# 14637 - Stevens-Springfield Model 15
2/26/2013
Daane, Cashmere, WA

Circle within a circle underneath to the left of the rear sight. I inherited this gun from my grandfather years ago, and I am trying to find as much information on it as I can, however I cannot find the year it was made. It is a J. Stevens Arms Company ''Springfield'' Model 15 .22 LR. I am trying to find the year it was made and a possible value on it. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

Answer:
Daane, Stevens introduced their Stevens-Springfield Model 15 in early 1938, it was advertised in the spring 1938 Sears and Roebuck catalog priced at $3.19. Stevens designed the Model 15 primarily for the boys rifle market, it was a simple single shot design which was locked by turning the bolt-handle base down ahead of the receiver. The action was much shorter than the other Stevens designs, allowing the bolt handle to lie almost directly above the trigger. Typical Model 15 rifles had a 22 inch round barrel and weighed about 3.75 pounds. Over-all length was 37 inches. The plain stock was made of birch stained to dark walnut, the metal was finished blue. Sights were blade front with open adjustable rear. There is not allot of collector interest in the J. Stevens Springfield economy models like this one and they usually sell for under $100. Marc

# 14484 - Tranter Revolver Marked E.M. Reilly & Co. London
2/26/2013
US

I was left this pistol by my dad. I want to know what it is, and what its worth so I can determine whether I want to sell it or keep it?

Answer:
Sir- Edward M. Reilly & Company of 502 New Oxford Street, London, displayed guns at the 1851 International Exhibition, and displayed their wares at other prestigious events until at least 1898. I suspect that they were as much “retailers” for the arms made by others as they were actually gun makers themselves. Tranter revolvers were one of several popular revolvers in the percussion era, and William Tranter was a prolific inventor of minor improvements in both single and double action revolvers, so your gun may be well into the cartridge era (circa 1870s-80s.). I would need to see some photos to tell you anything more about exactly what it is, or the value. As a wild guess, I would think maybe similar guns could be found at gun shows priced in the several hundred dollar range, but not really high demand items. Hope that helps. John Spangler

# 14483 - Winchester Model 1904
2/23/2013
Cindy, NSW, Australia

''Winchester Mod. 04-.22 SHORT LONG OR EXTRA LONG'' The rest of the markings are about winchester patented date etc. My gun seems to have the indications of 2 different model releases of the 1904. It has the extra spaces between the ''mod. 04'' when they took the 19 out of the stamp but it doesn`t have the metal crescent butt. Does this mean the body of the gun was made in 1919/1920 and the stock has been replaced or was there a model released with all these features? An elderly man gave it to myself and my husband when our first son was born as a present for him and said that his dad had given it to him and it hadn`t been altered. Hope to get a reply.. Thanks, Cindy

Answer:
Cindy- I am not sure I can add much to what your excellent research and analysis has already discovered. Winchester made about 306,000 of the Model 1904 rifles between 1904 and 1931. As you indicated, they “modernized” their model numbers by dropping the “19” (or “18” for some of the older ones) circa 1919-1920. So, we know it was made no earlier than about 1920. The caliber is another clue, as the “.22 extra long” caliber designation was changed to .22 Long Rifle in 1927, which narrows it down some. George Madis reports that a decorative diamond shape was punched out of the trigger guards on the last 34,000 made, which would include some of the 1927 production. Crescent buttplates were used exclusively for the first 119,000 guns, then either crescent or hard rubber shotgun style until about 178,000 guns when only the shotgun butts were offered. That’s more than I know, but pretty much what I can figure out from Madis’ book. John Spangler

# 14642 - Mauser Broomtail Question
2/23/2013
Connie, Albuquerque, NM

Waffenfabrik Mauser Oberndorf am Neckar I have the original stock and leather holster. All are in superb condition. The holster straps show some wear. I believe this is from around 1930? I'm interested in an approximate value. Thank you.

Answer:
Connie, the nickname for C-96 Mauser pistols is Broomhandle not Broomtail.

My records indicate that your Mauser was manufactured between 1923 - 1930. It is hard to say for sure which variation you have, without seeing the pistol but it may be an early 1930 commercial model. Early 1930 commercial models are usually found in the 800000 - 890000 range. The grips should have 12 grooves and it should have a crown over U proof mark which is a German final or definitive proof that was used on firearms that were proofed in the finished state, use of this mark was discontinued in 1939. There were several changes incorporated into the 1930 Broomhandle design including:

1. A step which was added to the barrel contour just ahead of the chamber.

2. The safety mechanism was changed to allow the hammer to be dropped from a cocked position, without danger, by pulling the trigger, (this was called the Universal Safety).

3. The front of the grip frame was widened to equal the width of the rear part of the frame where the stock slot is.

There is good demand for Broomhandle pistols that are in excellent condition with original stock and leather. Retail value could be as much as $3500 or more. We would be interested in purchasing your Mauser, send me an e-mail if you would like to sell. Marc

# 14636 - Andrew Fryberg 32
2/19/2013
Chuck, Canby, OR

I just received this gun and know nothing about it. It is a break down barrel made in 1903. Do you have any information on it? Thanks.

Answer:
Chuck, Andrew Fyrberg manufactured single barrel shotguns and top break revolvers which were mostly sold by Sears Roebuck & Company in the 1900's, from about 1902 to about 1907. There is not much collector interest in this type of firearm and values are usually in the $100 range. Marc

# 14482 - Starr Percussion Revolver
2/19/2013
USA

Inside frame under cylinder stamped with ''W'' instead of ''A'' Hinge pin has much larger knob than all others I have seen pictured. Do you have any information on the ''W'' mark and the larger hinge pin? Can this gun be repaired and fired? Thank you.

Answer:
Sir- Starrs never got the publicity that went with the Colt and Remington revolvers, but they were well made and reliable guns, and the double action models were somewhat ahead of their time. Unfortunately, I really do not know a lot about these, and cannot address the different inspector marks or the size of the knob. There may be something on those in the excellent three parts series on Starr Revolvers by the late David Radcliffe on our other site, ArmsCollectors.com. Here is a link to the first part of the series: http://armscollectors.com/mgs/starr_revolver_week_1.htm

# 14472 - Model 1903 Springfield Or Winchester Or ???
2/16/2013
Patrick, Fayetteville, NC

My father served in the Marines in WW2. His buddy shipped a rifle home from Guadalcanal, an 03. He passed away and his sister plans to give the rifle to my father later this week. He has always wanted this rifle because, according to him, it has a site for the grenade launcher. He thinks this is important. He does not want to sell it, but eventually donate it to his Marine Corps Club. He asked me to find out the difference in price between and 03 and one with sites for the grenade launcher. He seems to think this is very important. Any information or someone you can point me to will be appreciated. Many thanks.

Answer:
Patrick- From your description, I am getting more confused as I try to figure out what it is. I am going to assume it is indeed a WW2 U.S. military rifle, and start from there.

Springfield, Rock Island and Remington made Model 1903 rifles, but not Winchester. Springfield and Winchester both made M1 Garand rifles. Grenade launchers were used with the M1903 rifles, and the M1 Garands, but the M7 Launchers for the Garand did not appear until early 1943, so M1903 rifles were retained for use as Grenade launchers until the final days of WW2. Thus, we cannot expect to find a M1 Garand sent home from Guadalcanal with a grenade launcher sight. The earliest grenade launcher sights for the M1903 Springfields were a crude sheet metal rig, attached with miniature “screen door” type springs. Those are extremely scarce, and I have only seen one in all my years of collecting. These were not permanently attached to the stock, and left no permanent markings. The later (and very common) M15 Grenade launcher sights were adopted in early 1944, and used a round metal plate screwed to the left side of the stock for mounting. We can rule out that sight, if the “shipped home from Guadalcanal” part is accurate. I have seen several items shipped from Okinawa, which was in mid 1945, so if we have the wrong island campaign, it may be a M1 Garand and M15 grenade launcher sight. This is a case where we would need photos to know for sure what you have, and then give some idea of value. In any case, it sounds neat, and like most items loved by gun collectors reflects history not only of the technology involved, but also the brave men and women involved with winning our freedom and keeping us free to this day. John Spangler

# 14628 - 1903A3 Info
2/16/2013
Robert, Rowlett, TX, USA

Barrel at front sight: RA, Flaming Bomb, 4-43 Stock: Circular Crossed Cannons Ordinance Cartouche, Initials FJA, and a square Cartouche stamped RIA EB When was this rifle manufactured and anything else you could tell me about it.

Answer:
Robert, your rifle was manufactured in 1942. The U.S. Model 1903 was the standard service rifle of the U.S. military from 1903 till the late 1930's with well over one million produced. The action owes much to the German Mauser Gewehr 98, but also has some unique features including a magazine cutoff to hold 5 shoots in reserve till the enemy charged. After the disaster at Dunkirk in June 1940, the British approached Remington Arms Company about making a Model 1903 in caliber 303 to reequip their army. The U.S. government released the Model 1903 tooling from the Rock Island Arsenal to Remington, and two prototype Model 1903 rifles in 303 were made. (They can be seen at the Firearms Museum in Cody, Wyoming.) But with the U.S. heading for war, the Army commissioned Remington to restart manufacture of the Model 1903, with the first rifles turned out in October 1941. Between October 1941 and January 1943 Remington produced about 330,000 Model 1903 rifles. Remington made numerous changes to speed manufacture and by early 1942 the rifle was called the U.S. rifle 1903 Modified. These included changing the barrel bands, sling swivels, buttplate, and triggerguard from machined to stamped. When the rear sight was moved from the area in front of the receiver to the rear receiver bridge the rifle’s designation was changed from Model 1903 Modified to Model 1903A3. The production of the 1903A3 was phased in between December 1942 and January 1943, and about 700,000 were made when production ceased in early 1944. Marc

# 14626 - Frankenstein Mod 62
2/12/2013
Sherman

pump handle is smooth, in front of action underneath is another number 157643 B. What is the year of manufacture

Answer:
Sherman, In l890, Winchester announced the Model 1890 slide action repeating rifle. Model 1890 rifles were individually chambered for each type of .22 caliber rim fire cartridges, they could not use 22 Short, 22 Long, and 22 Long Rifle cartridges interchangeably. The Model 1890 had a visible hammer, a tubular magazine, and a 24-inch octagon shape barrel, it became the most famous rim fire repeater ever made by Winchester and for many years it was generally accepted as the standard arm for shooting-gallery use.

In 1932 Winchester revamped the Model 1890, using essentially the same action but with several modern features added which included a shotgun type of butt stock, an increase in the magazine capacity, a round, tapered 23-inch barrel and most importantly, a change in the rifling, chambering, and feeding mechanism to allow the use of 22 Short, 22 Long, and 22 Long Rifle cartridges interchangeably.

The Model 62 rifle was first listed in the June 21, 1932, price list and factory records show that the first delivery of Model 62 rifles to warehouse stock was made in April 1932. The Model 62 was discontinued in 1958 after about 409,475 were manufactured.

The two serial numbers that you can see when looking at the bottom of the rifle should be the same. Your two numbers are different and this indicates that your rifle has parts from two different guns. Sorry to tell you that this really hurts value, reducing it by 50% or more. The back part of your Winchester was manufactured in 1937 and the front part was manufactured in 1942 . Marc

# 14470 - Danzig 1830 Percussion Musket Dated 1830
2/12/2013
Germany

On Hammer side Plate A Crown, Danzig, 1830. on Butt Plate, 99., 4L.R.and 3C. on rear of Barrel (L.side) 1930. on top rear of Barrel 99. I took this Mus. Loader in hopes that it has some Value. it is a Percussion Mus. Loader w/ Orig. Ramrod (I believe) all Brass Fittings and all Wood is in good Cond. I do not know what cal. she is. any help . Value, history, Ect -SC- Thanks D.

Answer:
Sir- Your musket is one of the Prussian muskets likely imported for use during the Civil War. These were around .69 to .71 caliber smoothbores. I don’t recall the exact model designation for these, but they were basically circa 1815-1820, with the actual date of manufacture marked on the buttplate along with the abbreviations for the unit to which it was assigned. These were converted to percussion around 1840, but rendered obsolete with the Prussian adoption of the Dreyse “Zundnaedelgewehre” needle gun in 1841. So, when Yankee and Confederate agents came shopping for muskets in 1861 the Prussians were delighted to unload all the old fashioned stuff. These were good solid muskets, although neither especially liked or criticized during the Civil War, but being smoothbore muskets were certainly obsolete. Values are modest, and I usually see average condition examples priced around $650-850 retail. John Spangler

# 14464 - French Or Swedish Navy Pistol?
2/9/2013
Daniel , Jacksonville Florida

M ve d unreadable I would like to know how much it is worth . Also how many are there left '' Rarity '' . Also what the ineligible markings are on the side of the pistol

Answer:
Daniel- I am not sure exactly what you have. St. Etienne was a French military arsenal, and the Swedes had their own places to make guns, so I think this is probably French, not Swedish. I see a lot of the French Navy single shot pistols with the brass mountings, in fact many more of the guns than I see buyers looking for one. From what I see, realistic values tend to be under $500 for a really great condition example, and only a few hundred for anything less. These usually have a lot of inspector marks and date stamps from when they were made, and usually when altered as well, but I do not follow the exact meaning of these marks. John Spangler

# 14504 - Gun Or Flashlight?
2/9/2013
Nanci

case#267, lamp#162, Clay Co WVA 406, Dog tax 1942, Clay Co 443 This is an old family gun and I can't find out any information on it, can you tell me anything about it? Was it military? How much is it worth? Thank you

Answer:
Nanci, this one has me stumped, it sounds more like the description of a flashlight than a gun. Send us some pictures and maybe that will help me with identification. Marc

# 14625 - Unknown Winchester Pump
2/5/2013
Sam, Lexington, KY

I have this rifle that has been in our family for many years. I am making a record of all my firearms and trying to list YOM for them. Anything you can tell me about this firearm will be appreciated. Main interest is manufacture date. Thanks for any support. Sam

Answer:
Sam, my guess is that you have a Model 1890. The Model 1890 was Winchester’s first slide action repeating rifle, it was introduced to replace the .22 caliber model 1872. The model 1890 was popular due to the fact that it was both inexpensive and very well made. The Model 1890 was available in four different chamberings, 22 Short, 22 Long, 22 Long Rifle and 22 Winchester Rim Fire(WRF). Rifles were chambered specifically for each individual caliber and were not interchangeable as are many modern 22 rifles. Model 1890’s are sometimes called "gallery rifles" because they were used almost universally in shooting galleries of the era. Approximately 849,000 model 1890’s were made between 1890 and 1932. If your rifle is a Model 1890, it was manufactured in 1906. Model 1890 values depend greatly upon condition. Most 1890’s were heavily used and so specimens in excellent condition bring a premium. Values for 1890 Winchesters manufactured after 1901 range from $150.00 to over $1000.00. Hope this helps, Marc

# 14463 - Maynard Carbine .35 Caliber
2/5/2013
Jeff, Terryville, Ct

I just received a Edward Maynard rifle. I can't seem to find any information on the .35 rifle. Was it issued to the troops in the war. Also I was told it was made in 1851. Just wondering if that date is true. I see plenty in the .50 cal. but none in the .35 cal. Any information would be great. The serial number is 3786.

Answer:
Jeff- First, let’s stipulate that we are both talking about a PERCUSSION ignition carbine, not one of the later Maynards which used a firing pin instead of the nipple for use with metallic cartridges which came along after the Civil War.

The vast majority of Maynard carbines used in the Civil War were .50 caliber, but a small number of early guns were made in .35 caliber. However, the normal barrel length was 20 inches, so your 21.5 inch length is a bit of an oddity. As far as I can tell from the information in Flayderman’s Guide to Antique American Firearms and their Values an uncertain number of .35 caliber guns (sometimes referred to as .37 caliber in some reports) were purchased for use by various states of the Confederacy, roughly 1,300 to Florida and Mississippi, and a few more to other states or militia units. However, others likely were sold on the commercial market.

However, with your non-standard barrel length, I am pretty sure that you have one of the percussion sporting rifles made during the Civil War from incomplete or unfinished military parts. These were offered in varying barrel lengths in .35, .40 and .50 caliber. John Spangler

# 14614 - EIG Muzzleloader
2/2/2013
Mark, Holliday, MO

Can you tell me something about this gun and it's value? I've looked all over and can't find anything on it.

Answer:
Mark, the EIG Corporation was a distributorship that was active in 1960s. If I remember correctly, they sold an assortment of cheap European imports including Rohm revolvers and Tanfoglio automatic pistols prior to the passage of the 1968 Gun Control Act. Values for these kind of firearms is not high, usually in the $100 or less range. Marc

# 14630 - Bayonet With Nickel Finish
2/2/2013
Gary-G

mfg. by Weyersberg Kirscbaum & Co.-overall 14.80 in.-blade 9.91 in. mfg. by Weyersberg Kirscbaum & Co. Solingen Shield with shooting five point star-Three circles, somewhat like the Olympic insignia. Nothing fancy but great mfg. quality. Not able to find information at local library. Would like to find year of mfg. and what rifles used them. Where were they manufactured? If unable to answer questions, please submit book title that would have this information. Thank you, Gary

Answer:
Gary- Most of the nickel-plated bayonets are German "dress" bayonets. Don't let the name fool you, these were not for women troops, but for ceremonial occasions and "walking out" when off duty, in town trying to pick up those who wore dresses. The bayonets are found in many different styles and quality levels but all are similar to standard German bayonets of the WW1-WW2 eras. Many would fit the 98 Mauser series of rifles, but some were strictly decorative and lacked the slots and catches to attach on a rifle. Yours was made in Solingen, a town noted for high quality edged weapons for several centuries. There are several books dealing with bayonets. The best single volume for anyone even remotely interested in bayonets of all countries and all periods is Jerry Janzen's "Bayonets from Janzen's Notebook" which you can special order from a bookstore for about $35-40. There are some highly specialized volumes specifically dealing with German bayonets, (John Walters, I think is the author) but they are very difficult to find. Hope this helps... John Spangler