What is the most interesting gun you've had your hands on?

[Thuer]

Way back early 1990 I handled two beautifull antique rifles at the White Tower of London.

The first was a scentbotlelock of Alexander Frederick Forsyth made by Smith. This is a first made percussionrifle. I was very impressed of the craftmanship.
The second was a flintlock revolverrifle made by Artemis Wheeler.
Date somewhere 1818.

 

[Penmon]

My LGS has a twin mounted MG-34's on an AA naval mount, full functionally.I must of fondle the darn thing for an hour.
Penmon

 

[jag312]

1. Jim Bridger's Hawken rifle.
2. An authentic Wells Fargo Colt revolver.
3. A Smith & Wesson No. 3 revolver owned by an officer in the 7th Cavalry.
4. Smith & Wesson Schofield revolver, serial number 1, with Wells Fargo markings. I'm sure most of us have seen a photograph of it, but I got to hold it briefly many years ago.

 

[matmat417]

as far as handled it is my Mosin Nagant.. its a 1936 that is all original and belonged to a guard in Moscow, lots of handled marks and is a blood gun.

but seen (M29since14) up close was bonnie and clydes 1911s at the texas prison museum... they had class thats all i can say..

 

[LVSteve]

I have a Yugo rebuilt 98k with a particular rebuild code that has been seen on 98s less than 10 times. Lots of 24/47s were rebuilt at this place, but not 98ks apparently.

Milsurps often throw up pieces that folk think are interesting. For example, you would have thought I was handling Goering's personal 98K by the $1850 tag on one at last weekend's show. How I kept a straight face I don't know. The gun was a Russian refurb with the usual non-matching numbers including a non-matching Russian stock. So, it had been restocked with after the rebuild, too. Maybe it was special for being a complete mismatch.

 

[walnutred]

Back in the mid 20th Century there was a small gunshop in central Ohio called The Long Rifle Shop that a reputation for having unusual firearms. I have to term it that way because he opened pre-WW2 and closed in the late 1980s. One day in the early 1980s he had a Remington bolt action with scope that was in rough shape. When I asked about it he laid a handful of papers on the counter for me to look at.

On top was a copy of a bill of sale from Remington to the US Navy with delivery to and Ordinance shop of some type. Next was orders transferring this rifle to the Marine Corps and USMC paperwork transferring it to a specific unit. Last was a copy of a brief narrative explaining how this rifle was found in a hut in SVN and the form required for the soldier who found it to bring it home as a souvenir. He had been able to trace that rifle from the factory to relic state with the exception of the last person it was issued to in Vietnam. I've always regretted not spending the $250 to buy that rifle.

 

[reddogge]

Got to not only handle but do some repair work on this Colt 1860 Army which belonged to my friend's Great, Great Grandfather, a brig gen in the Union army. The pistol was issued to him when he mustered in. His picture in in the shadow box. Then we researched his military history online and it filled in a lot of blanks for my friend. Interesting project.

Also handled one of Teddy Roosevelt's rifles.

 

[perrazi]

one was only known german mg-34 built by krieghoff that was a cutaway. the other was the pair of pistols given to gen. washington by the marquis de lafayette. they were displayed at a las vegas winter show many years ago when it was at the sahara.

 

[feralmerril]

I have given this some thought and cant come up with just one good answer. I have owned several "blood guns" that I knew about, owned some more I highly suspect were. I once owned a colt new frontier that was one of a consecitively numbered pair audie murphy bought new. I had a whitneyville armory .50 caliber that was the forerunner to a large remington rolling block that some frontiersman must have killed buffallo with. I owned a original civil war sharps carbine, I think it was a 1862 or 1863 model converted to 50-70. A trapdoor springfield 45-70 carbine, a fine colt lighting, a 1878 .45 colt DA army, colt SAA that was sent to the copper queen mine at bisbee az in 1906, a very early .41 remington derringer, a S&W american, a #3 S&W .44, a double barrel .50 cal pin fire pistol probley from the 1840s or so.
What makes a gun the most interesting? Is it rarety? Once owned by someone famous? Blood guns? The oldest? Guns people survived by useing hunting? Guns known to have been used in self defense? Complex guns? I own or have owned examples of all catagorys and I still cant tell you my most interesting ones! I am sure many of us have owned guns that have been owned and seen history by some legendary figuers and NEVER KNEW ABOUT IT! There just isnt that many documented guns known for sure for all of the past legendary figuers of the old west etc. They are out there, we just dont know what we own!
Here is a just few handy pictures of some that I have or had.

 

[Arik]

A real stg44 with a gouge in the magwell where a bullet had hit.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

 

[Frank237]

This old Thompson has been in the FBI inventory since it left the Factory, initially issued to the Chicago Field Office. I was told by the Chief Agent here in MT that the paperwork shows it was signed for by SA Elliot Ness.

I've shot it, works great with stick mags, but the springs in the drums are shot. Hell of a piece of History.

This is from 1980 or so. Elmer Keiths house in Salmon, ID. Got to handle his everyday carry 4" M-29 as well as several other notable pistols and ALL of his double rifles.

These two stick out in my mind the most.

Have handled some notable Movie Guns, and a few of John Waynes personal weapons as well. Have to say handling Mr. Waynes personal SAA was quite an experience. Seeing that gun in MY hands...and recalling seeing it in HIS hands in several movies...Pretty big poop there.

FN in MT

 

[sheepdawg]

Had a Rock Ola M 1 Carbine in my hands the other day that got me to wishing.......if this could only talk.



The price tag on it was talking real loud.

 

[BearBio]

Gun wise: It had to be an original coffee grinder Sharps, civil war issue to Union troops.

Pistol wise: an original WWII liberator that had been dropped into France.or a buddy's pocket knife/muzzle loading pistol with Ivory grips.

Mine: a 1943-made Colt 1911 A1 owned by an Iwo Jima vet who got a battlefield commission=has blood splatters.

 

[PA Reb]

I own a model 1842 Harpers Ferry, .69 caliber musket that belonged to and was carried by Sgt. James McLaughlin, Company I of the 21st Mississippi. The brave Sgt. lost his life on July 2, 1863 in the Peach Orchard at Gettysburg during General Barksdale's attack on the Union lines. The gun was "picked from the field" and has been retained in private collections since then. Along the side opposite the stock is very faintly written "Jas McLaughlin 1 MVM". The 1st Mississippi Volunteer Militia was redesignated the 21st and Sgt. McLaughlin carried this weapon with the Army of Virginia from the very start of the war until he was KIA. McLaughlin's body (along with many others) was dug up in the 1880s and returned to the south in mass burial boxes. He nows rests in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia. Ain't nothin' better than that folks !

 

[snakedog]

A 1938 Tokarev

Picked this one up at an estate auction.

 

[StatesRightist]

My first gun want when I was when I was around 14 years old. I met a friend of my Dad's who collected old double barrels, Parkers, Smith's etc. I determined I had to have one. So I saved a few bucks and scouted hard, you can imagine the luck I had finding " a buy" in those types of guns. I had pretty much decided it was not going to happen until I had deeper pockets.

One Saturday morning early I went with Dad to make his yard sale rounds and there it was, certainly not a Parker, but an old treasure none the less; a 30's vintage Ithaca Field grade 16GA. I paid $50 for it, it's still the best shooting bird gun I've ever had and the most special...it's going in for restoration this fall to a specialist. The gun is probably worth $600-$800 when I get it back after spending half of that on restoration...but I wouldn't take 2k for it right now as it sits...it saw me through family bird hunts and a lot of good teenage memories.

Probably not what you were looking for, but that's my story.

 

[Peter M. Eick]

I held, handled and was offered a Henry 1860 Iron frame upon the passing of the owner. Great gun. He used to shoot it still into the late 60's because they had ammo for it still. When he passed the gun was gone by the time I got word.

Dang!

 

[cowboy45]

Colt Peacemaker. Serial# EXP1. I had only seen it in the Colt Books. HGCA show about 1990. Guy had about 10-12 Colts on his table for display only. I looked at them several times on Saturday and Sunday morning he told me I could pick them up if I wanted. He told me it was the first time he had ever shown them outside of a glass case.

 

[Pop's2]

4 × 20 mm M2 cannon from a jet fighter crash in the 1950's. Picked it up and thought about putting it in my trunk.........thought "bad idea" and put it back where I found it. I was 16 yrs old and my Father was a Major in the Air Force reserve (B-24 pilot in the Pacific).

 

[pineappleshooter]

I think I can top just about all of you - I got to hold the 6.5 x 52 mm Italian Carcano M91/38 bolt-action rifle that was used to kill President Kennedy. I used to work at the National Archives and a friend of mine was high up on the Kennedy files team. He got to shoot it when he had to escort the rifle to the FBI for ballistics testing.