# 13263 - Archer London Flintlock Pistol
1/31/2009
Dan, Martinsville, IN

ARCHER is etched under flintlock mechanism in scrolled writing. LONDON stamped on top of barrel about 4'' from rear. 3 Tool marks on top left side of barrel. 1st Is a Crown with the letter ''P'' under it. 2nd Is the letters ''HO'' & 3rd Is another Crown with the letter ''V'' under it. Ram rod is of wood with a metal Screw end. Trigger guard is engraved as is tang at top back of breech. Screws are standard (slotted) with the edges serrated and there are a total of 3. Two on the side that secures the lock and one in the Tang at back of breech. There is a Silver oval insert on the handle suggesting a place for initials - or a name. It is blank. Handle is curved extension of stock and allows the gun to lay out as part of your arm when aiming. I can find no information or anyone that has any info on this gun. Can you provide some history - or where I can look to review data myself? Thanks.

Answer:
Dan- It is tough to find much on makers of the flint era. The best I can do is tell you that Thomas Archer is listed as working 1776-1807 as a gun maker and sword cutler and factor (wholesaler) at 14 Lichfield Street. He added his son to the business in 1808 and they continued as Archer & Son until 1818. This info is from bailey & Nye, “English Gunmakers.” and you are on your own from there. Sounds like a nice gun. John Spangler

# 13423 - Cody Mfg. Buffalo Revolver.
1/31/2009
Jerry, Wentzville, Missouri

Buffalo on sides of grips. I would like to know the date of manufacture and pertinent info such as value and quality. Thank you. Jerry

Answer:
Jerry, I have not heard of Cody Mfg. and I was not able to find the company in any of my reference books. My guess is that the revolver is an inexpensive German import, many of them had buffalo grips like you mention. Marc

# 13260 - State Of Kansas Marked Trapdoor Springfield
1/27/2009
Hunter, Texarkana,TX

V,P,P Located on the left side of the barrel near the receiver. 1879 Cartouche on left side of stock and round circle cartouche underneath the grip on the buttstock. On the barrel it is stamped ''Property of the State of Kansas'' in front of the trapdoor. My question is, Why is this gun stamped property of the state of Kansas. Were there still state militias this late in the 19th century that could have carried this weapon. I have seen trapdoors before but never one with a state stamped on the barrel.

Answer:
Hunter- Most of the state militias and National Guards were equipped with .45- 70 trapdoors from about 1875 until 1903, including most of the volunteer units enlisted for the Spanish American War in 1898 and the Philippine Insurrection which lasted for a few years longer. In addition, if I recall correctly, some Trapdoors were given to states for arming banks during the 1920s to deter bank robberies. I recall hearing Kansas specifically mentioned in that context but do not remember the details. The “State of Kansas” marking is a bit unusual in the context of militia or National Guard arms, so I would think it is one of the bank guard guns. I do not know if they were transferred to states from federal depots or if they were obsolete militia arms on hand that they got permission to write off the books as federal property and transfer to the state agency taking care of banks (not necessarily the Adjutant General who ran the militia program). John Spangler

# 13459 - Winchester 62A On E-bay?
1/27/2009
Les, Oakdale, MN

I recently inherited this rifle from my father-in-law and I am trying to place a value on it. It is in excellent condition (no markings, fading, scratches, and so on). I have seen figures from $650 to $950 (dealer retail). What would a fair price be to offer it on the web, say on ebay?

Answer:
Les, you have done some good research. I was looking for a 61 or a 62 last November for a Christmas present. The prices that I have seen dealers offering them for at gunshows are about the same as what you mention. I was finally able to find a good deal on a pretty nice one for $475 and I considered myself to be pretty lucky. I noticed rifles priced at much over $650 weren't selling no matter how nice they were.

I am afraid that you will not be able to sell your Winchester on E-bay because they have a strict anti-gun policy. We would be interested in purchase or helping you sell on consignment. For more information about selling options, please take a look at the information that we have posted at the following URL: http://oldguns.net/selling.htm

Good Luck - Marc

# 13258 - Hensoldt Wetzlar Ziel Dialyt 8x Scope
1/24/2009
Laurent, Vertus, France

Can you give me any information about this scope (manufacture date, military scope, original or copy?)? Thank you Best regards Laurent

Answer:
Laurent- Hensoldt Wetzlar is one of the top of the line German scope makers of the mid 20th Century. Most military scopes were 2.5 to 4 power, so I am pretty sure it was not made for military use. I believe the 8 power version was made circa 1953. Nice scope, if it is the right size for what you need. John Spangler

# 13421 - Bayonet History
1/24/2009

Waffenfabrik Neuhausen I have a bayonet and would like to know some history. Can the serial number tell me anything about it's age or other important information?

Answer:
Sorry, there is not much that I can tell you from the information that you have supplied. Try checking the bayonet collectors site at http://www.bayonetcollectors.org/. Marc

# 13430 - Winchester 72 Serial Number
1/20/2009
Gene, Bolingbroke, GA

This was my Dad's rifle; I have been logging all the serial numbers of all my firearms; I can't find the serial number on this Winchester Model 72. I even removed the stock trying to locate this serial.

Answer:
Gene, Winchester introduced the Model 72 in the Spring of 1938, it was essentially like the earlier Model 69 except for a higher capacity tubular magazine that extended beneath the barrel rather than the box magazine of the Model 69. Winchester manufactured the Model 72 from 1938 to 1942 when production was discontinued so manufacturing efforts could be directed towards wartime needs. Production was started up again after the war and it carried on until 1959 when the model was discontinued. Standard Model 72 rifles came equipped with a rear peep sight, rifles could also be obtained with open or 'sporting' sights. Winchester's designation for the sporting sight rifles was 72A. Total Model 72 / 72A production reached 161400 rifles, blue book values range from $95 to a little over $450 depending on condition.

You could not find a serial number because your rifle does not have one. Prior to 1968 there was no requirement that firearms have serial numbers so many shotguns and 22 rifles (mostly inexpensive ones) were manufactured without them. Marc

# 13257 - M1903A3 Drill Rifle
1/20/2009
Bill, Clay City Il

Barrel has been plugged by the military as this was a training rifle brought back from an retired GI. What did they plug it with and can it be made into a working weapon.

Answer:
Bill- The military converted semi-obsolete rifles to “dummy drill rifles” by rending them impossible to fire. This usually consisted of plugging the barrel; torch cutting a slot in the bottom of the barrel; and welding the barrel to the receiver. Then the firing pin tip would be broken off and the firing pin hole in the face of the bolt welded shut, and after the bolt was back in the rifle, the cutoff would be welded in place to prevent the bolt from being removed. When this was done, these were no longer considered to be “firearms” and could be issued out to color guards, ROTC and JROTC units and the like without the stringent storage and inventory busywork required for “real” guns.

The CMP program has sold thousands of these drill rifles in the last 5-10 years or so and a number of people have carefully cut the welds on the barrel and the cutoff, replace the barrels and bolts and then refinished them to hide (most of) the evidence of their use as drill rifles. Given the high heat necessary to weld these, there are serious questions about the safety of a receiver that has been heated to those temperatures, and I personally think that they are absolutely unsafe to fire. That said, some people seem to have done so and survived, some knowing what they were shooting, and others simply gullible bubbas who got snookered by crooks selling humped up guns without disclosing what they really were. John Spangler

# 13256 - Sharps Carbine
1/17/2009
Tim Pulaski Tn

RS Lawrence Pat 4/12/1859 CSharps Pat10/05/1852 MGA Is Stamped On Both Sides Of The Stock. I would like a honest opinion on what I have. I went to a gun show the other day and got mugged with people wanting to buy the gun, but no body couldn't tell me that much about the gun. Just that it was used in the civil war. Would like to know more about it and what its worth. Its in pretty good shape.

Answer:
Tim- Your Sharps carbine serial number is actually C,10934 and they used the C for serial numbers after hitting 100,000, so C,1 would be the same as 100,001, etc. It is probably the New Model 1863 percussion carbine in .52 caliber with the 22 inch barrel. Without actually handling the gun it is hard to tell you much more. Some were later converted to use .50-70 cartridges, and some were altered other ways as well, and of course condition is a major factor in determining value, and if there is any documented history on that number. I have seen this model Sharps sell at prices from a few hundred dollars to several thousand, depending mainly on condition. The description “pretty good” may mean sparkling brand new untouched to some people while if other people can still tell what it was through the rust, baling wire and duct tape holding it together will insist that their gun is “pretty good” too. The Sharps riles and carbines are very popular with collectors, as their own specialty, or fitting into a Civil War collection. John Spangler

# 13419 - Marlin Mod 81
1/17/2009
Ben, Missouri

Suspected to be circa 1939. Plastic trigger guard, and limited use of solid metals, with plain fore stock. What is the value of these rifles?

Answer:
Ben, the Marlin Model 81 was a bolt action rifle that came with a 22 inch barrel, 17-25 shot tubular magazine, black synthetic stock with molded checkering and adjustable rear sight. Model 81 values in the blue book top out at around $175. Marc

# 13424 - Markings On A Model 10
1/14/2009
Steve, New Rochelle, N.Y.,

''A F W 1467'' On Bottom of Frame and, ''C & E 1490'' On Back of Frame (Backstrap). I recently purchased a used S & W handgun with unusual markings on the frame. I am wondering what significance, if any, these markings might hold. They are listed in the ''special markings'' area of this questionnaire. I wasn`t sure if the ''A F W 1467'' number, might indeed be some type of alternate serial number, or not, that`s why I listed it as a possible Serial number in the space provided above for ''serial number''. I was also told by the dealer which I bought the firearm from, that this gun had once belonged to the Hong Kong, China Police Dept. Any information determining the origins of these markings/numbers, or the history of this firearm in general, would be greatly appreciated. Thank You, Steve S. New Rochelle, N.Y.

Answer:
Steve, the ``A F W 1467`` number that you mention sounds to me like it is a rack, property or weapon number. If you take the type of revolver in to consideration, which was a favorite of police departments for many years, it is a good bet that the number is probably some sort of police id marking. I checked on the Smith and Wesson Forum and a former Hong Kong police officer now living in Australia commented that he would expect any pistols used by the Hong Kong police to be marked ``HPD`` or ``RHPD``. Marc

# 13253 - DWM Mauser Sporter
1/14/2009
Dave; Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada

Receiver is marked ''DEUTSCHE WAFFEN-UND MUNITIONSFABRIKEN.'' with ''BERLIN'' below. Proofs are (crown)2,75gGBR above (crown)N St.m.G. There is a matching ''712'' serial number followed by a small design in a circle, repeated on the bolt, receiver and barrel. It has a walnut stock with Schnabel fore end and the stepped contour military style barrel. There is a sling swivel on a nicely contoured oval plate attached to the bottom of the barrel. It's in excellent condition for its age, about 80% bright blue with a few minor bruises on the stock. It came with a hand tooled leather saddle-style gun case. The fellow I got it from had a picture of his grandfather hunting with it some time prior to WWI. Any idea what the story is on such a low serial number DWM Mauser? Any idea of value? Thanks.

Answer:
Dave- Sounds like a nice rifle. We cannot help with that one. If the rifle was made in its present configuration by DWM the 712 may be the serial number. I do not know what their numbering patter was, if they used a single series on all their commercial production, or for each type (sporters made on 1893 actions, those on 1888 or 1895 being in separate series) or what. Most of the military rifles were numbered in a 4 number series up to 9999 and then started over with a letter suffix. If this is a military action later converted to a sporter then the 712 may be the original number, or perhaps the gunsmith who converted it used his own serial number. It could be just about any one of these scenarios, and we cannot tell which. John Spangler

# 13248 - Colt Frontier Six Shooter Caliber
1/10/2009
Jeff, Negaunee, MI, USA

The loading gate on this gun has the number 211 stamped on it. The number 800 is stamped on the wheel cylinder above one of the chambers. It is stamped is stamped ''Colts PT. F.A. MFG Co. Hartford CT. U.S.A.'' on the top of the barrel and also ''Frontier Six Shooter: on the left side of the barrel. I own the above pistol and was wondering how to determine the caliber when there are no markings on the gun to indicate such? It is worn with use and I think that perhaps the caliber markings may have worn off. Can you please help?????

Answer:
Jeff- Initially the Colt Single Action Army was offered almost exclusively in .45 Colt caliber, and no caliber markings were needed. Later they offered them in .44-40 caliber, sometimes called .44 Winchester Center Fire. Obviously Colt was not keen about promoting Winchester’s name in any way, especially when they were trying to sell their .44 caliber “Lightning” pump action rifles to compete with Winchester. Therefore, they marked their .44-40 caliber Single Action Army revolvers on the barrel as “Frontier Six Shooter.” Although everyone probably understood the meaning back then, it can be a bit confusing. Of course, Colt eventually offered the SAA in more than a dozen different calibers. These are all popular with collectors and yours with the nickel finish and an early manufacture date (about 1877) is especially desirable (assuming it is original finish). John Spangler

# 13411 - Hy Hunter Value
1/10/2009
Jay Pontiac Michigan

The original stampings on the right side say Frontier six-shooter model instead of the western like most I have seen and the S.L.LR is removed and magnum stamped in its place, The cylinder is stamped magnum also. The left side is typical info about Hy mfg co. Is there anything different about this model or is it still worth about $50? Maybe $55 being a magnum? LOL. Thanks

Answer:
Jay, sorry to say that you have it right, value is about $50 even with the magnum cylinder. Marc

# 13244 - Remington Made M1891 Mosin Nagant
1/6/2009
Don, Marietta, Ok

Eagle with roman number 2 under it says Remington Armory 1917 serial # AA. That is the only numbers on this thing. Any info would be greatly appreciated!

Answer:
Don- Your rifle started off with a much longer barrel when it was made by Remington in 1917, so someone has shortened the barrel. There should be a serial number (up to six digits long below the serial no marking. I suspect that someone shortened the breech end of the barrel about and inch or so, removing those markings when they cut the new threads. Some Mosin Nagant rifles were altered to .30-06 by doing this, and such alterations are unsafe in my opinion, but there are some out there and survivors seem to still shoot some of them, but I never would. This was probably an acceptable hunting rifle during the 1920s or 30s when large numbers were sold surplus by the forerunner of today’s CMP program. However, the “sporter” conversion work makes it just about worthless right now. John Spangler

# 13387 - Union 25.
1/6/2009
Zack, Texas, US

In reference to post #5109. I have come across a 6.35cal ''Union'' pistol with the markings ''Pistolet Automatique Fabrique A St Etienne Francias'', stamped 1096, B.F. and was wondering what it's value is. It is in pure but functioning condition.

Answer:
Zack, there is not much collector interest in this kind of pistol, value is in the $100 or less range. Marc

# 13242 - Whitney Rolling Block Rifle
1/3/2009
Tom, Centennial, CO

Tang marked Whitney Arms Co., New Haven Conn. Was it made in .22 LR and about what year----what's its Value

Answer:
Tom- Whitney made rolling block style rifles in two different styles. The first was the Whitney- Laidley or split breech design made circa 1871-1881. Markings on these were usually Whitneyville Armory, Whitneyville, CT. The second type used Whitney Arms Company, New Haven, and was the Whitney-Remington design made circa 1881-1888.

Therefore I think yours is the Whitney-Remington Number 2 Sporting Model. These were made in various calibers from .22 to .38 rimfire and .44 centerfire. Only .22 short and .22 long were offered when these were made. The .22 long rifle was not introduced until late 1887 by Stevens and would have taken a while for other makers to buy into the new caliber. Flayderman’s Guide lists these at about $550 in RNA antique very good and up to $1,400 in NRA antique excellent condition. John Spangler

# 13391 - Refinished Mod 12 Value
1/3/2009
Tomas

This gun has been refinished What is this shotgun worth? I bought a house from a 93 yr old man and it was n the closet. I had it refinished it was rusty. Is it worth anything and it was manufactured in 1919? Thank you

Answer:
Tomas, you are correct, my records indicate that your shotgun was manufactured in 1919.

When one has a firearm refinished, it takes away most collectors interest that there would have been in it. If your shotgun was already pretty rusty before you started, most collectors probably would not have wanted it anyway. You are probably not out much except for what it cost to have the gun re-finished. Since it will be hard to sell a re-finished shotgun to a collector, your best alternative would be to sell it to someone who wants it to shoot or to hunt with. Winchester Model 12 shotguns have a reputation for being one of the best pump action shotguns ever made. The only problem with selling to a hunter or shooter is that Model 12 barrels will not stand up to the modern steel shot that hunters are required to use just about everywhere in the USA.

With both collectors and shooters out of the picture, there are not many possibilities left for trying to find a buyer, except for those who are looking for something inexpensive. Depending on the quality of the re-finish job that you had done, I would expect to see a re-finished Model 12 shotgun like yours offered for sale at a gunshow in the $150 to $250 range. Sorry that I can't give you better news. Marc