Antiques 

 

Antique firearms are generally speaking, firearms designed and manufactured before 1900. Antique firearm collectors often use the Boer War as an historical anchor point. Many people collect antique guns because of their history.

There are two types of old firearms constructed before 1900: muzzleloading guns and cartridge firing guns.

Collectors who own muzzleloading firearms usually don't intend to fire them because of their tendency to backfire or misfire. Instead these owners want to display them and learn about their part in history. Cartridge firing antique firearms on the other hand, are those made for shooting.

Unfortunately, these types of firearms are not often used for shooting for the simple reason that cartridge guns from the 1860s through the 1880s were made of weak steel and were designed to use black powder. Their low bullet velocities and heavily arcing rainbow bullet trajectories made them inaccurate and prone to rust and wear. It wasn't until the 1890s that better-quality steel and smokeless powder became the norm amongst cartridge firing guns and thus improved bullet velocity and flatter trajectories. These advances made them more fun to shoot. These advances, typified by cartridges such as the 7x57 Mauser, .303 British, and the 7.62x54R made smokeless powder rifles from the 1890s more accurate when shooting at long distances. The fact is that many of these firearms from between 1890 and 1900 can still do all right in target shooting competitions with modern guns.

Antique breech-loading cartridge guns from 1865-1898 are popular because establishing their provenance and thus their collectible value is much easier. This is because before 1850, there was little standardization in firearm manufacturing.

Some of the popular antique firearms sought after by collectors (by time period) include:

Antique cartridge guns are highly sought by collectors and shooters. Serious collectors attend gun shows, read newspaper classifieds, and search the internet auction sites for the best examples. What's more, collectors from the western world - Europe, UK and the USA have their own preferences in antique firearms. Asian collectors too, have their own specific preferences of makers and brands.

Brands or makers that are currently popular with antique gun collectors in Europe include: Brevetes, Colt's Manufacturing Company, Chamelot Delvigne, Fabrica de Durango, Charles Francois Galand (C.F.G.), J.D. Levaux, Lefaucheux, Le Page, Martin & Cie, Émile et Léon Nagant, Perrin & Cie, Raphael, Simson & Co., Smith & Wesson, William Tranter, Waffenfabrik Bern, J. Warnant, and Webley. Interest is also high in military issue antiques such as Albini-Braendlin, Chassepot, Krag-Jørgensen, Kropatschek, Martini-Henry, Mauser, Mosin-Nagant, Peabody action, Gebruder Sulzer (Milbank-Amsler), Schmidt-Rubin, St. Etienne Lebel rifle, Steyr Waffenfabrique (Mannlicher), and Vetterli rifles/carbines.

UK investors prefer : Robert Adams of London, Colt's Manufacturing Company, Holland & Holland, James Purdey and Sons, John Rigby (company), W&C Scott, Smith & Wesson, William Tranter, Webley, and Westley-Richards. Popular military issue antiques such as Lee-Metford, Martini-Enfield. Martini-Henry, Mauser, Peabody action, and Snider-Enfield rifles/carbines are also in demand.

Then there are the U.S. collectors who prefer: Colt's Manufacturing Company, Merwin Hulbert, Mosin-Nagant, Parker, Remington Arms, Savage Arms, Smith & Wesson, Whitney, and Winchester Repeating Arms Company. There is also growing interest in military issue "martial" antiques, such as Mauser, Peabody action, Schmidt-Rubin, and U.S. Springfield Armory rifles including the Springfield Model 1873 (commonly called the "Trapdoor" Springfield) and Krag-Jørgensen rifles/carbines.

Quality antique guns are hard to find and as a result their prices have risen. Some highly desired brands such as Colt and Winchester Repeating Arms Company have tripled or quadrupled in value in recent years. Current prices are best monitored by comparing prices at gun shows, and by checking references such as the book "Flayderman's Guide to Antique American Firearms and Their Values.

 

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