So, just have to ‘glee’ about something I’ve managed - I just recieved an antique rifle - 127 years old - in REALLY great shape. It’s a shooter,***** but I paid ‘wall-hanger’ prices for it. (It’s been in the works for a bit now - ground shipping can be slow)
Gewehr '88 “Commission” rifle, 1890 date of manufacture, Austrian Army issue. It’s in really good condition - The surface finish is about 70%, with some frosting and discolouration on the reciever, but no rust under the barrel jacket, and the bore is bright and clean with strong rifling. The stock is sound and clean, with only some mild storage and handling marks, and a small chip missing from near the bolt. I could swear it hardly was used at all.
The biggest issue is that some helpful soul clipped the firing pin at some point, but it came with a replacement firing pin AND a replacement bolt - Turkish issue. Obviously, it’ll need a visit to teh gunsmith to check the chamber and headspace, but I expect those present no issues, and I expect to be shooting it soon.
It’s in actual better physical shape (other than finish) than my 1911-manufacture Mauser '93 (DWM, Peruvian contract), and that one itself is in beautiful condition.
What (shootable) old rifle have you?
*****Bearing in mind its age, it WILL be checked carefully, FIRST!
I have a hex-receiver Mosin-Nagant that I picked up for a c-note several years back. I do not recollect that I have ever actually fired it. It came with a couple hundred rounds of ammo, but I burned all that up in my PSL.
The old Mosin rifles are a must-have***** collectable for mil-surp collectors, though the prices on those have gone up since you bought yours. Hex-recievers are at a premium, IIRC.
They make fine wall-hangers, if you’ve got other 7.62x54r rifles with more comfortable actions. Of course, if someone offered me a Finish M-39, I’d snap it up in a second.
One thing about the commission rifles, and why I’m having the chamber checked, is that 8mm Mauser changed dimensions from .318" to .323" before WWI, most, but not all rifles were upgraded to accept the new round (88/05 mod******). Since this rifle remains in the original configuration, I suspect that it’s .318", but I need to be sure - chamber and bore dimensions matter to ammo choice!
*****Yes, I have one.
******Either new barrel, or chamber throat lengthened to enable swaging a .323 bullet down to .318 without developing an unhealthy pressure spike.
Inherited from father/grandfather:
WWI (bring-backs by a great uncle, I think):
Lee Enfield .303 in unmodified condition; I used to hunt with it when I was younger
1916 Spandau Mauser 8mm in unmodified condition; I’ve never gotten the thing to fire, despite work by several gunsmiths in the last 50 years; a couple years ago I disassembled the bolt and everything looks fine, including firing pin, but it doesn’t seem to “strike”.
Family pass-downs from father:
Stevens .22 single shot lever with a tremendously-thick barrel, circa 1915 vintage. My father actually used it when he was young, and even accidentally shot his friend (in the chest!). When I was a teenager it was my plinking rifle, while my best friend had a Ruger 10/22. At the age of 16 I received what remains my best-present-ever: a Remington Nylon 66.
Ithaca side-by-side 16 gauge; current whereabouts uncertain - hopefully still in Dad’s attic or closet (he’s in nursing care and has some dementia, so asking is probably not fruitful).
I have a Winchester Thumb Trigger .22 rifle from the early 1900’s. I have refurbished it but am having trouble finding a firing pin, otherwise it would be a shooter. I also have a 1950’s era JC Whitney .22 semi auto rifle that is a blast to shoot (SWIDT?).
Sweet rifle! The battle arm of an empire - and every bit equal to the challenge.
Check the length of your firing pin; it may’ve been ‘clipped.’ My Austrian firing pin has been clipped, and it “looks” normal, but it’s juuust a bit short.
I have a Stevens single-shot pistol; they mostly didn’t make their firearms fancy - they only made them durable, simple, and workman-like. I never liked the look on the Nylon 66, but a generation learned to shoot behind this rifle. Prices have been climbing.
Find this. Seriously. Not super valuable, but moderately rare and a really cool piece.
Well, it isn’t 127 years old, but it’s close. I don’t have a photo of mine handy, but I have a Winchester Model 1892 rifle with an octagonal barrel like this one. Most people are familiar with the Model 1894 carbine from sporting goods stores, and Model 1892 carbines from old Western movies. The 1892 rifle differs from the carbine in that it has a 24-inch barrel instead of the 20-inch and a rifle-style buttstock instead of the carbine one. The fore-end, seen in the first photo (of the barrel) is also different. It has a cap instead of a ring.
My rifle was refinished a very long time ago, and it looks great. Shoots great, too. The .32-20 round is very nice – but not especially easy to find. [NB: I have plenty.]
I have two. One is an Inland, and has the flat bolt. The other is an IBM, and has the round bolt. I have a reproduction folding stock that I want to put on the IBM whenever I get around to it. Actually, I have two reproduction folding stocks; both new. I can’t remember how I wound up with two of them.
I have a '50s era JC Higgins (which may be what you meant) .22 bolt action, tube feed that my brother gave me for my 12th birthday. That was back when you could order them from Sears.
Marlin 39A .22 from 1954. I also have the exact same gun as manufactured in 2014. The old one is better and shoots fine but I didn’t want to drill it to mount a scope so I bought a new one. The old one was my Dad’s.
The oldest I have is a 1936 Nagant revolver. My Austrian is a Steyr M1895 that I’ve never shot, forgot to write down the date it looks like. I miss a few years ago when milsurps were common and the C&R got use, though my wallet is happier.
A good machinst could possibly build you a replacement firing pin - just make sure you get it properly heat-treated.
