# 13533 - Unusual Rossi Pump 22
6/30/2009
Jerry / Mt Holly, NC

In 1975 I purchased a Rossi Gallery .22 Long Rifle pump. The receiver is stainless steel/satin nickel in color. The barrel and all other parts are a deep blue. In has a high gloss beautiful walnut stock and forend. I have never seen another Gallery exactly like it either in print or at numerous gun shows. Being a Rossi I know the value is not that great I would just like to know if it is something rare in a Gallery.

Answer:
Jerry, the blue book lists a Rossi Model 62 SA Stainless. They indicate that this model is similar to regular model, except is stainless steel and that it was imported 1986 only. Values for the Model 62 SA Stainless top out at $125. Marc

# 13552 - Whitneyville Armory .22 Revolver
6/30/2009

I have a Whitneyville armory, .22 cal. single action revolver. It's missing the cylinder, but the trigger works perfectly. What is it worth? Anything? How old is it? Can I get a cylinder for it? Thank You.

Answer:
Sir- These date to about 1870-1900. I would expect to find ones matching your description offered at a gun show at prices around $25 or so, and the owner delighted to sell it at any price. About the only source of parts it to find a complete gun and strip it, or get very luck digging in a junk box, and knowing exactly what you are looking for. A complete, working one might go for $50-150 depending on condition. Sorry! John Spangler

# 13458 - USMC Use Of M1917 "Enfield" Rifles
6/27/2009
Steve

Wes this rifle ever issues to the US Marine Corps? I saw your posts regarding the ''USMC'' marking but wondered about the broader issue as to whether the Marines ever were issued this weapon. Many thanks. Col. J.S. Shi, USMC Ret.

Answer:
Colonel- Thank you for your service to our country. As far as I know, the Marines never used the M1917 rifles. The Corp was relatively small during WW1 and apparently was able to obtain sufficient M1903 rifles. During the slow build up to WW2, again the Marines seem to have been able to get enough M1903s, and stuck with them at least into the Guadalcanal campaign when M1 Garand production reached levels sufficient to arm the Marines as well as the Army. I do not recall ever seeing a Marine in a photo with a M1917 Enfield, nor any reference to one in any of the literature. John Thomason's stirring fact/fiction accounts never raised the subject. Nor do I recall mention in "Marine from Manatee", or in COL Rankin's "Small Arms of the Sea Services." I believe that many of the M1903s used by the Marines came from Navy inventory, such as the rifles freed up by the switch to the wooden "USN Dummy Training rifle Mark I" during WW2 for use in Navy boot camps. John Spangler

# 13527 - Police Positive DOM
6/27/2009
Chad, Houston Texas

I recently inherited a revolver that once belonged to my great-grandfather. He was born in 1900 and died in 1923. Can you tell me what year this revolver was manufactured?

Answer:
Chad, your revolver is what collectors call a Police Positive (First Issue). This model was manufactured from 1907 to 1927 and could be ordered with 2.5, 4, 5, or 6 inch barrels in .32 Colt, .32 New Police, .38 New Police, or .38 S&W calibers. Revolvers manufactured before 1923 came standard with hard rubber grips, checkered walnut grips became standard in 1924. My references indicate that your revolver was manufactured in 1914. Police Positive (First Issue) values in the blue book range from about $200 to over $450 depending on condition. Marc

# 13524 - Parts 45 History
6/23/2009
Matt, Iowa

Appears military. How do I find the history of this gun? It has Essex arms Corp serial number 1445 on the frame but Remington Rand on the slide with no serial number? Thanks! Matt.

Answer:
Matt, the short answer is you don't. The best that I can tell you is that you have a parts gun with a military slide. Your interest in the history is not unusual, we get requests all the time asking if the history of a military gun can be determined. In almost all cases we can only determine who made the gun and what year it was made. After that there are no records. The German Army during World War I often marked the division and regiment on their pistols and rifles, and there are histories of some of these units. The U.S. did not do so. As you may already know Essex Arms makes after market frames for the Model 1911A1 pistol. Marc

# 13451 - Federal Gas Billy Club
6/23/2009
Julie Illinois

I received this item from my Grandfather before he passed away. I was wondering if anyone could tell me its value. It is a tear gas billy club. Federal Laboratories Circa 1925 Billy Club. It is marked federal laboratories. Pittsburgh PA. U.S.A. Pat Sept. 15,1925, Dec.15,1925, Dec. 29,1925 . It is in very good condition. The switch works, it cocks and fires. The leather strap is in very good condition. Any help would be appreciated Ü

Answer:
Julie- The "gas billy" is a neat item, but I am not sure if it is an item the BATF requires to be registered or if it is considered "non-gun" or treated like any regular gun. Gut feeling is that a legal one would bring about $100-400 depending on condition. There are a small number of collectors of gas guns and similar items, and this would also cross over into the field of law enforcement collections, but I don't know what those guys think about prices. Hope that helps. .

You can call BATF and ask about the legal status. They may say you don't need anything, or tell you that you are a felon if you have it in your possession. Whatever they say, (especially if they say it IS legal) try to get it in writing to show to the next BATF agent who may think the opposite and want to throw you in jail. John Spangler

# 13444 - Remington .22 Derringer
6/20/2009
Frank, San Diego, CA

The handle looks like ivory and the rest of the gun is nickel plated. I am in the military and I've had this gun for about 10 years and I was told by a friend that knows guns that it is worth some money. My question was how to I go about selling this and how much is it worth? Thanks for your help. Frank

Answer:
Frank- Wish we could help on that one, but Remington made a number of different types of derringers, and values vary according to the model. We would need to see some photos on this one to be sure we are talking about the right model. John Spangler

# 13520 - T-14 Nambu Date And Value
6/20/2009
Terry, Estherville, Iowa USA

7.1 near the grips, Cannonballs stacked (made in Tokyo?), another small emblem near the grips, possibly made in the late 20's or early 30's, there are markings on the left side with several shapes like a cross etc., The grips are in excellent condition as well as the bluing. The leather holster is in very good condition. I have two magazines but the serial numbers are different. No rust or dings. All the other parts have the same serial number. The holster has a leather strap with a hole in it that fits over a post to secure it. I would like to know the age and value of this weapon. Thanks

Answer:
Terry, Japanese pistols were dated by the reign of the emperor. The Type 14 was adopted by the Japanese Military in the 14th and last year of the reign of Emperor Taisho, or 1926. The dates were always stamped with the year first and the month second so your pistol would be dated to January 1933. The serial number (or the last part of the number) was also stamped on the bolt, locking block and firing pin (you have to take it apart to see most of these) and other small parts including the magazine. Collectors of Japanese weapons pay more for early Type 14's than for the ones made during World War II. Value can range from two or three hundred to over seven hundred depending on condition. Marc

# 13518 - Star Super
6/16/2009
Daniel, Mount Morris, MI

I am trying to find out the value of this gun, and where I can find ammunition for it if I chose to keep it?

Answer:
Daniel, the blue book lists several models of Star Super pistols including the Super A, Super B, Super S, Super SI, Super SM and the Super Target Model. Values for most of these pistols except for the Super Target Model tops out in the $300 to $400 range. Super Target Model values go as high as $1200. Some Super models are chambered for 9MM Largo and others are chambered for regular 9mm Parabellum. I suggest that you take your firearm to a gunsmith to determine the proper type of ammunition for your pistol. Marc

# 13442 - Zulu Shotgun Safe To Use?
6/16/2009
Andy, Rio vista, CA

L over LG over A inside oval on left side of barrel base, M on base of right side, ZULU on top of barrel in script This appears to be an old, but functioning shotgun. Is it safe to fire modern shotgun shells in it?

Answer:
Andy- It is absolutely NOT SAFE TO SHOT A ZULU SHOTGUN! John Spangler

# 13431 - Rook Rifle (?)
6/12/2009
Kennon, Trinity, AL

''William Golden, 12 Cross Church St., Huddersfield'' in shield-like emblem on right side of receiver. Has three worn proof marks of which one appears to be a ''Birmingham provisional proof for barrels'', and 2 appear to be ''Birmingham definitive black powder proof for shotguns'' (based on Blue Book 27). What the heck is it? It has a top break action like a shotgun, but a thick walled barrel with a rifled bore. And why would it have shotgun proof marks? It also has a second flip up sight which is only very slightly higher than the fixed sight. The top of the barrel is flat with an engraved (stamped?) pattern.

Answer:
Kennon- We know almost nothing about "rook rifles" (as will soon be evident). I think these are basically small caliber rifles intended for indoor target use or for shooting garden pests or very small game at short ranges. Most seem to be around .30 to .32 caliber, and they seem to be peculiar to the British Commonwealth nations, most especially Australia. The oddball ammo they used seems to be about impossible to find, so when these hit the surplus market in the 1960s, many were converted to take some readily available type of ammunition, or stripped down to use the action for a custom rifle project. Now that our ignorance has been confirmed, we will not try to make up anything additional. John Spangler

# 13511 - Page-Lewis Value
6/12/2009
Daniel, Springfield Ct'r, NY,USA

There is no serial number stamped on any part of the metal. There is a patent stamped April 25, 1923. There is a tiny circle stamped on both the barrel and side plate holding the firing mechanism that has four equidistant lines sticking out from the circle. What is the value of this rifle?

Answer:
Daniel, Page-Lewis Arms Company started business in 1921 with about 150 workers. The Page-Lewis factory was located in manufacturing facilities that were previously used by the automobile company, Stevens Duryea. The first shipment of Page-Lewis rifles left the factory in July of 1921.

Page-Lewis introduced the Model A Target Rifle, the Model B Sharpshooter, and the Model C Olympic Rifle in 1921. All three rifles shared the same type of under lever, falling block action which was fabricated from steel plate, and housed the lockwork inside the breechblock. A single coil spring was used to drive both the hammer and the trigger and the butt was attached by a large longitudinal bolt. Rifles could be dissembled by use of a take-down bolt which lay beneath the frame ahead of the trigger guard.

The Model C Olympic was manufactured from 1921 to 1926, it had a 24 inch barrel, folding aperture sight on the tang and a combination bead-and-globe/blade front sight. The Model C forearm was slightly longer and fuller than the A or B. Model C barrel markings read: PAGE-LEWIS ARMS COMPANY CHICOPEE FALLS, MASS. U.S.A. .22 L.R. Markings on left side of the frame read: MODEL C OLYMPIC, and markings on right side of frame read: PAT. APL'D FOR.

My blue book does not have a listing for Page-Lewis so it is a little more difficult than usual to give you a value for your rifle. I checked some of the bigger auctions sites on the internet and average value for the Page-Lewis models that were listed seems to be about $250. Marc

# 13510 - Frankenstein 1911
6/9/2009
Brad, Fargo, ND, USA

On the right side of the frame reads, ''911A1 U.S. Army''; right side front edge of trigger guard appears to have a two small 0's one on top of the other, with the top 0 being cut off (kind of like a U). Left side receiver (top assembly) has the patent dates (that should make it a 1911A1), Colt manufacturer info and the rampant colt. I cannot find ''US government property'' anywhere on this gun. This gun was re-blued at some point. Is this an authentic 1911a1? I got it from my Dad who died a few years back. He thought it was authentic. If authentic, is it valuable?

Answer:
Brad, the serial number you provided is for a frame (the lower part of the gun), it was made in 1918 so your pistol is a 1911, not a 1911A1. The fact that there is not a C in front of the serial number means the frame was made for the U.S. military, not for commercial sales. The frame did have "U.S. Property" stamped on the left front at one time. Many people removed this for fear of being arrested for being in possession of Government property. I cannot determine whether the slide matches the pistol but my guess is that it does not. If the pistol has been reblued parts may have been swapped with other pistols. Value for re-blued 1911/1911A1 parts guns is in the $300 - $400 range. Marc

# 13429 - Springfield Armory M1D Sniper Rifle
6/9/2009
warpsteed@aol.com

This rifle has an X just below the serial # in the middle. On the side of the barrel SA 07312555 1 53 MD34 underneath the barrel there is the letter P. On the stock just behind the trigger guard is C and underneath is 111 I bought this gun in 1994. I don't know anything about it where it came from or even if it is original. I was wondering if there is anything you could tell me about this rifle?

Answer:
Sir- The serial number confirms your rifle was made by the commercial firm in Geneseo, IL, which cleverly grabbed rights to the "Springfield Armory" name when the government arsenal was closed in the 1960s. "Real" Springfield Massachusetts military serial numbers only go to the low 6 million range. I suspect that nearly all the other parts are genuine military surplus M1 Garand parts, including the barrel which has the correct drawing number and date for a M1D sniper rifle. At one time all parts but receivers were in abundant supply, and while rifles built on commercial receivers have much lower collector value, they are still usually good shooters, or may be worth a lot for parts- in this case it would be a profitable operation to replace the M1D barrel and scope assembly with a standard service grade newly made barrel, and clear a couple hundred dollars in a few days and still have a shooter left over. John Spangler

# 13484 - Radom Information
6/6/2009
John

According to some info I've read, the frames of the first 3000 of these handguns were made from a ''special alloy, what alloy I do not know. I've also read contradictory references to this. It appears to be one of the first true Polish examples of this weapon and is in very good shape. No dings or scratches, bluing is aged but still nice with very little wear. It has the original magazine but no holster. I've fired a couple hundred rounds through it and it shoots with amazing accuracy. There's lots of little symbols on all the different parts and has the de-cocker, slot in the grip and loop for a lanyard. The grips are intact with F.B. on one side and VIS on the other. My Dad, a WWII vet, brought it home after the war and gave it to be back in 1978. I had put it away and re-discovered it a few months ago. Thanks! John Any insight as to the value or other info would be appreciated.

Answer:
John, from your description you have Polish designed pistol which was the standard side arm of their arm until the German Wehrmacht over ran them in September 1939. The Germans issued captured pistols to their own troops and also kept the model in production for their own troops. Those pistols made for the Polish arm command much higher prices than those made specifically for the German military. If your pistol has slot milled into the back strap it will also be worth more. Marc

# 13426 - Kirkland's Guns
6/6/2009
Tom, Ottawa, On, Canada

ELG* (star) Crown R Kirkland's Guns 450 I inherited this percussion cap musket but I can't find any information on it. I'm not sure if Kirkland's Guns is the manufacturer or a military unit. Any information on this musket you could provide would be appreciated.

Answer:
Tom- The ELG marking is a Belgian proof mark, so we know it was made in Belgium. I have never heard of Kirklands Guns. It is probably the name of the retailer, possibly Canadian. There is a very remote chance it may relate to Turner Kirkland, founder of Dixie Gun Works and one of the people who created the black powder replica firearm industry. However, I would not bet a loony dollar on that. John Spangler

# 13422 - M1903A3 History
6/6/2009
Bobby, Atlanta, Ga

My rifle to my knowledge is completely original. Is there any way to find out the history of my rifle; i.e. if it was used in WWII, who it was issued to, ect.

Answer:
Bobby- Sorry, no way to find out anything on that one. Most likely it was never even issued during WW2. John Spangler

# 13588 - Nickel P38 Marked P35?
6/2/2009
Abbie, Destin Florida

My 90 year old grandfather recently gave me a 9mm gun he brought home from Germany after WWII. He told me that he took this gun from a German officer upon his surrender. Having always been very interested in WWII, I want to find out all I can about this gun. It looks like a Walther P38. However, on the left side of the gun on the slide is P35, ac 43 and 761b. The number 761b also appears in two other places - on the front of the gun underneath the barrel and beneath the barrel catch lever, just above the trigger. Here the Eagle/359 proof appears beside it. The Eagle/359 symbol also appears on the bottom side of the barrel catch lever. On the right side of the slide the Eagle/359 proof symbol appears again with two other markings, however I cannot make out what they are. The holster for the gun is brown leather with the additional magazine holder. Inside the holster is stamped bnz 1944 and p35(b). There is a small emblem of some sort above this stamp, but it is blurred and unidentifiable. In the magazine are the original 8 bullets that were in the gun. The marking on the end of each of them is W.R.A.CO. 9 m/m LUGER This gun has black plastic hand grips and the finish on it is a nickel. I asked my grandfather if he had this gun refinished after he came home because I know it was a popular thing to do at the time. Also, I did not think guns manufactured at this time were made with this finish. In a very solemn voice he told me the gun was exactly as it was when the officer handed it to him. He brought it back home with him and put it in a safe so that it would never hurt anyone again. It had never been fired or touched by anyone else until he gave it to me, 63 years later. He showed me the markings left by the bullets on inside of the gun where the bullet moves from the chamber barrel. If the gun had been recast wouldn't all of these marks have been gone? Also, I am confused by the P35 on the slide. Can you please help me?

Answer:
Abbie, it is hard to say what you have without seeing your pistol. All of the markings that you describe except for ``P35`` are consistent with the markings that should be on a Walther P38. I can tell you that the Winchester Repeating Arms Company (WRA) was not manufacturing ammunition for the German Army in 1944- 45, so there is a problem with your grandfather's memory of the events associated with the capture of this pistol.

I think that the pistol is undoubtedly a P38 made by the Walther Company in 1943. You have also determined that the serial number on the slide matches the serial number on the barrel and the frame which is correct for a P38. As to the nickel finish, if you go to the P38 Forum on the web you will find that every expert on that site agrees on one thing. No P38 ever left the Walther factory with a nickel finish, and the German army never approved any P38's to be finished with nickel. All nickel plating of P38's occurred after the war.

I'm not sure where the P35 comes from, possibly the P38 marking on your pistol was changed at the time that it was nickel plated so that it looks like P35 instead of P38 now. Marc

# 13417 - Remington 1897 7mm Rolling Block Rifle
6/2/2009
Jerald, Astoria OR

This rifle has the following on the strap behind the hammer ''Remington Arms Company Ilion NY, At May 31 1864, May 7th, June11th, Nov 12th Dec 2nd 1872,Dec 31st 1872, Sept 9th 1873, Jan 12th March 18th 1874. There are two bands the forward has a sling ring. There is a U stamped into the forward band. and 7 M-M S M on the top of the barrel forward of the rear sight. It has a latter A and T carved into the stock (probably long after production) When was this rifle made? Is it worth anything? It was given to me by a relative who told me a story about how this type rifle was used in the old west during the Indian Wars. Did this rifle come from that period? Thank you

Answer:
Jerald- First let me put in a plug for your home town of Astoria, Oregon. It is a neat place, but everyone going anywhere near there MUST stop at the Columbia River Maritime Museum. I visit a LOT of museums and this one is superb! .

Your rifle is a Model 1897 (or Model 5) Rolling Block Military Rifle. These were made circa 1897- 1905, and most were (like yours) in 7mm Spanish Mauser caliber. Most of these went to South America. .

Many Remington Rolling blocks were used in the old West, a few by military forces, but mostly by civilians who appreciated their simplicity, rugged construction and low prices. However, yours is not really one of those except for being the same very general type. I am sure you can make up some exciting story about the initials.... that old Indian fighter "Apache Tom" or a Mexican bandito "Agua Tomales" or something. John Spangler