Who here owns a 100 yr old + firearm that has ALWAYS been in the family?

[MinnMooney]

There is a thread going now about owning very old weapons but I thought one about weapons that have been IN YOUR FAMILY since new would be fun to hear about.

I have several rifles, shotguns and handguns that my dad owned and I have now passed them on to my mid-30's son. These guns were all purchased new by my dad back in the 30's - 70's which makes them 35-77 years old. The oldest, family-owned-since-new is a Remington Model 24 in .22 "shorts-only" that my dad bought when he was 17 (1931). I have older weapons but they have not been in my family since new.

It would have been great if my grandpa or great-grandpa had passed down guns but they either didn't hunt or sold their guns.

If you have a picture handy, please post it.

 

[freakshow10mm]

Those old shotguns I posted have been in the family over 100 years. My grandfather was born in 1895. His uncle was the original purchaser of the guns.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

My brother has our dad's old "HERO" single shot shotgun. It is (as best we can tell) a store brand Iver Johnson 12ga.take-down model with nickle receiver. I have only seen 3 specimens of this model. My brother and I both learned to hunt with this gun as did our dad and his brothers and now my brother's grandsons are hunting with it. It was bought new around 1900 by my great-uncle for $4.25.

 

[Averageman]

I have a single shot .410 that I got from my Grandfather before he passed away. Grandpa was in his 80's in 1974 and that was the gun my Uncles and Dad first learned to shoot.
So in a way that gun provided food to feed my family during the depression, mostly squirrels and rabbits, my Dad said. It was also the first training of marksmanship for young men who served in World War II, Korea, Vietnam and later his grandsons in Desert Storm.
My Dad and I refinished the stock and reblued the metal a year or so after Grandpa's death. My Grandfather had kept his hunting licence under the buttplate of that old gun. Kind of an odd moment when it fell out as we removed the old buttplate.
We wont shoot that old gun anymore, it sits on hooks above our fireplace now.
My Son is 14 now and when I finish my time in Baghdad and go home I might take it down and give it to him. Maybe tell him it's history, tell him about his Great Grandfather, His Great Uncles and his Grandpa. Take that old butplate off and show him a faded piece of paper his Great Grandpa signed a very long time ago.
That old Shotgun isnt worth anything really, but it is worth Everything.

 

[markallen]

The oldest I have is from my great uncle on my mom's sid of the family.
It's a 12g side by side shotgun, with dog eared hammers. It's marked on the side plate, but the stock was replaced by my uncle, and he varnished right over it.
I know that partially it reads Richardsons, but from the research I have found, a lot of shotguns from that era were named after prominate makers, with slight alterations to the names.
On researching the proofmarks on the underside of the barrels I now it is has Belgian barrels, and they were made in 1879.
I also have a "defender 89" .32 rimfire pistol from the same great uncle, but I have no clue how old it is, other than sometime in the late 1800's.
The next oldest would be a Remington Target Master, 41P .22 rifle that my dad bought in 1936. It is the rifle I learned to shoot with.

 

[TxBuzzardBait]

Trapdoor Springfield that belonged to my great-great grand dad. Just wish he new what oil was.

 

[RobNDenver]

Colt SAA bought by my great grandfather before heading to New Mexico in 1880.

 

[45Badger]

Civil war era Springfield musket from a relative who served.

 

[Schutzen]

Great-Grandfathers 1892 Wincherster 32-20. Handed down from GGF to Gandfather to Dad to Me. GGF was a farmer and a bounty hunter (animals not men) and I have an article from the October 1906 paper where he brought in 6 timber wolves for bounty payment. Bounty on them was $5 each. Until we found that article, I often wondered how a poor dirt farmer could afford a Winchester rifle. Taxes on his farm, house, and livestock in 1894 were $5.20. $30 bounty was more than he made farming all year.

 

[Dr.Rob]

This has been in my family since 1820 or so. Sadly I doubt it can be fired now, as the last person to really clean and oil it was my dad before he joined the air force in the early 60's. We had it appraised and it wasn't worth much except as an heirloom and the wood was very dry and the metal rusting. So a few father's days ago I mixed up some BLO and turpentine and gave it a good 'wash' so you can see the woodgrain, and stabilize the damage (note the bullet hole through the stock) and made a nice display case for the rifle and accessories.

Do NOT do this to your antiques without consulting an expert, you can ruin the value of a collectable firearm.

Aproximately 25 cal Kentucky squirrel rifle, made by a blacksmith that belonged to my great great grandfather Thomas Collins, an Irish immigrant.

 

[Just One Shot]

My great grandfather had a 1813 Harpers Ferry muzzle loader that he gave my grandfather. He gave it to my father who gave it to me.

 

[Quoheleth]

I have great-grandpa's 1897 Winchester 12 gauge at Mom's house. I know that Grandpa, his brothers, my dad and his brothers used it for all sorts of game in the upper midwest from the 1920s thru 1985 when Dad retired it for a Mossberg. I don't know it's DOB, but Uncle Bill told me he would personally haunt me forever if I sold or traded that gun. Don't worry...I won't.

I also have a Stevens 15A that Dad and his brothers used in the 40s. I don't know how old it really is.

From there, my guns take a leap of several decades.

Q

 

[H1500308]

Not 100yr but 50+

...we have my Great Uncle's Remington Rand 1911 he carried (and brought back) in North Africa during WWII. He was a Captain the in the Air Corps. Guns in great shape with only minimal holster wear.

 

[Mt Shooter]

My 1903 Springfield In 30/06 is my main battle rifle so to speak, take it hunting every year. Family rumor is my grand father brought it back with him from France when he returned form WWI.

This just meets your 100 years but it does by 106.

 

[W.E.G.]

Russell Arms 12 gauge.

Grandpa's gun.
He died digging a ditch on an island on the Tennessee river in 1916.

 

[War Squirrel]

1895 .30-40 US Krag (Springfield Armory) carried by my Great grandfather during the Spanish American War. Quite an interesting piece, but beat all to hell. Missing mag follower and side plate, and broken bolt handle. Fired it a few times anyway, still shoots damn good. Shame it's in such bad condition...

 

[Ermalov]

My great grandfather had a mid to late 19th century target rifle: Ginormous hexagonal barrel, set trigger + hair trigger, percussion cap, .44-ish caliber, made by a "J. Scharpe." (Not the famous Sharp's rifle.) He got banned from the local grocery shoots because he just wouldn't lose against the other guys and their surplus civil war rfles.

It was passed down to my grandfather and now my father. It's probably safe to fire, but some time in the 60s we lost the dies for the bullets, and it's anything but a standard caliber, so we don't really have anything to shoot in it.

 

[Oro]

We have three.

On her side:

1) an 1873 Springfield trapdoor, and
2) an 1888 Parker 12 ga, Damascus side by side barrels and receiver. With two barrel sets, still in the original leather and wood case. Vague remnants of the original green felt lining are still there. But they are vague.

On my side:

3) a Winchester 1906 .22 gallery gun.

Obviously, she brought more to the table. All of these have been handed down since new.

 

[rogertc1]

I have a 20GA Enders side by side exposed hammer shot gun circa 1900. I got from my grandfather's farm just before it was sold. It was in a corner of the mud room. It was never really taken care of. It was just a tool to dispatch foxes and other vermits. I cleaned it up.

Roger

 

[HarleyFixer]

Winchester Model 94, not quite 100 yet, made in 1917 and has killed enough deer to feed some states.

 

[badasp97]

I have two that were given to me by my father. A Hopkins and Allen 12ga single barrel shotgun with a hammer, and a nickel plated S&W .38 special six shooter with pearl handles. Both of these were purchased in WV in the early 1900's when my grandfather immigrated from Italy to work in the coal mines there.

 

[hso]

I have a pre-Civil War derringer that has been in the family since it was new in Great-Great Grand Uncle's hand. Rough little thing.

 

[Grease Monkey]

ETA: Ah, my mistake. Didn't read the entire title.

 

[buzzard80]

I've got an 1873 (made in 1881) Winchester in .44-40, handed down on my father's side. Looks well used, but still shoots quite well - I killed my first deer a decade ago using it.

 

[BURN]

parker 12gauge side by side.... but only 97 years old...