Show us your Guns!

[HoosierDaddy]

My apologies to the forum.

But I thought of a question...

For those who carry daily, do you carry a vintage weapon? I realize that I could be walking a fine line, but REALLY I'm trying not to.

Here's my thought process. A vintage firearm will inherently be subject to the ravages of time. That is not to say that a revolver or semi-auto from the 30's or 40's will not function reliably. But all things mechanical are prone to failure, particularly with time. Now I am not one to try to second guess Browning's genius with the 1911 or the rock solid reputation of a Smith and Wesson revolver, but in the infintesimally small chance that you should actually need that firearm, would you feel 100% confident in it? I'm no gunsmith, and I would not feel comfortable with my own ability to fully inspect a 60-80 year old weapon for full safety. For this purpose, is it better to consider a more modern weapon or would you send your vintage weapon to a gunsmith? Or am I just crazy?

Well..for me..I want a carry gun that is not only reliable...but smooth. Otherwise..easy to operate and up to it's best potential. From my experience this usually requires a little gunsmithing on most semi-autos...and many revolvers as well. Afterall,a carry gun is most often for self defense...personal protection...rather than just a vintage look. Of course there is re-inacting which is an intirely different scenario. A vintage firearm can do for carry..but many collectors are reluctant to alter or rework for good reason. More modern firearms can also be better safely carried in the ready position such as cocked and locked...or all chambers loaded. In my view..no one should carry a firearm unless they are willing to use it and know how....understand that great stress may be involved and that reaction time..familiarization..and easy operation is crucial. Most often this might mean the more modern firearm that has been fine tuned for this purpose.
HD

 

[David Conwill]

My two cents, which may be worth less than the name implies, are that a firearm wears out through use and carry in the field. Most vintage firearms haven’t been exposed to that kind of abuse, so they’ll be fine for modern carry.

I know I’ve said it before, but I’d love to pick up a pencil-barrel S&W Military & Police in .38 Special for regular carry, and I wouldn’t worry a bit about it malfunctioning. Now a 1911 that served in WWII, hung around a National Guard Armory for sixty years, and has had a few thousand rounds put through it, may be a different story.

-Dave

 

[John in Covina]

Most gunsmiths are enthusiasts and won't ruin or butcher a vintage firearm.

Two of the best revolvers I have ever got to shoot were S&W Military & Police in 38 Special. And these were WWII and 1950's production one was a police revolver used for qualifying and such. My friend had the giunsmith go thru them just for a check up: they were tight and the timing was fine. Both had exquisite actions. With 1911's most problems are fixable and a good gunsmith can fine tune them. It's relatively rare to have one screw up beyond repair, not that it doesn't happen it's just fairly rare.

 

[1961MJS]

My two cents, which may be worth less than the name implies, are that a firearm wears out through use and carry in the field. Most vintage firearms haven’t been exposed to that kind of abuse, so they’ll be fine for modern carry.

I know I’ve said it before, but I’d love to pick up a pencil-barrel S&W Military & Police in .38 Special for regular carry, and I wouldn’t worry a bit about it malfunctioning. Now a 1911 that served in WWII, hung around a National Guard Armory for sixty years, and has had a few thousand rounds put through it, may be a different story.

-Dave

Hi Dave

I have put 3900 rounds through my 1911. It needed a new ejector, extractor, and I had a new slide stop put on it. Remember, a target 1911 and a military / defense 1911 aren't the same gun. Target 1911's are tight, and therefore occasionally jam. Military 1911's are loose so that they'll still fire with mud around them. For the military, a pistol is the weapon of last resort, meaning that you're already shot your rifle ammo and broke your rifle.

later

 

[John in Covina]

With 1911's the biggest change for reliability and tight action was the move to CNC machining. There are literally dozens of high quality aftermarket companies producing improved replacement parts so you can get GI stuff or go with something a little more "whiz-bang scientific."

 

[thunderw21]

I carry a modern firearm for self defense. I do so not because I necessarily believe modern means better, but because modern usually means cheaper with better variety.

If I had the choice I would carry a vintage firearm. Not just because it's vintage but because certain designs have been around for a while and have been proven. Of course a vintage firearm needs to be put under scrutiny before being used as a carry gun (just like any carry gun) so that it is proven to be in good condition, accurate and reliable.

I've been on the lookout for a Colt 1903 hammerless for quite a while but haven't found one for a decent price and in good condition. Once that comes around, though, and it proves to be reliable it will be my carry gun. Modern guns are "a dime a dozen" while proven vintage designs are a little more difficult to find but are treasures, just like vintage clothing.

 

[Diamondback]

I carry a recent build of a vintage design: a 1911, hand-built by a friend in the Boeing Gun Club under supervision of another friend who's a gunsmith (and another member of said club).

 

[Chasseur]

Thunder,

The 1903 Colt hammerless is a wonderful gun. I have a good friend who uses one for his carry gun and he introduced me to that great gun. Good luck with your search!

 

[anon`]

I would never carry a vintage autoloader for self defense. Not for fear that it would fail to fire, but because worn parts discovered in a pistol used in a (justified) self-defense shooting can all-too-easily be portrayed as negligence on your part (failure to maintain a safe weapon, leading to a negligent discharge) by an overzealous ADA or sleazy trial lawyer. Yes, it's a bogus charge, but juries are dumb enough to eat this up.

While it may not look as cool (and effectively prevents you from participating in this, or the CWF, thread) it's one less potential weakness to shore up should you ever have to fire your weapon.

And of course, there are all the worries about just how sound the weapon in question really is. Extractors and firing pins are easy enough to check and replace, but please raise your hand if you've ever actually magnafluxed the frame, slide or barrel of a vintage pistol?

 

[thunderw21]

True, but modern firearms are just as likely to fail as vintage ones. It all depends upon the design, materials used and care given. I just had a frame crack on a gun less than a year old, only 2,000 rounds through it. It was my carry piece and I babied the thing, but recoil killed it.

Both sides of the frame, no less. Chalk one up to inferior materials.

 

[anon`]

True, but modern firearms are just as likely to fail as vintage ones. It all depends upon the design, materials used and care given. I just had a frame crack on a gun less than a year old, only 2,000 rounds through it. It was my carry piece and I babied the thing, but recoil killed it.

Both sides of the frame, no less. Chalk one up to inferior materials.

Absolutely agree. But it's difficult to blame failure in a modern firearm on age, whereas that is an unavoidable aspect of period firearms. While I suspect that the vast majority of surviving (and non-military) pieces are in perfect working order, I would just as soon remove that particular element of uncertainty. Particularly since there are several period designs still in production.

What gun was that, anyway? Reminds me of the disclaim that Kel-Tec has for some of their pistols, recommending that they be retired after a few thousand rounds due to stress on the frame.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

I do not carry (even though I would like to) but Wisconsin doesn't allow carry in your car, and I am in and out of my car all the time.

My father does carry however when he's working in the gun store. I think it's a 1911, but I'd have to double check.

 

[thunderw21]

Absolutely agree. But it's difficult to blame failure in a modern firearm on age, whereas that is an unavoidable aspect of period firearms. While I suspect that the vast majority of surviving (and non-military) pieces are in perfect working order, I would just as soon remove that particular element of uncertainty. Particularly since there are several period designs still in production.

What gun was that, anyway? Reminds me of the disclaim that Kel-Tec has for some of their pistols, recommending that they be retired after a few thousand rounds due to stress on the frame.

It was a Taurus Slim. It had been flawless up until those cracks; Taurus replaced the whole gun for me.

 

[Undertow]

It was a Taurus Slim. It had been flawless up until those cracks; Taurus replaced the whole gun for me.

I wonder if my Taurus hammerless .357 should be checked?

 

[Diamondback]

What gun was that, anyway? Reminds me of the disclaim that Kel-Tec has for some of their pistols, recommending that they be retired after a few thousand rounds due to stress on the frame.

Looks like a Glock--the cracked-frame issue is a known and common problem with "Glock Perfection"*snort* of certain vintages.

 

[Mike K.]

REMINDER

All --

This is a discussion of gun collections. Any posts that stray into questions about the appropriateness of gun ownership or similar political topics will be edited and/or deleted.

Thanks in advance for keeping this one on the tracks.

That means this is a thread for showcasing your vintage firearms and discussing their aesthetics, value, functioning, care, etc. Thanks!

 

[plain old dave]

I got a Smith and Wesson M1917 Brazilian Contract recently for under $400 and as N frame Smiths are almost everything-proof, this would make a decent carry piece if I could find ready made .45 Auto Rim shells with some sort of expanding bullet.

 

[Mike K.]

I got a Smith and Wesson M1917 Brazilian Contract recently for under $400 and as N frame Smiths are almost everything-proof, this would make a decent carry piece if I could find ready made .45 Auto Rim shells with some sort of expanding bullet.

worthlesswithoutpics

 

[John in Covina]

I got a Smith and Wesson M1917 Brazilian Contract recently for under $400 and as N frame Smiths are almost everything-proof, this would make a decent carry piece if I could find ready made .45 Auto Rim shells with some sort of expanding bullet.

Can't you use 45ACP with Half or Full Moon clips? There's plenty of excellent defense 45 rounds being made.

 

[anon`]

Can't you use 45ACP with Half or Full Moon clips? There's plenty of excellent defense 45 rounds being made.

That's all you can use with an M1917. Speer Gold Dot, Remington Golden Saber and Winchester Ranger-T are all fairly easy to find. Federal HST is out there as well, but somewhat rarer. All come in standard pressure loads with 230gr bullets.