They are on their way to becoming a great investment. As I ponder over advertisements of new guns, which I am sure function just fine, it's sad to see the implementation of plastic parts replacing wood and steel even aluminum. Rifles shotguns and handguns have all become inflicted with this disease.
If you ever caressed the warmth and beauty of a Belgian Browning or Pre 64 Winchester you get my drift. Future generations of shooters will not be able to appreciate this kind of workmanship since it will be restricted to those without financial limitations.
Sad situation.

I'm fearful that if the left gets their way future generations will not be able to appreciate any kind of firearm.

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I suppose the manufacturers are trying to provide "value" or give you the most product for a dollar. Many products just have a useful life. My S&W M&P9 and M&P22 are probably examples. IMO, they are well made guns and lightweight. However what will the plastic parts look like in 40 years? I bought a Mossberg Maverick 12 guage a year or two ago. It has a matte finish and a IMO ugly plastic stock and fore end. It is an ugly nasty gun, but it will tear an intruder in half. It only cost $250 otd with a box of 3" shells.

They still make nice looking guns. Have you held a Wilson 1911? Any manufacturing process depends upon volume for efficiency. Many, but not all, manufacturers have decided to manufacture guns for the masses.

I bought this recently for $700 on gunbroker.

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Luke 22:36

I have felt this way for years. I am not a collector, but an accumulator. I have several "pre war" (1941) guns around and also several guns make in the late 40's, 50 & 60's. These make up over 90 % of what I have, all being shooters and I hunt with them as opportunity presents. To me, I agree, there is a bygone day of building precision firearms. I bough my first Savage 99 years ago in a pawn shop, because of caliber and the fit, finish and feel of the action ( 80 % of blueing was gone and the stock was total black all over with oil). Got it home and found it was made in 1915, first year of the famous 250/3000. It's shooting about 2 inch groups with the old 3x scope at 100 yards and is headed off to the woods to kill one more whitetail this fall. Best shooting total factor big bore gun around me- late 50's pre 64 wincheser 338 with that cut riffle barrel, it will shoot around 1 inch 5 shot groups at 200 yards. Yes, i am addicted to the time when they built them just like the proverbial swiss watch with a great deal of hand fitting. you guys can have the plastic and aluminium guns of today, outside of that Aluminium laced with Titanium Air weight I carry around with me all the time.

I examined a friend's Winc. 62A 22 rifle the other day.The slide action functioned like clockwork.My Sterlingworth 20 I was given used in 1942 still fits like a bank vault after untold thousands of rounds.I could name a few others,but the quality was built in from the mid 1800's until the 1960's when things began to change.However if you have big bucks there are still some fine guns around,but I only look and shoot the old stuff.

When the new grandson was born i got into the turn of the century 22cal guns for him to enjoy just incase i pass on before he gets old enough to shoot them. The cost does vary on the same models so it pays to browsing and to know the going rates on them.

As i get older i see my fishing equipment from the early 70's showing up in the antique shops now. So its not only my guns that are getting old and going up in price too. I still used my 70's fishing stuff today until i seen it in an antique shop. Now its put away.

My first 22cal revolver purchase was a S&W K22 22cal revolver with the box, screwdriver and cleaning rod. It opened up my eyes about the S&W quality.

I still have all the weapons from my younger years and they are all fine wood. I always handpicked for the wood. Even take a medium piece on a lower end model and make it better with a little work. More wood grain the better.

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THIS WE'LL DEFEND ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

Good topic. Kind of thought provoking, to me at least. I have often wondered if there is a specific age at which a gun becomes an "antique". I know that it's 20 years for cars (or am I thinking about "classic" and not antique?) but what about guns?

Also are there different guidelines or criteria other than age to determine what is an antique and what is just an old gun?

My newest old gun is a 1973 Ruger Blackhawk in SS .357 mag. It was the first year they came out with the transfer bar. My oldest gun is a S&W .38 top break 5-shot double action revolver made in 1883. It is in very poor condition (read don't shoot this gun unless something REALLY bad is about to happen to you if you don't. plenty of play in the cylinder.)

They just don't make 'em like that anymore. However, plastics have changed a LOT in the last 30-40 years. To have something made of plastic used to be a guarantee that it would break, and sooner than later. Now the stuff is practically indestructible. Plastic stocks can't replace walnut in beauty, but they are tough as nails and can take a lot more rough handling than wood.

No turn-of-the-20th guns here.

My second Marlin 39A was bought in 1969, and I still wish I hadn't sold the first one, bought in 1960, that had the old fat forestock. The second Marlin, like the first, is a precision-built thing of beauty with fine walnut stocks.

I have an old Stevens side-by-side 12 gauge that dates from not later than 1953. I bought it very worn, devoid of bluing, in about 1970, and proceeded to take tons of doves and rabbits with it. It's heavy, but shoots just fine.

As for fishing, I've been doing it for seventy years, and got to thinking a few years ago. Bass fishermen today have to have the latest gear, especially lures they see tournament pros endorse. It's a rush to find lures and techniques the bass haven't seen. Well hell, I thought, the stuff I used in the forties and fifties, up to about 1960, is mostly stuff bass alive today have never seen. So I started picking up old Heddon River Runts, Pikie Minnows, L&S Shiner Minnnows, Hellbenders, the original Bombers, and so on. Have a big hip-roof, six-tray tacklebox full of the stuff. I don't get as many chances to use it anymore due to health problems, but I hope to do better this year. Then my fishing kid sister and my son and his boys will divvy up some prime gear, including some antique and still quite functional baitcasting reels, when I croak.

I guess I'm just trendy in reverse in my old age.

You bought your first Savage 99 years ago? How old are you???? Also for a gun made in 1915, the math doesn't work. LOL. I agree, most of the older stuff is much better on many different levels.

I did a average age (Mfg date) of 14 handguns I have stashed away
7 Smiths and 7 Colts.
Came to 1960.
This is one of the Colts...1968 1911 In 38 Super.
Hard to beat the older stuff.

I like a wood stocked blued gun as much as the next guy, but I'm not the least bit put off with modern polymer guns (they're not really plastic) with a ferritic nitrocarburizing processed finish (i.e., Tenifer or Melonite). I have no doubt that if a gun genious like John Browning had accesst to the modern materials and processes we have now he would undoubtedly have used them to full advantage.

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Soda can
You ask about the savage. Well about 5-6 years ago I was working a group of 20 year olds and this one kid was really into gun, reloading, etc. so at lunch we hit this gun/pawn shop so I could show him where to find used guns. The 99 was there, wood totally black, looking worn out, but I had always wanted a 99 and it was a 250/3000, one of my favorite whitetail cartridges. It worked like a Swiss watch and the kids laughed when I pulled out the credit card for the unknown piece of junk. The stock got refinished and has a great deal of figure in it, the checkering was retraced. The scope was added last month, on the old stith mounts. For the first time in years, I am excited about November deer season. That 98 year old gun and this 64 years old man will bring a buck "out of the woods". That's my only 99 and the SN says that 1915 date was the introductory year of the 250 savage. Tell those young whippersnappers, I got me a new wildcat, necked a 22-250 up to 25 caliber and loaded it with some 100 grain Barnes TSSX bullets. That's my story and I'm sticking "to it".

I love polished blue steel and fine wood stocked firearms. I prefer pinned and recessed Smiths, and won't buy one that is newer. I won't buy a Marlin or a Winchester with a cross bolt safety, I don't care if they'll shoot off fly wings at 600 yards. I'm not at all a fan of these matt blue rifles either, but I don't mind the stainless synthetic rifles.
Several years ago I bought a Remington 700 SPS stainless synthetic rifle in .22-250. I use it for coyote hunting, so it is used hard every winter. I bought the thing after having to disassemble my 700 BDL every time I'd try hunting in some falling snow or a bit of drizzel. The rifle proved its value when I broke through an ice covered creek and went chest deep in water. I used the rifle to spread my weight on the ice so I could get up out of the water onto the ice. As i came out of the creek, water poured up onto the ice and completely submerged the rifle. When I got myself off that ice, I dumped the magazine, removed the bolt, shook out most of the water, reassembeled the rifle and continued hunting on the way back to my truck. When I got home I took the barreled action out of the synthetic stock and set the rifle near the heat register. It dried out and I've never seen a spot of rust anywhere on that rifle. I'm afraid if I'd been hunting with my beautiful polished blue, walnut stocked, Model 70 featerweight classic that day I may have had a water damaged rifle to deal with.

My first firearms love was pre-64 Model 70's. The love was a gift from my Dad, I had to buy my own. I'm down to a three from about 20 once upon time. Then came Model 12's, S&W pistols, Colt Pistols, Parker and AH Fox shotguns. Then Sanity, preparation for retirement, and loss of sanity needed a John Deere 3020 Tractor etc.....

Wilson Model 1911 ? I can't even afford to look at one !

I agree that most old guns were better finished than todays offerings. My old S&W's & Colts & Winchesters are beautiful even with the use they have been thru. They show signs of usage but not abuse. Same with my '94 Win. 30-30 that I got my first buck with almost 60 years ago. It was new in 1941. Old guns make me proud & happy.

GREAT pownal55!!! Now I gotta get my 1931 A-5 browning and my 1949 .30 Gov't 06 Winchester M70 out and carress them. I was perfectly happy sitting here on the forum, now I gotta go dive into the safe.............. By the way, plastic is ok.......haven't you seen a corvette?

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