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Shooting vintage blackpowder

dcinffxvadcinffxva Member Posts: 2,830 ✭✭
After reading another post, it got me wondering how many of you shoot vintage blackpowder. The majority of the ones I have, I don't shoot. I can't see risking irreversible damage to a piece of history. I do have a couple that I bought after someone cleaned and polished them all up, or re-blued and effectively killed the collectability of them. These I bought to be shooters, and I fire them on a regular basis.

How many of you shoot your vintage firearms ?

My Springfield 1861 shooter

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Comments

  • zombiezombie Member Posts: 28 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    how vintage ?
    if the guns to old that could be dangerous !!!

    i have some black powder colts in my collection
    that i shoot
    but their not vintage
  • crims40crims40 Member Posts: 1,107 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I don't know if I would shoot that old Springfield or not, but I would certainly hold it and fondle it alot. [:D][:D] Sure is nice.

    crims40
  • dcinffxvadcinffxva Member Posts: 2,830 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by Edgsmth

    Edit: I just reread your post and see that it is your shooter. Personally, I don't have a gun that I won't shoot. Two exceptions would be two guns in friend's collections that haven't been shot, one identical to yours and the other is a trapdoor a friend has in the original packing crate, never fired. I would be hard put not to shoot either one if I owned them, probably better I don't.


    I can fully understand that, but I started collecting quite a few years back, and I have quite a few that I wouldn't shoot unless I was out of modern ammo (not likely) and the indians were in the front yard.

    My own opinion (FWIW) is that some firearms have earned their retirement status, and have been re-assigned to a place of honor.

    If you think about it, besides a firearm, what other single item can you collect that spans the entire history of the United States ?

    I live in Virginia, with relatives in the Revolutionary War, Civil War both World Wars and more, and that probably has a lot to do with my attachment to the history.

    I have rifles from 1892 on up that I shoot regularly, but the ones I have from the Revolution, the majority of the ones from there til the Civil War and Indian wars are ones that I keep set aside.

    Honestly, if you found a Revolutionary War Charleville, or Confederate CS Richmond, would you be out plinking with them ?
  • dcinffxvadcinffxva Member Posts: 2,830 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I'll admit I did bump it a level with the Richmond and Charleville [:D]

    And as far as the "cool" factor to firing the originals, I can't agree more, except that I'm pretty picky about which ones I take out and fire. When friends and I go shooting, people always want to shoot the 1861 just for that reason alone. It always amazes people that it's still extremely accurate at 100 yards.

    I missed the segment when they were shooting the .45 Luger, but saw one where they were out shooting a wheel-lock that was over 500 years old. I gotta admit that I cringed when they were doing it.
  • mazo kidmazo kid Member Posts: 648 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    If I had a pristine example of a vintage firearm, I probably would not shoot it, at least not very often. I have several average condition old guns that I regularly shoot; that's what they were made for. As long as I take reasonable care and clean them well, I don't think it will hurt them much, if any. My 2 cents worth. Emery
  • longbow589longbow589 Member Posts: 60 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Looks like You need to take a rag and some borebutter to that babby
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