Anitque rifles - who shoots them?

[grey]

Who shoots these old things? 1857 Smith carbine. I like to blast with the plastic reusable cases. I dont care who you are - every person who I've brought to the range has a great time with it. 50gr so its pretty soft

 

[MisterHappy]

Define "Antique."

It's not a rifle, but one of my shotties belonged to my dad's uncle, who died in the 1918 Flu pandemic. Does that count?

 

[AFAR/PFAR]

Oldest I have is a 1916 Spandau Arsenal Gew 98. All matching numbers, so that is sweet. Fricken crazy ass rear sight goes from 400-2000 meters. Yeah, my eyes aren't that good.

 

[NavelOfficer]

I shoot a few rifles that are over one hundred years old, but I don't know what an antique is concerning rifles. I guess I don't qualify under the following:

National Firearms Act Definitions
Define: Antique Firearm
Defined Under: 26 U.S.C. § 5845(G)
For the purposes of the National Firearms Act, the term “Antique Firearms” means:
Any firearm not intended or redesigned for using rim fire or conventional center fire ignition with fixed ammunition and manufactured in or before 1898 (including any matchlock, flintlock, percussion cap or similar type of ignition system or replica thereof, whether actually manufactured before or after the year 1898) and also any firearm using fixed ammunition manufactured in or before 1898, for which ammunition is no longer manufactured in the United States and is not readily available in the ordinary channels of commercial trade.

 

[grey]

I'd rather not toil over definitions. This one was found in my great grandparents attic. Too bad the story of how it got there isn't with us. Its definitely a civil war gun complete with the stamps on the stock

 

[grey]

Define "Antique."

It's not a rifle, but one of my shotties belonged to my dad's uncle, who died in the 1918 Flu pandemic. Does that count?

Sure it does. Im guessing black powder, Damascus steel?

 

[MisterHappy]

No. Fluid steel, made in 1898. Until steel shot, it was my dad's duck gun.

 

[grey]

No. Fluid steel, made in 1898. Until steel shot, it was my dad's duck gun.

I have the same issue with my 1918 Ithaca flues double. Krupp fluid steel. My gun club mandated steel target shot so its officially decommissioned

 

[MisterHappy]

There are other Clubs. Mine is steel, so I use this one other places.

 

[mousegunguy]

An 1888 Springfield trap door counts!!!

 

[Smoothride]

1870 Springfield Navy Rolling Block. 50-70 tons of fun.

 

[tuna]

My HD shotgun was born in 1910. Of my two hunting shotguns, the “baby” was made in 1955.

New to rifle hunting so I’ve only got a 336 in 30-30, but it’s an older one. I’m always looking for old guns to breathe new life into.

New guns suck, no character.

 

[1776]

Stevens Model 414 "Armory" musket model made from 1912-1932

 

[Sterg]

Is a model 6 considered an antique? If it is, I shoot one. Not mine but my BIL’s. Shooting shorts through it is fun. There’s a short pause from when you pull the trigger and the round hits the paper.

 

[greencobra]

i have rifles shot by an antique...me!

 

[Sterg]

This thread persuaded me to look in my .22 pile. I have a box of shorts. A good reason to shoot.

 

[Lefty38-55]

My oldest? A copy of the famous Tannerberg Castle 'hand gonne' circa 1360, albeit a naval bronze replica in 62-caliber.

Then I progress to arquebus to matchlock, snap lock, wheellock, snaphaunce, miquelet, and then finally flintlock ignition.

But for real antiques it would a 1811 patent John M. Hall breech loading flintlock in 52-caliber.

 

[Sweeney]

Antique is pre 1898 by definition... if that matters.

I shoot;
1795 Springfield type3 circa 1812
1842 Springfield circa 1848
1858 Remington Army circa 1862
1860 Colt Army circa 1863
1863 Springfield circa 1864
1873 Trapdoor circa IDR
1886 Winchester circa 1897

 

[Maxrobot]

I still have this .69 cal Flint Musket replica (Navy Arms Chareleville) I have fired plenty of blanks for historical interpretation, but I have also put a bunch of round balls downrange with it. One trick I had was to drill a shallow hole in a ball then pack it with a paste of blackpowder. When fired, it left a white smoke trail to the target! I never got to fire it at night. Too bad NH doesn't have any open pay-to shoot outdoor ranges.

 

[Maxrobot]

Here's a close up of "Ol' Rattler." I was calling it that way before I found out that Navy Arms Charlevilles usually had loose upper bands. In the photo, I reproduced live Ball .69 ammo. Ten rounds were packed in "bundles" as shown. Sometimes newsprint was used. With good flints, it was a reiaible shooter. In the 1980s, at some gun shows, someone was selling British Army musket flints recovered from a shipwreck
They were/are great!

 

[Maxrobot]

As for rifled muskets, I have a very early two-digut Sn. Dixie Giun Works M1861 rifle musket from 1988 - the first year of production.

 

[KBCraig]

Antique is pre 1898 by definition... if that matters.

It's "manufactured in or before 1898", so pre-1899.

There are plenty of Mausers and Lees and Mosin-Nagants made before 1899 that are functionally identical to ones made for decades afterwards.

It's a stupidly arbitrary definition, but compared to ATF's proposed "SBR-v.-pistol" rules, it's a thing of beauty.

 

[Sweeney]

It's "manufactured in or before 1898", so pre-1899.

There are plenty of Mausers and Lees and Mosin-Nagants made before 1899 that are functionally identical to ones made for decades afterwards.

It's a stupidly arbitrary definition, but compared to ATF's proposed "SBR-v.-pistol" rules, it's a thing of beauty.

Corrected the date, thanks. I agree with it being arbitrary, take the Finn M39 with pre 1889 receiver.