Well in my opinion it’s a no-brainer. If all I have is something old but in good condition of course I’m going to use it. If we’re talking defensively, absolutely! If we’re talking range toy, maybe not as much depending on its value.
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My dad keeps a .455 Eley Colt New Service from WWI, rechambered to .45LC, loaded with W-W SilverTips as his ‘living room gun’.
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Assuming it was not collectable and I needed it absolutely. Any good defensive firearm is reliable.
As Michael Douglas said in the “Ghost and the Darkness,” “You went into battle with an untested weapon?” If it works than why not, but be aware, if it is worth anything substantial it will reduce its value over time through practice. Using that Singer 1911 from WWII, probably not a good idea.
Another issue, old ammo is hard to get or when found expensive. Can you afford to practice? That beat up Walther PPK may be reliable but not worth much, but .32 ACP is rather expensive. There is no cheap alternative unless you reload. Same for that old double barreled 16 gauge or 10 gauge.
Interesting topic, somewhat subjective. Reliability is the paramount factor.
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I’ve got a vintage Browning sweet 16 in great shape. Been hoarding 10 boxes of 16 gauge forever since so hard to find!
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Sad that 16 just didn’t develop a following. Seems like a better compromise than 20 gauge. Shot a 16 gauge once, about 5 rds. Liked it better than the 20 gauge I was using.
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I have a Francotti 25 caliber mouse gun ( or vest pocket pistol as they were sometimes called). Not much power but not to bad. As far as i 've researched I think it was from the 1920’s. It was my grandpa’s. It fires but frequently jams. If needed I would carry it as an ankle backup. but it’s not an EDC that can be relied on. My Dad had it after Grandpa died, and I got it after my Dad passed. It took a lot of cleaning to get it to function. And the ammo is ridiculously expensive. I know the price is down now but when I bought it it was $48 bucks for 50 rounds. Not something that I would plink with either.
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Man, that resonates, aging, ailments, costs of healthcare breaks me heart. Recently purchased one for hunting, but I prefer vintage, so going that way - more enjoyable for me.
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Simple answer on this ? Yes. Example Browning HP 
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Nice! I never took much notice as to the make of the revolver Jones was using so that bit of information is welcome.
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There are lots of “old” guns that will serve the purpose. I agree that if it’s some really valuable gun, maybe you want to keep it a collectors item. Older 1911’s or S&W’s in .357 or .38 should present no problems, and parts are still available. The other thing to consider is if the gun goes back aways, then unlike your newer guns, they are totally off the radar compared to the guns you bought recently. You’ll have it to deploy while everybody with a new model will be talking about their recent boating accident.
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Exactly. And if I don’t trust a brand of firearm, I would not buy it. Also, if if I bought a firearm that disappointed me, I would explain why before trashing them.
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Interesting guys, appreciate you all.
On some older beat up model rifles, after my purchase, I have asked the shop I bought it from to first clean, oil, sight and test fire it for me. A great value, well worth the wait in peace of mind safety.
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It was wonderful to read about different firearms that everyone have.
Firearms have changed to be faster and have better accuracy, but when you are trained to operate a piece of history, firearms, it’s value grows.
I have been around 1860-65 Civil War Firearms, but when they developed smokeless gun powders and the smooth bore went to rifling, the miracle of snipers
began.
Never give up on those well built vintage firearms, they
are priceless and well built.
I only have a Ruger Super Black Hawk Revolver .44
Magnum, 7.5” Barrel, only 7 years old. Those large
caliber firearms leave Big Holes and hit hard.
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I did not trash Ruger; they make many fine firearms. The one I have is in fact a pos. Sent it back 3 times for light primer strikes. 3 times they installed new parts. I
stated they should keep it aas it served no purpose for me. It Will not run. And that’s the story…
edited for spelling errors
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OK. Understand that everyone has a different experience. I have several different Rugers (Wrangler, EC9S, 10/22, Ruger American .308). All of these guns performed exactly as expected. None of them are perfect, but all of them were as good as (or better) than any gun in the same price range.
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Will purchase another Ruger ( have an AR mpr, it’s a beaut). But a firearm that you can not trust is useless. I could take this firearm to the range & run hundreds of rounds though it & still would not trust it… just me
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I used to carry a made in Germany Sig 225 circa 1977. It is probably the most reliable and accurate gun I’ve ever owned. As I aged it just became too heavy for me. I now carry a Glock 43 with a few “upgrades”. TBH, the Sig is a better gun - by far. Remember, it’s not the age, it’s the condition.
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I don’t have any type of relationship with my own immediate blood related family. There is only 1 thing that my blood family has that I actually covet. It’s a 17th Century Katana, that my uncle has that was given to him decades ago (he was a Vice Admiral + I’m named after him). I lust after that and I’ve told my aunt that I would do just about anything for it.
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This seems Germaine to the conversation:
Why Ukraine is using World War I-era Maxim machine guns - Task & Purpose (taskandpurpose.com)
What an amazing article. Talk about making do with what you have. Fighting in trenches? Break out the Maxim. Lol.