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Firing vintage weapons
squeakyc
Member Posts: 204 ✭✭✭
I have several old Winchesters and a couple of vintage colt pistols. One is an 1849 pocket; the other is an 1860 army. Once or twice a year I go to the range with a buddy and we spend an afternoon firing our vintage pieces. The most fun is loading up the colts and firing a few rounds. The feel of firing them is nothing like using new black powder reproductions. The only guns I own that I won't fire are two Ross rifles as they are definitely not safe to fire.
So far there have been no problems in firing them but others at the club think it is crazy to use them. Does anyone else fire his/her vintage weapons every now and then? How safe are they to use?
So far there have been no problems in firing them but others at the club think it is crazy to use them. Does anyone else fire his/her vintage weapons every now and then? How safe are they to use?
Comments
SSG idsman75, U.S. ARMY
I may disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.--Voltaire~Secret Select Society Of Suave Stylish Smoking Jackets~
Years back while trying to get a max load of powder into a CW Sharps carbine, I was careless and some powder got below the barrel into the forend. When I fired, the forend split in two pieces. Nice!
The 41 Colt Thunderer is a nightmare any way you look at it. It's giving me a hard time getting it to work properly. Putting ammo together is something else with it's funny undersized heel bullets. This is a challenge I wont give up on. A surprising thing about Lightnings is that most of those you see are worn out. One would think
these mechanical nightmares would have been retired after a few breakdowns in favor of more reliable revolvers.
I just wish I had a dollar for every gun I wanted, then I'd be a rich man.
The curio sellers always have that disclaimer about having your gun examined by a qualified gunsmith before firing, but a gunsmith can't anticipate every possibility. The truth is, guns are made to be dangerous, they are made to direct the energy of controlled explosions, and there is always an element of risk in firing them. The risk of firing old guns of indeterminate condition is somewhat greater. The risk of firing them with modern ammo can be even greater, but old ammo has its own risks too.
I have an old Mauser 1934 that seemed fine until one day a gun dealer was dry firing it and half the striker pin flew out -- he split the cost with me of replacing the "firing pin." It was in great shooting condition right up until it wasn't.
Nobody can guarantee you won't get hurt either by the catastrophic failure of an old gun or by the failure of similarly old ammo (hangfires, etc.). On the other hand, you may never have a single problem. Or it may be that a gun will warn you that it is failing gradually by cracks or separating parts. If I were you, I'd shoot old guns wearing goggles as usual, and maybe a flak vest, even after they've been declared safe by your local gunsmith. And I wouldn't let my friends stand too close to me while shooting them either. Reasonable care is a series of personal choices. I'd examine my guns closely after each shooting session to check for faults, when cleaning them.
- Life NRA Member
If dishonorable men shoot unarmed men with army guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and not by general deprivation of constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
They dont have to be antique.
Winchester 12 ga. Both with black powder and a bit lighter loads
than designed for. Spencer has a converted centerire breech block
and flat mag follower.