# 14784 - Remington Rand M1911A1 Questions
3/29/2014
Mark, Spokane, WA

Slide appears to have 2 tone finish: from ejection port forward it is blued, and rear portion is Parkerized. Type 2 slide marking. I have done a lot of research on this 1911A1 and have had a few ''expert'' Colt collectors look at it. Grips, trigger, hammer, m.s. housing, mag release, and slide stop are all correct for 1942 - 943 Rem Rand. My question regards the barrel. The lft side of lug/ barrel is marked ''PX-8'' over ''S'' and ''P''. Is this barrel correct/ matching for the rest of the weapon? Who made this barrel? Have you seen any earlier Rem Rand s/nest? I am a NRA lifer and I love your website & political commentary. Keep up the good work.

Answer:
Mark- Glad you like the site, but that does not make us any smarter. You are asking a level of detail that is above my level of expertise. The best, and universally respected reference is Charles Clawson’s out of print classic “Colt .45 Service Models.” With the price of high grade M1911A1s running in the $2,000+ range it may be worth the high price of the book to avoid buying for a potentially much more costly education. John Spangler

# 14878 - US. Property Colt .32
3/29/2014
Lubbers, Charleston, Sc

US. Property This Colt is very clean. If it had one box of ammo fired it was a lot. What might be the value?

Answer:
Lubbers, it sounds like a nice gun. Springfield Research has no records on serial number 567491, but serial number 567489 want to ``EIFLER C W BG`` and serial number 567492 went to ``KAYE A BG``. The blue book lists values for this model with Parkerized finish in the $900 to $3000 range depending on condition. If it could be documented that the pistol was issued to a general officer, value would be higher. Let us know if you would like to sell. Marc

# 14777 - B. Cogswell English Rifle
3/25/2014
Tomas, Simsbury, CT

B. Cogswell, London Marks, ''88'' and London Powder mark, ''5494'' I would love to know if there is value on my rifle? I could not find anything online, would that make it rare? the rifle does not have the ''B. COGSWELL 224 STRAND LONDON'' marking, could it be before B. Cogswell put his shop on that address? Only reads B. Cogswell, and also numbers ''88'' and ''5494'' and the proper London marks. Appreciate any info

Answer:
Tomas- It sounds like an interesting gun, and I am sure it has some value. Unfortunately, without some photos I cannot tell you much, and even with them, I still may not know anything useful. John Spangler

# 14879 - REY-O-NOC Shotgun
3/25/2014
victor

There is no other marking on the rile besides 25 Rf log and a 38 printed on receiver, where the barrel and receiver separate. who made it and what is it worth. Great condition is able to be fired.

Answer:
victor, many major retailers like Sears, Wards, Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett and Co. etc. had their brand name put on the firearms that they sold. This type of firearm is known as a "house brand" gun, the shotgun that you are asking about is one of those. HS&B was located in Chicago and was a major wholesaler of hardware throughout the U.S. from 1882 until they were sold off in 1962 mainly for the use of their “True-Value” brand name.

I do not have a lot of information on your shotgun, it is probably one of a huge number made in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and sold through various retail outlets. This type of firearm falls into the category of "old guns" that no one seems to be interested in as shooters, but collectors do not want them either. Generally these were basic inexpensive simple guns which sold at modest prices and still have little interest or value on market today. On the retail market they usually sell in the $25-125 range depending on condition and general appearance for use as a "wall hanger" over a fireplace. Please be warned that most of these are not considered safe to shoot. Marc

# 14775 - Robert Bishop Gun Maker
3/22/2014
Gabe Petersburg IL

R. Bishop Gunmaker, Petersburg, ILL I am looking for any info on this maker. He was in business from 1840 - 880.

Answer:
Gabe- Frank Sellers’ American Gunsmiths has the following entry:

“Bishop, Robert (1815-?). St. Louis, Missouri, 1840-1841 [directories], Petersburg, Illinois, 1841- 1884 [directories].” I suspect that the Petersburg is the one in O’Fallon, IL, about 15 miles east of St. Louis. You might check with the local historical society or some of the genealogical sites to see what else you can track down on him. John Spangler

# 14872 - Armi San Marco Value
3/22/2014
Lee, Avondale, Az

Has etched picture of ships on the revolver barrel (not sure what that's called). As you can clearly see I know very little about guns. I got this gun as a trade. I was told it's very valuable but haven't been able to verify this. I've looked all over online with no luck. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Answer:
Lee, it all depends on your definition of "very valuable". Armi San Marco manufactures affordable replicas of classic firearms that are usually to scarce or expensive for the average person to afford. I often see Armi San Marco replicas selling at gunshows in the $100 to $300 range. Marc

# 14774 - Colt “Lightning” .38 Caliber Revolver
3/18/2014
H. J. Halverson , Whitehall Mt

it has .38.0? on trigger guard It has-Cold PT.F.A mfg. co Hartford conn on the 3'' bbl. Patented Sept. 1871, 1874, 1875 Is this a valued antique?

Answer:
Sir- The answer is- Maybe.

You have a Model 1877 Colt “Lightning” double action revolver. About 167,000 of these were made circa 1877-1909 and they were pretty popular at the time. However, the innards of these are fragile and temperamental, subject to breakage. Therefore we see some in excellent outward appearance, but mechanically broken, and others that work, but are well worn with little finish. Collectors want ones with nice finish, and that work. These were made with barrels ranging from 1.5 to 10 inches long, Those under 3.5 inch barrel length were made without ejector rods on the barrel, while the longer barrels had them. Value will depend on condition, ranging from maybe $200 for a ratty one to $1400 for a truly excellent example that works. John Spangler

# 14875 - Jack London Gun?
3/18/2014
Artemio McAllen TX

I want to know who bought this arm. Because inside of the HANDGRIP it is a text of Jack London.

Answer:
Artemio, Jack London's real name was John Griffith, he was born in 1876 and he passed away in 1916. Your pistol was manufactured in 1907 so the time frame would work. I think that it would be great if you could document that your pistol was once owned by Jack London but there is no way that I know of for you to find who originally purchased it. One concern that I have is that I can't help but wonder if Mr. London / Griffith would use his real name if he wanted to mark a handgun.

One thing that you can try is to spend $75 for a Colt factory letter, it will tell you information about caliber, barrel length, finish, grip type, when and where the gun was shipped and how many guns were in the shipment. Not all of this information was always recorded on every gun so some of it may be absent in any particular letter. Maybe if you are able to find where the gun was initially sent to, it could help provide a lead for further research into the Jack London connection. Hope that this helps Marc

# 14874 - Another Low Numbered Colt (?)
3/15/2014

US Government What is my gun worth?

Answer:
6968 is a low serial number, but there are allot of knock-off 1911 frames on the market and most of them have low serial numbers because the companies who produced them did not stay in business for long. The majority of 1911s that I hear about with low serial numbers turn out to be the knock-off frame type. If this frame is a real Colt, it was manufactured in 1912.

You did not mention anything about condition. Your gun could be worth anywhere from $300 to over $10,000 depending on condition, if all of the parts are correct, and if the frame is an original Colt. Marc

# 14773 - Old Guns In Afghanistan
3/15/2014
Jullian, Kabul Afghanistan

I am deployed to Afghanistan and I was looking at some old looking guns. I was just wondering if I sent you pictures of them if you would be able to determine if they are real old or copies from somewhere local. I read the one article you put out and though I understand it somewhat I was thinking it would be easier to send pictures to be more certain before I purchase one. So would that be a possibility

Answer:
Jullian- We are always glad to help our troops in uniform in any of the services. Please contact us using the email links on our main page and tell us what you want to know, and we will reply with an address for sending photos. Usually we can get comments back to you within 24 hours.

However, nearly all the Afghan guns we have seen (in photos) in the last year or two have been ones made, or at least cobbled together for sale to the “tourist trade.” Ignore most of what the Afghan sellers might tell you about a gun, which is likely to be very self serving, and not necessarily true. It has been said “you can never buy an Afghan, but you can always rent one,” and their religion teaches that it is okay to lie to an Infidel. Therefore their representations about olde guns are not to be trusted. Sort of like your typical American used car salesman. Bottom line is, few if any of the guns for sale in Afghanistan have much collector value, so don’t even think about buying one for a potential profit. However, if you like one for it souvenir value as a remembrance of your time deployed there, by all means get any one you like. John Spangler

# 14765 - 5mm Revolver With Folding Trigger
3/11/2014
Lisa

cal 5 m/m , the I inch barrel has a star stamped on it with possibly a small h or a p in the middle of it, flip down trigger ,only measures in all 4 inches, only holds 5 shots also another star where you put bullets in and as you rotate it there's another stamp, AG with something over it With all the details I've included I'm hoping someone can tell me what it is, I believe it to be very old. Also would like to know it's value ? Thank you, Lisa

Answer:
Lisa- Your revolver is probably what collectors call a “velo-dog” revolver. Or, perhaps one intended for carrying in a pocket or purse. The folding trigger designs were popular on both these types, and the small caliber (5mm being roughly .22 caliber) was marginally adequate for defense against dogs which might attack while you are riding a bicycle (“velo-dog”), or against human attackers. I am pretty sure the star proof mark is French or possibly Belgian, and this design was popular in Europe circa 1870-1900, but never really appealed to Americans. Values tend to be modest on these, and people seem to like them more for their novelty than for any other merits. John Spangler

# 14870 - Featherweights M70 Vs Standard
3/11/2014
Tony, Salisbury Md.

Are pre `64 Winchester model 70 featherweights more or less valuable than the standard model pre`64 model 70s in comparable condition?

Answer:
Tony, values for standard pre-64 Winchester Model 70 rifles in Fjestad's gun value book tend on the average to be at least 6 percent higher than they are for comparable featherweight models. I think that this is an indication that many collectors prefer the standard rifles over the featherweights. Marc

# 14760 - Rusty Waters Pistol
3/8/2014
Ray

J.A. stamped in wood. Fully operational weapon. Deep Pitting in Spots. Approx. value? Thank You.

Answer:
Ray- I suspect that your pistol was actually made by Asa H. Waters who was a contract maker of several military pistols, as well as a thrifty Yankee who made sure to sell everything he could including junky pistols made up of left over or rejected parts. Without more details I cannot tell you much about value. It might be a Model 1836 flintlock pistol made for the U.S. Army, or one of those converted to percussion, or one made as percussion with some junk parts. Or maybe a pistol using a Model 1836 barrel mounted on a cast iron frame instead of a wooden stock. In any case, since it is rusty with some deep pitting, value is likely to be modest, perhaps in the few hundred dollar range at best, but maybe more if it is one of the scarcer types. John Spangler

# 14869 - Found Gun While Diving
3/8/2014
Cj Oak Lawn, Ill

Trying to figure out how old this gun is was diving and found out

Answer:
Cj, the firearm that you found is probably an Iver Johnson. The Iver Johnson company was in business from 1841 to 1895, during that time, they manufactured firearms, bicycles and motorcycles. Iver Johnson firearms were for the most part, inexpensive economy types. This type of firearm has never held much interest for me, so I have not accumulated much information on them over the years. The best place for you to find an answer to your question is a book by Bill Go forth, "Iver Johnson: Arms & Cycle Works Firearms 1871- 1993". You can find the book on Amazon at the following link: http://www.amazon.com/Iver-Johnson-Cycle-Firearms-1871- 1993/dp/0978708601/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393462664&sr=8-1&keywords=iver+Johnson . Hope that this helps, Marc

# 14756 - 1903 Rod Bayonet Rifles With 1905 & 1906 Mods
3/5/2014
Robert

05 Barrel, high wood, plug in foreend, script Proof, No bolt stock etc. Gentlemen, Please advise in your opinion the number of surviving M1903`s (assembled Rod Bayonet rifles) that were converted in 1905 and 1906-08 and are true, unmolested without any further improvements thereafter. ie: 1,000, 2,000 or? Thank you very much, Bob W

Answer:
Bob- Sounds like a really nice rifle.

All of the early Model 1903 Springfields are pretty hard to find, and some on the market are restorations and some are outright fakes. For the early Model rod-bayonet versions, my guess is that they are rare, with perhaps 50 or so in private collections and maybe the same number in various museums. For the early rifles modified from rod bayonet to the M1905 knife bayonet, but remaining in .30-03 caliber, my estimate is maybe 50- 100 total. For the rifles that had BOTH the modification for the M1905 bayonet AND conversion to .30-06 caliber that number is a bit murky. My guess would be maybe 500 or so in private hands and an equal number in museum collections. Many of these are probably not specifically identified as “double modified” rifles. Finally, many of the surviving double modified rifles saw hard use during WW1, and likely further arsenal overhauls, so collector quality guns may be hard to find.

I recommend C.S. Ferris’ excellent book on these early conversions for the best researched information on what was done. Although very rare, the “double modified” rifles look pretty much the same as most other WW1 era M1903 Springfields, so only very advanced collectors really care much about them. Hope that helps. John Spangler

# 14864 - Inexpensive German Import
3/5/2014
Timothy Rossville. .GA

How old is it? And how much can I get for it?

Answer:
Timothy, this gun is an inexpensive Saturday Night Special type that was probably manufactured sometime during the 1960s. There is not much demand for these firearms, I would expect to see one sell at a gunshow in the $50 range. Marc

# 14755 - Krag Rifles Converted To “carbine” For NRA Members
3/1/2014
Ron, Cleve, Ohio

I read where the DCM converted some Krag rifles to carbines. If that is true, is there a list of the serial numbers for those conversions?

Answer:
Ron- There is more about these in William Brophy’s and Frank Mallory’s books on Krags. Basically, circa the 1920s the Army had a bunch of surplus Krags to sell, and they made excellent deer rifles, but most buyers would have their local gunsmith chop the stock and barrel off to basically carbine configuration. Therefore, sales would improve, and the Army could generate some self- supporting “make work” for arsenals by converting some of the rifles on hand to carbine configuration prior to sale. Apparently some were made by simply replacing the rifle stocks and barrels with spare carbine parts. Eventually they ran out of carbine barrels and adopted the practice of cutting down the barrel and fitting a front sight from a M1903 Springfield. Note that the arsenal conversions did NOT use other forms of improvised front sights, nor did local gunsmiths avoid using M1903 front sights, so telling arsenal work from Bubba’s buddy is difficult. As far as I know, there is no list of serial numbers of the “DCM carbines” to verify them. John Spangler

# 14833 - Is My Blackhawk Rare?
3/1/2014
Rick Pensacola fl

Ruler .357 magnum new model Blackhawk with 7 1/2 inch barrel and 1896 engraved cylinder with an S stamp on it Is this a rare gun with the 7 1/2 inch barrel? How much is it worth ?

Answer:
Rick, our focus at FineOldGuns.com is on militaria and military firearms, we don't do much with modern commercial firearms. A good place for you to find the information that you are looking for is the Roger Collectors Association, here is a link to their forums: http://www.rugercollectorsassociation.com/forums/index.php?sid=762cd3b1e29686259c0a671b09 7ec834 Hope that this helps, Marc