What is your oldest gun?

[Denis]

I have a first-year of production Swiss Model of 1889 rifle, which was a birthday present from my wife. We rescued it from the back row of the "used" shelf of a German gunshop.

Of course, there's no 7.5x53.5mm Swiss GP90 ammunition to be had, so shooting it is a strictly roll-your-own proposition. When I get a round tuit...

[Bob K]

My oldest is a SxS 10 gauge, percussion, damascus barrels. Locks are marked "Joseph Golcher." From what I've read, there were several gunsmiths in the Golcher family in western PA, and were active from ca. 1800 to ca. 1850.

[Candyman]

You think this would be easy. But I will try.
Handgun High Standard Flit King 1st Model, 22 short only, 1953

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22 rifle KKW German Trainer 1935

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Rifle N.E.W. M91 Mosin 1915-1918 I have a stock on the way.

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I also have two Turks that were built from WWI Mausers.
One is a short turk that started out as a K89az and was Turked in 1938.

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And the other is a Gwe 88 (if I remember right) that was Turked in 1954.

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[Whirlibird]

Are we talking smokeless cartridge guns, blackpowder cartridge guns or just BP guns?

Because I’ve got snaphaunce, wheelguns and dog locks from the early 1700s, Brown Bess from pre F&I Wars days to East Indian trade guns, Baker and Brunswick rifles to falling block and a few lever guns of Sharps, Ballards, Stevens, Harrington and Winchesters from the 1870s and for smokeless cartridge I have a Long Lee 1885 and a Lee Metford 1897, Mauser 1871/74 and K98 based modern hunting rifles but I don’t have many modern Mil-Surp rifles anymore…For the new members, there was a fire in our home Xmas last and everything was destroyed, re-enactment uniforms and civilians clothes, swords, cross and longbows, our complete collection of knives and 254 rifles and shotguns of ours and 43, all target guns, belonging to my wife and daughters…

Almost all the originals were on loan to various museums in the area and Ottawa and when we would play “dress up” it is with modern reproductions of the guns…Besides the historical aspect and of course not being able to replace them if they break while re-enacting or shooting, a lot of the metal is just too brittle and wouldn’t handle modern pressure cartridge loads and I’d rather not have them explode in my face, thank you very much…Four museums couldn’t always take all of them, they would take the 9 versions of the SMLE that I had but what about the other 33 SMLEs that were in the closet…

The loss, excluding monetary, was in the history of the guns that my family had collected for 150+ years and I was lucky enough to acquire a portion from inheritance—other cousins, who were also into guns, got pieces as well from the estates…Everything that could be replaced has been or are in the final stages of being made up and just awaiting delivery etc…

That still causes me to cringe just reading it.

Hmm, oldest?
1890 (vintage '93 IIRC) Winchester in .22 Short that was my Grandmothers.

[Weetabix]

M96 Swedish Mauser, 1900, Oberndorf a/N (am Necker).

[skb12172]

Mosin-Nagant model 91 battle rifle. Date of manufacture is 1895. Yes, it is still in perfect working condition.

[Battleriflefan]

Cu 74, the date of manufacture for 1896/11 rifles is on the Swiss Rifles website. That is how I know my 1896/11 was made in 1898 and rebuilt in 1913. There is nothing like a 110 year old rifle that fires modern ammunition. The only drawback is the round buttstock.

After that I have a CG-63 built off a Swedish M-96 from 1906.
Next is a GEW 98 built in 1916
After that come a K-11, a Spanish 93 Mauser, a VZ-24, and an 1903 model Colt pistol, all made around 1925. The build dates for the last three are estimates. The bores on the first three rifles are great, especially on the two Swiss Rifles.

[Jered]

Winchester 1897, made in 1905.

[Combat Controller]

1879 top break .44 Russian made in Belgium, unknown manufacturer. I have quite a few old guns, but that is the oldest.

[Cybrludite]

Probably my family's old .20 ga break action single shot. Age and make are unknown- it just says "White Powder Wonder" on the barrel.

According to Google, before 1919, they were made by Crescent Firearms, after 1919 they were made by Stevens. They were a store brand for Sears Roebuck Inc.

My current oldest is a hex receivered Mosin Nagant 91/30 made in 1931. My previous oldest was a Colt Vest Pocket Model with aftermarket stag grips made in 1920. Unfortunately, Katrina got that one.