Askeladden
Member
- Joined
- Mar 25, 2014
- Messages
- 70
- Reaction score
- 13
Looking at the forum it looks as if this is one of the least visited sub-forums.
I don't get it.
I don't get it.
Last edited:
Why so little interest in antiques?
- Thread starter Askeladden
- Start date
Register to hide this ad
jleiper
US Veteran, SWCA Member, Absent Comrade
The antiques are much harder to find, especially with any condition. It is also much easier to get interested in pieces you can actually find and afford. When was the last time you saw a nice No.3 for less than the price of a Model 19?
Besides, most of us who appreciate the "old" stuff are antiques!
Joe
Besides, most of us who appreciate the "old" stuff are antiques!
Joe
Comrad
Member
I'm still using my antiques. I was recently at the Clark County Museum in Henderson NV and went through the houses on display. I'm still living in a house and using stuff that would fit right in on that street.
To be honest, I think there are far fewer antiques left than C&Rs and modern S&Ws. Taking a quick look at the numbers, I can find about 1.5 million antique S&Ws made, not counting the 44 Russian military revolvers that mostly remain in Eastern Europe, of which most are probably lost forever. If we estimate that 25% are left today, that would leave 375,000, and I think that number may be too high. For comparison, there were more than 500,000 32 HEs made before WWII and this model alone will probably still be over 375,000 in existance today.
Bottom line is that many millions of C&Rs and modern S&W revolvers were manufactured and since they were smokeless powder guns, many more probably remained in service for many more years than most antiques.
Bottom line is that many millions of C&Rs and modern S&W revolvers were manufactured and since they were smokeless powder guns, many more probably remained in service for many more years than most antiques.
italiansport
Member
I agree with what's posted above and in addition I think one of the factors is usefulness. Most of the newer swing out cylinder S&W revolvers are readily usable with proper loads and these are fairly easy to find or reload yourself.
I like shooting the classic firearms in my collection certainly as much as looking at them. I have a few Civil War era cap & ball revolvers and I wouldn't chance shooting them.
Jim
DWalt
Member
Is that the museum where the bearded guy in the strange flat hat seen on Pawn Stars works?
Finding those 32 and 38 in good "collectable" condition isn't easy, and when you do find them they bring top money. I've been trying to buy a 1st mod, 3rd issue for a couple years now off and on, and while I see quite a few, they are in poor condition, or they are priced way high. I was bidding on one that was in about 70% but with nice ivory grips, over the weekend, and went about $100 over my pre set limit, and still couldn't get it bought.
Blind Boy
Member
In my case the antiques are fascinating. I'm of the own it and shoot it club. At the moment I'm getting two NM #3's going. The .44 Russian Target, ca. 1880, is ready, but the .32-44 is more of a challenge, and thus the interest. It will require just about everything but having the brass specially made. I do have an Ideal tool with the mold, so that helps getting past step one. Those are hard to find, but I have great friends. It is stretching my reloading abilities to new levels. Since my friends are also in this category, we shoot the earliest S&W's with CB's through the nicely engineered and extremely well made top break DA's and triple locks. Moving backward from the 1950's to the 1860's has been a treat. So there are some of out there still experiencing these revolvers anew and making them work. Now my next search will be for an American or Russian.
I would love to have a top break 44 S&W and an keeping my eyes open. Thing is even shooter grades are not easy to find unless you have a bigger wallet than mine.
mmaher94087
Member
Ooh, my sore spot.. like poking a wild animal to get a (usually bad) response. My take on antique collecting vs. modern is that I'm old enough to have bought the modern collectible stuff when it was in the dealer case brand new. I find that boring. Even the used modern was available to me and I got no kick out of buying Tuesday's gun on Wednesday. I still do not understand the Reg. Magnum hoopla; it's an older gun and always will be a used gun to me and one that I could have bought used - and why? I'd need to register it, pay for the transfer and wait umpteen days so I could tell my friends that I just purchased yesterday's gun today and what(?) wait for the oohs and aahs? I don't see the charisma; I'm sorry it just doesn't appeal to me.
For me, I enjoyed the 'hunt' for something that was long out of production (like 100 years) and usually in lesser quantities than the modern stuff. I'm happy with my 'finds' and have no intention of shooting them all as I have a modern steel piece for that. As for the antique collecting, after one has the standard collectibles, the hunt gets better as the very scarce stuff gets into the mix and it's usually over 100 years old and not readily available.
No apology here as I just don't 'get' the fascination of modern guns; I'll take the antiques any time.
For me, I enjoyed the 'hunt' for something that was long out of production (like 100 years) and usually in lesser quantities than the modern stuff. I'm happy with my 'finds' and have no intention of shooting them all as I have a modern steel piece for that. As for the antique collecting, after one has the standard collectibles, the hunt gets better as the very scarce stuff gets into the mix and it's usually over 100 years old and not readily available.
No apology here as I just don't 'get' the fascination of modern guns; I'll take the antiques any time.
deadin
US Veteran
Mike,
You pretty well described my feelings on what interests me. My basic criteria is that they have to be older than me and I'm pre-WW2. Pre-WW1 is even better with true antiques being at the top of the list.
As for RM's, I don't see the rarity. There always seems to be new ones showing up for sale. All it takes is $$$.
You pretty well described my feelings on what interests me. My basic criteria is that they have to be older than me and I'm pre-WW2. Pre-WW1 is even better with true antiques being at the top of the list.
As for RM's, I don't see the rarity. There always seems to be new ones showing up for sale. All it takes is $$$.
I've always enjoyed the older S&W's. The workman ship is the greatest. The design from that era with the tools they had to work with is amazing. I managed over the years to own many 1860 thru 1910 models. Don't have many left as I distributed them among family members for good reason.
BigBill
Absent Comrade
I'm very interested in the antiques but the s&w N frames are keeping me broke for now.
I want a top break s&w. A schofield in 45 long colt would be nice. A new one would be better. But I am interested in the 22 caliber tb.
I'm very interested in antiques. I went to a gun show by mistake. It was a black powder gun show. Yup all smoke poles. I got a glimpse of the future of our modern guns 150 years into the future. Every gun was marked in the many thousands of dollar range. I felt like a kid with a hundred dollars in his hand in a candy store where everything was priced at $2,500. I walked out. I need at least 10k to go to that show.
They had some awesome looking old guns.
I want a top break s&w. A schofield in 45 long colt would be nice. A new one would be better. But I am interested in the 22 caliber tb.
I'm very interested in antiques. I went to a gun show by mistake. It was a black powder gun show. Yup all smoke poles. I got a glimpse of the future of our modern guns 150 years into the future. Every gun was marked in the many thousands of dollar range. I felt like a kid with a hundred dollars in his hand in a candy store where everything was priced at $2,500. I walked out. I need at least 10k to go to that show.
They had some awesome looking old guns.
Last edited:
DWalt
Member
"A schofield in 45 long colt would be nice."
A lesson in S&W antiques to get you started. The original S&W Schofield model was never chambered in .45 Colt (not Long Colt). It was chambered only in a slightly shorter cartridge known as the .45 S&W or .45 Schofield. The .45 Schofield cartridge works fine in the .45 Colt SAA, and in fact for most of its US Army service, the .45 Schofield WAS the standard military cartridge for the Colt SAA. The .45 Colt cartridge cannot be used in the Schofield revolver.
A lesson in S&W antiques to get you started. The original S&W Schofield model was never chambered in .45 Colt (not Long Colt). It was chambered only in a slightly shorter cartridge known as the .45 S&W or .45 Schofield. The .45 Schofield cartridge works fine in the .45 Colt SAA, and in fact for most of its US Army service, the .45 Schofield WAS the standard military cartridge for the Colt SAA. The .45 Colt cartridge cannot be used in the Schofield revolver.
Driftwood Johnson
Member
Yup.
The primary cartridge for the large frame S&W Top Breaks was the 44 Russian cartridge, which is relatively short by modern standards. When S&W told the Army they wanted to get a piece of the cartridge side arm business that Colt had pretty much monopolized, they were told it would have to be a 45 caliber cartridge, not 44. S&W persuaded the Army to consider a revolver with a shorter 45 caliber cartridge than 45 Colt. The reason was they did not want to retool and start making frames and cylinders that were longer in order to accept the longer 45 Colt cartridge. The Army said OK and that was the beginning of the 45 Schofield revolver and cartridge.
The story of why they were eventually surplussed out is a whole nother story.
When the modern Italian companies like Uberti started making replicas of the Schofield, they 'stretched' the frame slightly to accept a longer cylinder that could accept the longer 45 Colt and 44-40 cartridges.
But you will never find an original Schofield that can accept a 45 Colt cartridge.
The primary cartridge for the large frame S&W Top Breaks was the 44 Russian cartridge, which is relatively short by modern standards. When S&W told the Army they wanted to get a piece of the cartridge side arm business that Colt had pretty much monopolized, they were told it would have to be a 45 caliber cartridge, not 44. S&W persuaded the Army to consider a revolver with a shorter 45 caliber cartridge than 45 Colt. The reason was they did not want to retool and start making frames and cylinders that were longer in order to accept the longer 45 Colt cartridge. The Army said OK and that was the beginning of the 45 Schofield revolver and cartridge.
The story of why they were eventually surplussed out is a whole nother story.
When the modern Italian companies like Uberti started making replicas of the Schofield, they 'stretched' the frame slightly to accept a longer cylinder that could accept the longer 45 Colt and 44-40 cartridges.
But you will never find an original Schofield that can accept a 45 Colt cartridge.
Similar threads
