Chris
Active member
My parents just bought a house in White Springs FL to spend the winter in warmer climates. My dad didn't want to carry the guns down there, so he gave me his .410 shotgun (the first gun I ever shot when I was 4), a few pistols, roughly .38 and one .22 double barrell Derringer from the early 1900's.
He never outright said they were all mine, but his orders included "Keep them all in the family no matter what." Needless to say...they're all mine now.
I cleaned off the shotgun first, and it works like a dream. GREAT squirrel gun and absolutely BEAUTIFUL mahogany colored stock. Pistols I need to work on a little, but I'm sure they'll turn out really nice. These were all owned by my grandfather, including the 30-06 that he gave me when I was 17. It's almost 50 years old and looks BRAND NEW. This one is my favorite and one of my most prized posessions but.......
There was also a VERY old rifle that has always intrigued me:
It has the original stock, no cracks, original ram rod, but is a breach loader (leads me to believe that it could be muzzle loading AND breach loading???), original leather strap and is in near mint condition for a 140+ year old rifle. The hammer and breach still move like it just rolled off the line, and the firing pin still slides. If there were ammo for it, I'm 100% sure it would fire.
Now for the interesting part: when I was oiling it to clean the rust the following stamping appeared:
Barrell behind rear sight- Modelo Argentino 1879
Behind Breach- E. Remington & Sons Ilion NY USA
Pat May 31 1864 June 11 Nov 12 Dec 24 1874
Dec 31 1872 Sept 9 1873 Jan 12 March 18 1874
No serial number on the rifle itself, but there were 2 numbers etched into the stock behind the butt plate- 2769 & 5192. (Along with G. L. B. scratched into the wood- My grandfather's initials).
I think that it's a Argentine military rifle from roughly the 1880's and around a .45 cal. I just E-mailed Remington to find out everything. Should hear back in a few days about it. They should tell me what and who it was made for and what cal. it is.
Now we have to get a gun cabinet to store all these old pieces .
Update will be posted.
He never outright said they were all mine, but his orders included "Keep them all in the family no matter what." Needless to say...they're all mine now.
I cleaned off the shotgun first, and it works like a dream. GREAT squirrel gun and absolutely BEAUTIFUL mahogany colored stock. Pistols I need to work on a little, but I'm sure they'll turn out really nice. These were all owned by my grandfather, including the 30-06 that he gave me when I was 17. It's almost 50 years old and looks BRAND NEW. This one is my favorite and one of my most prized posessions but.......
There was also a VERY old rifle that has always intrigued me:
It has the original stock, no cracks, original ram rod, but is a breach loader (leads me to believe that it could be muzzle loading AND breach loading???), original leather strap and is in near mint condition for a 140+ year old rifle. The hammer and breach still move like it just rolled off the line, and the firing pin still slides. If there were ammo for it, I'm 100% sure it would fire.
Now for the interesting part: when I was oiling it to clean the rust the following stamping appeared:
Barrell behind rear sight- Modelo Argentino 1879
Behind Breach- E. Remington & Sons Ilion NY USA
Pat May 31 1864 June 11 Nov 12 Dec 24 1874
Dec 31 1872 Sept 9 1873 Jan 12 March 18 1874
No serial number on the rifle itself, but there were 2 numbers etched into the stock behind the butt plate- 2769 & 5192. (Along with G. L. B. scratched into the wood- My grandfather's initials).
I think that it's a Argentine military rifle from roughly the 1880's and around a .45 cal. I just E-mailed Remington to find out everything. Should hear back in a few days about it. They should tell me what and who it was made for and what cal. it is.
Now we have to get a gun cabinet to store all these old pieces .
Update will be posted.