have been fired in a longarm or a pistol. It was labeled as such because it was manufactured during an era when longarms and ammunition were not taxed, but there was an excise tax on pistols and associated ammunition.

“History
Excise taxes on firearms and ammunition were first imposed in 1919 in the Revenue Act of 1918 (P.L. 62-524), as part of the tax increases associated with World War I. The initial rate was 10%. Although the war ended, some of these taxes remained. The Revenue Act of 1926 (P.L. 68- 553) eliminated the tax on long guns and ammunition, retaining only the tax on pistols and revolvers. The Revenue Act of 1928 (P.L. 75-400) eliminated these taxes as well. The FAET, at 10%, along with other taxes, was restored by the Revenue Act of 1932 (P.L. 71-88), reflecting the revenue needs during the Great Depression. These early taxes reflected a general revenue objective and were not dedicated to a specific use. The Revenue Act of 1940 (P.L. 76-656) raised the tax rate on pistols and revolvers to 11% for a temporary, five-year period. This temporary increase was made permanent in the Revenue Act of 1941 (P.L. 77-
250) and the tax rate on other firearms and ammunition was increased to 11%. The Excise Tax Reduction Act of 1954 (P.L. 83-354) reduced the rate for pistols and revolvers to 10%, leading to the rates that stand today.”

https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF12173/1

 

[deadeye dick]

Actually, it's because they don't have an FFL and don't want to deal with the regulation and oversight. Lots of pawn shops have FFLs and buy post 1898 guns, although I bet most prefer to buy recognizable modern guns that will sell quickly. (Glocks and M&P2.0, AR15s etc.)

You're right , didn't think of that.

 

[PapaG]

My Shattuck Damascus barreled 10 ga, my Krag, my Leman 38 half stock, and my Belgian percussion double are old.
Everything else was made since 1900 so some may be vintage, like my first model Winchester 52. I have a couple guns made in this century. They’re pretty new.

 

[Mark_Mark]

Here a real sign of Old (me drooling) does your gun have a Rich Blue or nice fancy Colt Royal Blue!?!?!?!

those are called Old & Proud!

 

[Mosin77]

If it’s not made anymore.

I’ve got guns from the ‘90s or even early 2000s that seem to be from a bygone era of craftsmanship. If Glock ever dramatically revamps its product line you can bet the existing ones will be “classics,” even if they’re still as ugly as they ever were.

 

[Remington1911]

Some really funny answers.

The car thing and comments said show how little some people know about the market and classic/old cars. Someone talked about a Pacer, go price one in good shape and get back to me on that value dropping thing. Then go buy yourself a brand new Beretta shot gun, shoot it 10 times and turn to sell it, and then lie saying you got what you paid for it back out of it. All quite funny.

As to guns, I think the original question was what is old. Depends on the person. Ask a 12yr old if a 20yr old is old and you know the answer. Ask a 60yr old if 20 is old and you know the answer. Really depends on the person and the thing.

For me to call a gun old I would need to own it for at least 10 years, or it be made before 1980 give or take.

 

[21H40]

Some really funny answers.

The car thing and comments said show how little some people know about the market and classic/old cars. Someone talked about a Pacer, go price one in good shape and get back to me on that value dropping thing. Then go buy yourself a brand new Beretta shot gun, shoot it 10 times and turn to sell it, and then lie saying you got what you paid for it back out of it. All quite funny.

I've enjoyed and appreciated the various answers because this is completely subjective. I keep coming back to cars as a metaphor - partially because I don't know them as well as I do guns - partially because they are machines that are able to be used, preserved, or modified over time.

I have a rifle with a bolt and receiver from 1934, but the barrel is from 2018. The internals (trigger, sear, springs, etc.) range from 1950 to 2010. In my imagination, this is sort of the rebuilt VW bug dune buggy. It was old, but the role it fills is new.

 

[Remington1911]

I've enjoyed and appreciated the various answers because this is completely subjective. I keep coming back to cars as a metaphor - partially because I don't know them as well as I do guns - partially because they are machines that are able to be used, preserved, or modified over time.

I have a rifle with a bolt and receiver from 1934, but the barrel is from 2018. The internals (trigger, sear, springs, etc.) range from 1950 to 2010. In my imagination, this is sort of the rebuilt VW bug dune buggy. It was old, but the role it fills is new.

I do agree with you, and I know cars as well. You are right all subjective to you and where you are in life.

 

[Howland937]

(which can look passing odd on an AMC Pacer

Pacer still has to be better than the Ford Tempo someone has locally...which angers the folks with actual "historical" vehicles,since the conditions of licensing are that the vehicle only be operated in parades, to/from car shows, and to/from service. The Tempo is a daily driver that goes to get groceries, McDonald's, pick up grandkids...but has yet to be spotted in any of the ways the licensing requires.

Most of my guns are 1960's or older with the largest subsection being pre-WWII. I don't really consider any of them "old". The handful of recent production guns are considered new though...even the ones based on a 100+ year old design.

 

[PapaG]

The guns I’ve had the longest are a Stevens #26 Crack Shot and. Type 99 Arisaka. Both made well before my acquisition date of 1955.
I consider them old(and retired).
This could go on forever. The kids on here would consider 80% of my stuff old. Smiths with no model number.
Whatever trips your trigger. Oops.

 

[WTBguns10kOK]

Imho, if no serial number, it's old...harkening back to a freer era

 

[PapaG]

Imho, if no serial number, it's old...harkening back to a freer era

1968. Other than 1934,when 2A freedom died!

 

[45/30-06OKIE]

I would say any firearms that you can't feasibly get parts for is OLD. Like an early 1900s H&R single shot 12ga shotgun with worn trigger parts for instance. Dad and I actually have one as the business and have had a couple people ask about it but when we told them we couldn't find known good parts to fix it they were like oh nevermind.

 

[theotherwaldo]

Basically, any unmodified milsurp long gun that you can buy without government permission is going to be old... or very expensive.

 

[Remington1911]

Basically, any unmodified milsurp long gun that you can buy without government permission is going to be old... or very expensive.

Both, there are very few "cheap" surplus guns anymore.

 

[Space Ghost]

What people think of as "modern" like the M-16, M-4 AR style family of weapons were designed over 50 years ago.
Rifle are still being made today with wood stocks, and blued steel.


Could be a set number of years like 25 or 50 years old.
Could be you don't know how old it is, but it's chambered in an "old" obsolete cartridge.
Could be it's a gun you remember from your childhood. (doesn't work if you're 23 years old)

I typically go by years in age when thinking of "old". After all, that's what old means. Anything I have over 50 years old, I consider old.
That means I only have 2 "old" rifles. a Sears model 25, and a Lee Enfield No4 MK1.

 

[jmohme]

It it uses a flint, it's an antique.