Antique Rifles?

Slowbalt

Slowbalt

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Alright. I'm hooked.

After handgun, now on to rifles.

What's out there? I see martinis, sniders, but what else is out there?

Note that I am a blue collar... Models over the 5k mark are out of reach to me.


Edit : I am mainly looking for :

- Fairly inexpensive (1-2k tops)
- Ability to reload somewhat easely (dies and components can be sourced)
- Capable to be down loaded to plinker but still able to work up a decent hunting load (moose and smaller, at 100-150 yards and under)

Also, from my understanding, only single shot rifles are on the go list?
 
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There is a nice Sharps NRA Quigley rifle in the WEST. I'm not sure if being
a reproduction if it qualify as an antique as it shoots center fire cartridges.
 
Slowbalt said:
What's out there? I see martinis, sniders, but what else is out there?

Note that I am a blue collar... Models over the 5k mark are out of reach to me.


Edit : I am mainly looking for :

- Fairly inexpensive (1-2k tops)
- Ability to reload somewhat easely (dies and components can be sourced)
- Capable to be down loaded to plinker but still able to work up a decent hunting load (moose and smaller, at 100-150 yards and under)

Also, from my understanding, only single shot rifles are on the go list?
Click to expand...

If your goal is for a rifle which does not require a PAL, modern replicas do not count. If simply shooting a close copy of an original, a modern replica will often fill the bill with minimal hassle relative to ammunition and a good bore

Have a browse through Flayderman's Guide to Antique Rifle Prices for american actions. Easy to load depends on your level of reloading knowledge as well as cartridge conversion and probably how much you want to spend on cartridge forming dies. Most of the antique cartridges are relatively easy to form and to load for if you are experienced, only a few such as 38-55 and 45-70 are easy if you are a complete neophyte. Sniders and military martinis can be a challenge to shoot accurately and to a large extent comes back to level of knowledge. Many military rolling blocks are in peculiar calibers and fit in the challenge category. The cost of rebarreling and restocking an antique action is only practical relative to modern replicas, if you can do the work yourself. Also my personal preference is for an action which allows you to clean the barrel from the breach --- martinis and peabodys do not fit that bill
Finally the rule is non magazine rather than single shot, meaning that a double rifle qualifies for antique but they also tend to be well over your price limit. Also, almost forgot, the rifle has to be over roughly 33 caliber to qualify as an antique

cheers mooncoon
 
Good starter rifle below $1,500.00 is a US Springfield Trapddoor M73-M84. Brass, bullets and dies easily available everywhere.
 
Probably the most affordable big bore antiques I see with any regularity are the Gew 71/84's. 43 cal, beautifully made and fun to shoot. The G71 is a single shot while the 71/84 is a tube fed repeater (as repeaters technically not antique, but still fun). The G71's are far more rare than the 71/84's and are priced accordingly, but still cheaper than many other guns out there. You can also find Werndl's in that cal or if you're incredibly lucky, a Mannlicher Schoenauer 1885/1886 :D

Aside from that - sniders, martinis, rolling blocks, you name it :D
 
I vote for a trapdoor or rolling block. easily available brass knocks the martini or snider and downloading also knocks out the martini out as there is only so much cotton/kapok one can stuff into a bottle neck case
 
I'm with 41 Colt, I like the High Wall 1885 Winchesters. Janese or Italian repro is pretty good value, and at least in my case, they will outshoot me. The various Sharps repros are another choice, the Italian ones are quite a bit cheaper than Shiloh rifles, although a plain-Jane Shiloh lists for $2200 or so. The guys who shoot them swear by them...
 
Don't overlook the vast number of originals which have been sportered by Bubba over the past century or so.

If you are willing to knock a zero off your bottom price, you can still take home a fairly-nice Bubba'd 1871 Mauser Cavalry Carbine. Back about 80 years ago, these things fed most of the farmers in Western Canada and a lot in Ontario and Quebec, too. Single-shot, bolt-action, looks like a little Cooey single-shot .22 except that it has this MASSIVE bore and takes this HUMUNGOUS casing with 77 grains of powder and a 386-grain slug. Many a Moose has gone down to one of those things.

I got my first one while I was still in high-school, paid $3 for it. Got another at an auction 2 years ago, paid $90.

They show up on the EE from time to time. Brass is hard to find but you can sort-of dupe it from .45-90 or you can mod .300 WinMag if you have a special extractor made.

LOT of fun. Short, lightweight, easy to pack in the bush and they hit like Thor's Hammer.

There are many others, also. This is just one of the many, many, many........
 
In all honesty, this is probably the route I want to take, at least for the first one. At my younger age I'm more of a shooter than a collector. And, obviously a rifle shorter and lighter is preferable in the bush.

I looked at some sporter/cavalry carbine snyder, reloaded using 24ga shells. Looked interesting.

Now, I've tried many (probably not all, but quite a few) firearms types. In no other ''group'' were as many helpful and friendly people. Always an advice or a word of encouragement. Wish I started with antiques ;)
 
I have a Mark III Snider Cavalry Carbine taking the .577 Snider cartridge: the FIRST centrefire rifle cartridge to become a military standard anywhere.

Yes, it can be made rather easily by necking-down some of that 24-gauge Magtech brass. Dies are available, but most of them want a press with that big thread: RCBS Rockchucker, Lee Classic Cast, the big orange Lyman, others in that area. Dies are even available from Lee. I load 65 grains of FFg with a well-greased Minie bullet.

Odd thing about these is that the bullet moves so slowly and is so heavy in relation to the little lightweight Carbine, that the thing actually can be felt to TWIST to the right when you fire it. That big bullet engages the Left-hand rifling..... and Newton's Third Law takes over.

Really weird but a lot of fun.

With the longer full-length Sniders (from here to the kitchen door) you don't feel it. They are a lot of fun, too.

Trade-Ex has a bunch of Swedish/Norwegian .50-calibre (12.11x44mm) Remington Rolling Blocks for sale, starting price for a good one about 650. You can make brass for these quite easily by opening out and trimming .348 Winchester, then you treat it like a .50-70 after that. My late brother had a really nice one and it was my job to make up his ammo for him. That rifle has now gone to my nephew, who I am certain will make good use of it.

Good luck.
 
As smellie notes - sportered Gew's, both 71's and 71/84's are about the cheapest antiques you can get out there, often in the $100-$200 range. Gew's often have very good bores too which is great. They can be reloading using similar data to trapdoors if you don't want to gum them up with black powder.
 
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