# 14754 - Colt Model 1860 Army History
2/25/2014
Rick Foster, Tulsa, OK

I am trying to find out who this pistol was issued to during the Civil War. Do you have any tips to help?

Answer:
Rick- There is no documented history available for your pistol. The only info available indicates that nearby numbers were in use with volunteer cavalry units from Connecticut, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont by the fall of 1864. There really is no major source of information other than the references I checked, so frankly I think any further efforts would be a waste of time. John Spangler

# 14863 - Need Parts and Ammo
2/25/2014
Steve, London, KY, USA

942 XX on right side of barrel across from serial number Where would I obtain replacement parts for this weapon? Where would I find ammunition for this rifle?

Answer:
Steve, check our catalog for ammunition. For parts, you may want to look for s donor rifle, this model can often be found at gunshows for under $100. You can also check with Gun Parts Corp (the old Numrich Arms people) at the following URL:

http://www.gunpartscorp.com/

Gun Parts Corp has just about everything. If that doesn't work, try posting it on our free "Wanted" page at the following URL:

http://oldguns.net/submitwn.htm

Good luck, Marc

# 14752 - German Gew 88 Commission Rifle
2/22/2014
Samuel, Roseville, Il

stamp on it looks like a crown. adjustable rear site with slide bar and blade front site. Bolt action what kind of gun? appears to be military. Who is the maker? Is it worth anything?

Answer:
Samuel- I am betting that the left side of the receiver is marked GEW 88 which would indicate that you have a German Model 1888 rifle in 8mm Mauser caliber. Although most people call these “Mauser” rifles, they were actually a pretty miserable design that a German “commission” came up with instead of adopting a private sector design from the Mauser brothers. The Model 1888 Commission Rifles were replaced in1898 by the vastly superior Model 1898 Mauser rifle, although the Commission rifles lingered through the end of WW1 with a few rear echelon German units, but most were shipped off to their Turkish allies where they served for a lot longer. Danzig was one of the several makers of rifles for the German government, and 1891 is the date it was made.

These Commission rifles are fairly common on the collector market, and while the German used rifles usually bring several hundred dollars, the ones used and abused by the Turks bring very little. John Spangler

# 14862 - Marlin Model 39A Article II
2/22/2014
DJ JONES Harper, Texas

The right to bear arms 1871 - 971 When was my rifle made?

Answer:
DJ, it sounds like the rifle that you are describing is a Marlin Model 39A Article II. Marlin manufactured 6244 of these rifles in 1971 to celebrate the year of the NRA Centennial. Article II rifles can be identified by their NRA Centennial Commemorative 1871- 1971, "Right to Bear Arms" medallion in receiver, 24 inch octagon barrel, fancy pistol grip stock, brass butt plate and brass forearm cap. Fjestad's blue book lists values for Article II rifles from about $225 to a little over $450 depending on condition. Marc

# 14751 - L.L. Hepburn Three Barrel “drilling”
2/18/2014
Oscar, Dickson, Tn.

This is a percussion drilling made in up state N.Y. Do you have any info on how many were made or other history on Hepburn`s drillings. This is the only one I have ever heard of???

Answer:
Oscar- William S. Brophy’s definitive work, “Marlin Firearms” states: Lewis Lobdell Hepburn, born on March 2, 1832, in Colton, NY, first labored as an apprentice blacksmith. In 1855, he opened a gunsmith shop in his home in Colton. Until the early 1870s, Mr. Hepburn made muzzle loading rifles. In about 1871, he was hired by E. Remington & Sons in Ilion, NY, to supervise the manufacture of its sporting firearms. In addition to his gunmaking skill, Lewis Hepburn was a champion long-range rifle marksman. [Including membership in the famous “Elcho Shield” team which defeated the Irish team at Creedmore. And winning numerous other prominent shooting competitions.]

Among the many inventions of Lewis Hepburn is the famous Remington-Hepburn No. 3 single- shot, breech-loading target rifle [patented in 1879, which was made by Remington from 1880 to 1907.]” Circa 1884, Hepburn designed an excellent lever action rifle, and Remington was in financial trouble, so Marlin ended up purchasing the patent, and hiring Hepburn as well. This was the basis for Marlins long series of heihgly successful lever action rifles. Hepburn was an innovative designer and also received numerous patents for takedown mechanisms, pump shotgun designs, and even semiautomatic rifles.

So, we know that L.L. Hepburn was a great shooter, a great inventor, and probably a pretty decent gunsmith as well. A quick search turned up a rather plain over under percussion combination gun by Hepburn, which would be fashionable for his region, and probably made early in his career. Another gun was an absolutely top grade percussion three barrel gun with superbly figured wood, and ornately engraved patch box which shows that he was truly a master artisan of all areas of the gunmaking trade. As to how many arms he made, that is hard to tell, and especially a guess about how many would have been the more expensive and time consuming three barrel guns as opposed to single or double barrel guns. Aside from the famous name, the plainer guns would have marginal collector interest. My guess is that he may have turned out fewer than a thousand guns prior to going to work for Remington, and perhaps many less than that number if he was off shooting instead of working hard at gunsmithing every day. John Spangler

# 14859 - Mod 94 Age And Value
2/18/2014
Bob, Gilbert, AZ

This was handed down from my father in law and I want to sell it. What is the age and value based on very good condition?

Answer:
Bob, my recorders indicate that your Winchester was manufactured in 1941. It is hard to value a rifle without seeing it, I have seen guns that were described as "very good condition" that varied from new in the box to rusty junk, depending on who is describing them. I come across many rifles that have been modified, by having the receiver drilled and tapped for special sights or a scope, a recoil pad, or sling swivels added. Any modifications from original condition will have an effect on the value, some modifications are worse than others. The best that I can tell you without seeing the rifle, is that value will be between $100 and around $800 depending on all of the factors that I have mentioned. Marc

# 14743 - Remington Model 1858 New Model 44 Revolver
2/15/2014
John, Jacksonville Beach, FL, 32250,

The letter ''A'' on the frame (left side of the hammer). Faint cartouche on left grip panel. What is the date of manufacture? Where was it delivered to?

Answer:
John- We may have a terminology problem here. Many people especially those exposed to the replica revolvers) call the Civil War Remington .44 caliber revolvers “Model 1858.” However, the actual choice or name for originals are:


Remington-Beals Army Model Revolver (1,900 made 1861-62)
Remington 1861 Army revolver (6,000 made 1861-62)
Remington New Model Army revolver (122,000 made 1863-1875)

With the 120,033 serial number I am pretty sure we are talking about the New Model Army revolver. According to the information I could find, the date of manufacture would be in December 1864, and the initials and cartouche indicate it was among the large number of pistols provided for military use by Remington. Due to a catastrophic fire which destroyed most of Colt’s factory on February 6, 1864, nearly all the Union Army’s revolvers obtained in 1864 were from Remington. By that time, most deliveries would have been to the Ordnance Department, usually in New York City, awaiting shipment to units in the field, or to an arsenal for storage. These Remingtons were rugged and reliable guns and continued in service on the frontier until replaced by the Model 1873 Colts which used metallic cartridges. Hope that helps. John Spangler

# 14853 - Glenfield Model 60
2/15/2014
Darla, Casa Grande, Az.

How can I find out what year this gun was made and how much it is worth? Thank you so much for your time.

Answer:
Darla, I still remember my first experience with a Glenfield rifle. My friends and I saw one for sale at K-Mart, brand new for under $60. We were surprised and excited that a brand new rifle could be purchased for such a low price so we pooled our money and got one of our parents to purchase the rifle for us. The ether wore off, the first time that we took the rifle out to test fire, The rifle would not fire 2 rounds in a row without jamming. Many thousand Glenfield rifles have been sold so someone must like them, or more likely, they just like the inexpensive price. I can not help with the year of manufacture for your rifle but I can tell you that value is probably in the $50 or less range. For more information try the Marlin collectors association at the following link: http://www.marlin-collectors.com Marc

# 14855 - Pre-64 Remington? You Have Something Mixed Up
2/11/2014
Arty, Post Mills, VT

Has 64 stamped on barrel and a stamp that looks like a rack of horns. What year is it? Is it pre 1964 any idea what it's worth

Answer:
Hello Arty, Remington firearms have a two or three letter code that is stamped on the left side of the barrel which identifies the month and year of manufacture. The first letter identifies the month, the other letter(s) identify the year. You did not furnish me with the date code, so the only thing that I can tell you is that I think that you have Remington and Winchester mixed up. In 1964, Winchester changed their manufacturing techniques to increase the use of investment castings, stampings and plastic parts. They also changed many of their designs to make manufacturing easier. Most collectors including myself, think the resulting Winchester firearms are not as well made as those made prior to these changes. This is the reason that there is high demand among collectors for Winchester firearms that were manufactured prior to 1964. There is no such demand for Remington firearms that were manufactured prior to 1964. Pre-64 Remingtons bring the same prices as the post-64 versions do. Marc

# 14742 - Possible Wounded Knee Rifle?
2/11/2014
Livermore Ca.

Just looking for information to possibly confirm that it may have been used in the wounded knee Indian battle in S.D

Answer:
Sir- Sounds like two questions, one to identify your rifle. And, we need to figure out if it might have been present at the “battle” of Wounded Knee, which was actually more of a slaughter of Lakota Sioux Indians on the Pine Ridge, SD, reservation by the Army on December 29, 1890. However, it was not a deliberate massacre of unarmed innocents as some would portray it, but more of a tragic but inevitable result of the clash of cultures.

White settlements on the plains, the near extinction of the buffalo herds, and the generally shabby treatment of Indians as they were forced onto the reservations promoted interest in their quasi-religious notions of spirits and the “ghost dance” which would return the buffalo herds and the old way of life. And, as a bonus, “ghost shirts” would magically protect the wearers from bullets. Attempts by Indian Police to arrest the “ghost” leaders inspired many followers to flee the reservations, which resulted in the Army being called in. The 7th Cavalry (yeah, Custer’s old outfit that had been nearly wiped out by Indians 14 years earlier at Little Big Horn) attempted to disarm the Lakotas at Pine Ridge. Much as when the Brits attempted to disarm the locals In Massachusetts in 1775, the locals did not take kindly to being disarmed by what they perceived as a bunch of tyrannical thugs. Scuffles ensued, shots were fired, volleys fired and both sides suffered casualties. On the Indian side, 150 men, women and children were killed and another 51 wounded. The soldiers lost 25 killed and 39 wounded, all in chaotic firing at close range, so probably some casualties on both sides were the result of “friendly fire.”

Your rifle can be identified as a U.S. Model 1868 rifle by several features, one being the serial number(s) stamped on the left side of the barrel and receiver, the use of a recycled Civil War era lock and the .50-70 caliber. By 1890, the Army had completely switched to using .45-70 caliber trapdoor rifles and carbines. Therefore, we can definitely say that this was not present at Wounded Knee with any of the Army troops.

However, could it have been there with the opponents? That is not anything that would be easy to prove. Over the years, the Army confiscated a wide variety of guns from various Indian tribes under various circumstances. The ranged from non-functional muzzle loading relics, to relatively modern (for the time) commercial arms such as lever action Winchesters, as well as every other type of breech and muzzle-loading firearm used by white settlers or the Army, or provided by traders, or even some provided by the Army to Indian Scouts. Certainly Model 1868 trapdoor rifles were among the types in hands of SOME Indians as of 1890, but how many were at Wounded Knee is unknown. And, how to prove that a specific rifle was one of a handful which MAY have been there is a difficult challenge. Unless there is some Army record listing the serial numbers of the arms taken there, we can only speculate. For a collector, it would be accurate to say this may be “one of the models used by Indians there” but probably NOT okay to claim “this one was there” unless you find further proof. John Spangler

# 14741 - Prussian Or Potsdam Musket Calibers
2/8/2014
Todd Washington, PA

I have an 1809 Potsdam that was converted to percussion. I have been doing a ton of research and am confused. Depending on what I read this rifle is listed as a .69, .70, .71 and .72 caliber. What was it officially listed as when it was manufactured? I want to begin collecting battlefield dug bullets (from each civil war battlefield that I visit) in the caliber that this is but have to know what it actually is before I can start.

Answer:
Todd- My first Civil War gun was one of these Prussian muskets, given to me by a generous Uncle, whom I never met, but apparently heard that some 12 year old kid in the family was showing an interest in Civil War stuff and old guns. The gun was really pretty junky, beat up, cut down, stock refinished, etc, but to a kid it was really old and neat. So, I can understand your interest.

The original calibers were stated in European terms, and at that time I don’t think they had even standardized on metric measurements, and to make matters worse, gun makers were allowed pretty wide latitude in dimensional variations, including bore diameter.

Frederick Todd et al “American Military Equipage 1851-1872” has the best summary of the imported arms. They do indeed list numerous variations of the Prussian Arms originally made for Infantry and all sorts of other troops, over a span of nearly 40 years as crude flintlock muskets were replaced by percussion muskets and conversions were made, before all were rendered obsolete by the “Needle Gun” starting in 1841. Todd does indeed list various models at .69, .70, .71 and .72 caliber, and some were smoothbore while others were rifled.

However, you will find several things to hinder your quest for relic bullets. First, most relic hunters will readily tell the difference between a .58 caliber and .69 caliber bullet. But, they probably do not pull out micrometers and measure all the .69 caliber balls to see if any are actually a hundredth or two larger, so you may end up with .69 caliber balls in any case. But, I suspect that much of the time the Ordnance Department merely issued .69 caliber ammunition for all the .69- .72 caliber arms instead of further complicating their already chaotic and convoluted supply and transportation systems.

Even so, if purchasing relic bullets, remember that it is illegal to “metal detect” on National Park Service grounds and that includes the actual area of most battlefields. However, many relic bullets have been legally recovered from private property NEAR battlefields where troops camped or marched.

There is an excellent book related to your question, by Dean Thomas, “Ready Aim Fire: Small Arms Ammunition in the Battle of Gettysburg” which illustrates nearly every type of bullet likely to have been used in most Civil War battles. It is under $10 from the usual book sources and I highly recommend it. It also demonstrates the value of archeological evidence to historians (and vice versa) to trace the movement and effectiveness of units based on the evidence left by their ammunition, both dropped and fired. For anyonw who wants to get into the definitive study of Civil War Ammunition, I highly recommend Dean Thomas’ massive “Round Ball to Rimfire” which has 3 volumes and I think may have a fourth one. That covers makers, markings, packing, contracts, costs, distribution, or everything that is known on the subject. Hope that helps. John Spangler

# 14857 - Winchester Ranger
2/8/2014
Josh Spring Valley Oh

I was given this rifle as a gift from a friend and would love to know how old it is and any other information you could provide me with. Any information would be greatly appreciated! Thanks, Josh

Answer:
Josh, the Winchester Ranger series was introduced in 1985 and discontinued in 2000. Ranger rifles were the economy versions of the Winchester line. Most had less expensive "hardwood" stocks instead of walnut and a cheaper finish. The standard Ranger Model 94 came with a 20 inch barrel in caliber .30-30 only, and is basically an economy version of the traditional Model 94 rifle. Sorry that it did not turn out that you have a real treasure but a free rifle is still a good thing. Marc

# 14851 - Colt Repro
2/4/2014
Bob Goldsboro, N.C. USA

XX8 PN EUROARMS BRESCIA MADE IN ITALY Passed down to me. What is it and what is possible value?

Answer:
Bob, this is an Italian reproduction of the Colt Navy, values for these are usually in the $150 range. Marc

# 14740 - Model 94 Marlin Lever Action Rifle
2/4/2014
Frank, Atlanta, GA

My father had this rifle in his closet and now after his passing, the family is trying to understand what we have. Based on the Serial number it appears to be from 1906. It is in decent condition with minimal dings in the stock or forearm. The metal has that bluish patina to it and little or no damage. There is some rust in the bore so would need some cleaning. The action of the lever and trigger all seem to work. Would this gun be a collectible item? Does it have any particular ''rareness'' about it? In my searching on line, it seems the 38-40 version is not as much available. Any guidance would be appreciated. Thank you.

Answer:
Frank- Just about everyone has heard about the WINCHESTER Model 94 lever action rifles, but Marlin also made an excellent lever action rifle called the Model 94 or 1894.

Marlin made their rifles from 1894 to about 1935 with a total of about 250,000 made in .25-20, .32-30, .38-40 or .44-40. While this is a pretty large number of rifles, it was nowhere near the success of Winchester’s John M. Browning designed rifles. More than a million Winchester Model 1894/94 rifles were sold in the same period. Now, the Winchester Model 94 was made for the longer “rifle” size cartridges, so maybe that is not a fair comparison, even though the Model names are the same. If you compare the Marlin figures with Winchester’s Model 1892 which was offered in the same calibers, the results are about the same with about a million of the Winchesters sold compared to the 250,000 Marlin in the “pistol” size calibers.

So, the Winchesters were about four times as popular when they were new, and it seems that on the collector market they still hold a very large edge over the Marlins, both in value and demand. While your rifle certainly has collector appeal, the condition sounds sort of average, and the few Marlin collectors can afford to be more selective about condition, so they might not be too interested. However, the very large number of Cowboy Action Shooters like the old lever guns in the pistol calibers, so that may be a better market if you want to sell. However, .38-40 ammo is harder to find (and less popular) than .44-40 so even though it is a less common version of the Marlin rifle, it probably does not add anything to the value. As far as putting a price on it, my best guess without handling it would be in the several hundred dollar range. John Spangler

# 14736 - Mandell Shooting Supplies, 1858 Afghan Enfield
2/1/2014
Eric, Jacksonville, Al

Mfg by Western United Traders. ''Mandell Shooting Supplies, Brooklyn N.Y.'' From looking at pics on the internet the make and model is as close as I can find for this gun. It looks identical to the carbine pictures I have seen except that this gun has 2.75'' extension to the barrel that does not have the same O.D. as the barrel and a very small sight blade is mounted to it, and not as long as the Artillery model. I have found that Mandell closed the shop in N.Y. and moved to AZ. but has since closed that store as well. My question is,,,have I identified this correctly? Any thoughts why there is an extension to the barrel? Thanks Eric

Answer:
Eric- I regret I cannot tell you anything at all about this one. John Spangler

# 14850 - M1 Date Of Manufacture
2/1/2014
William The Colony, TX, USA

My barrel serial # is sa 6535448 02 .7 m068. When was it made

Answer:
William, your receiver was manufactured in December of 1944. The barrel should have a date stamped on it that is within a few months of that. If it does not, it is a replacement. Marc