# 14240 - Quackenbush .22 Rifle Value
8/30/2011
John, Allegan, MI.

Made in Herkimer, NY Pat. in U.S. Feb.23, 1886, June 23, 1896 England Feb.23, 1886, Belgium Mar.15,1886 Rifle is in fair to good condition. Can give me any idea as to the value of this piece?

Answer:
John, Quackenbush manufactured .22 caliber rifles from 1896 to about 1920. The blue book lists three different models, the Safety Rifle, the Junior Safety Rifle and the Bicycle Rifle. All the models were a swinging breech single shot design. Quackenbush rifles did not have serial numbers but they sold many variations which can add a premium to the value, and can also be used to estimate date of manufacture.

Quackenbush rifles were supplied in several different boxes, and often came with a cleaning rod. Original boxes, cleaning rods and other accessories can significantly add to the value.

Blue book values for the Safety Rifle range from about $200 to over $800

Blue book values for the Junior Safety Rifle range from about $300 to over $900

Blue book values for the Bicycle Rifle range from about $700 to over $1800

I would advise you to have an expert look at your rifle to really get a good estimate of it's value. You may want to take it to the next local gunshow and show it several dealers. Look for dealers who have similar items on their tables. Good luck - Marc

# 14147 - Civil War Musket Converted To Shotgun
8/30/2011
Mickey, Buchanan, Michigan

On side plate, 1864, US Springfield, spread winged eagle looking left, away from the arrows. 1864 Springfield rifled musket? Converted onto a shotgun, approx. 16 ga. Can you tell me anything?

Answer:
Mickey- After the Civil War, obsolete .58 caliber muskets began to be sold off as surplus, and in the 1880s huge piles of old stocks, barrels, lockplates and a few other parts were sold off as parts left over after others were salvaged for re- use on .45-70 trapdoors being built at Springfield Armory.

Surplus dealers bought up these parts and with a little ingenuity and less money they managed to cobble together shootable guns they could sell. Cheap shotguns, even muzzle loaders, had a good market among the poorer farmers, ranchers and working class city dwellers. Most of these “Bannerman” shotguns used cast iron buttplates and trigger guards, since the GI parts had been retained for use on the trapdoors. Internal lock parts were sometimes military, sometimes new made and sometimes improvised from parts originally made for use on other models. Boring out the .58 caliber barrel to make them smooth, and cutting to about 33 inch length, and cutting stock ahead of the lower band resulted in a fairly handy, cheap but useful shotgun to be sold at very low prices, but with good profit. Although often called Bannerman guns, after the leading surplus dealer, a number of other dealers did similar conversion work. They are good decorators, but have little collector interest, and few (if any) salvageable parts, so values tend to be very modest. John Spangler

# 14124 - Confirmed Kills Record For U.S. Small Arms?
8/27/2011
Kenneth

I want to authenticate my rifle. Where do I locate an accurate account of who carried this rifle, where, confirmed kills? If it has all parts from the factory, or if it has had parts replaced. Just a dossier of its service record.

Answer:
Sorry Kenneth, I am afraid you are out of luck. As far as I know, the U.S. military did not keep service records with confirmed kills for the small arms that were issued. Even records of who weapons were issued to are nonexistent.

It seems to me that outside of being a little morbid, the logistics and overhead for gathering and storing that type of detailed information would be prohibitive. Marc

# 14135 - “Chicago Police” Pen Gun
8/27/2011
Lonnie Lake City IA USA

Pen gun with Chicago Police on it 32 Cal. What is it and what is this worth?

Answer:
Lonnie- I cannot find any reference to “Chicago Police” as a maker name, so this may indicate use by the real Chicago Police Department, maybe for an undercover operative or something. Pen guns are made to look like an ordinary pen, but have a spring loaded firing pin that can be flipped over to fire a cartridge inserted in the body of the “pen”, firing out the tip. They are s single shot, close range weapon of marginal utility, but useful in some situations, I guess. However, they are subject to the registration requirements from BATFE and illegal to own without their permission if they can use a regular conventional cartridge. Some were made for use with tear gas cartridges, not real bullets, but if they will chamber a real cartridge, the BATFE considers them to fall under their control. I have no idea on the value of a real one that has been registered, but think that the price you would pay for possessing an unregistered example is higher than you might like. John Spangler

# 14130 - Spanish Double Barrel Pistol
8/23/2011
Roy Lenoir City, Tn.

I have a double barrel pistol, the lettering on top of barrel are L. Crucelegui Eibar. You load it by pulling hammers back and pull a tab back to load pistol

Answer:
Roy- Eibar is the traditional home of many Spanish gun makers, so we know its nationality. I have no info on the maker. The double barrel pistols seem to have been popular in many of the South American countries, and most were made in Spain for the export market. Many of them were pinfire, with a small notch at the rear of the chambers and the hammer striking more of a downward blow than parallel with the axis of the bore as necessary for a rimfire or centerfire cartridge. These does not seem to be much collector interest in any of these, and quality on most was pretty marginal. John Spangler

# 14222 - Remington Model 25
8/23/2011
Valerie,Bayonne,NJ

I would like to know if this longarm may be of any interest to someone, and if it has any value, and can be sold. Thank you

Answer:
Valerie, the Remington Model 25/25a was manufactured from 1923 to 1935. The rifle was a slide action design with tubular magazine. Rifles were available chambered in .25-20 and .32-20 calibers and they originally came with a plain pistol grip stock, 24 inch barrel and open sights.

It has been my experience that there is not allot of collector demand for most slide action centerfire rifles, so I was surprised to see that The blue book lists values for this model between $295 and around $1000 depending on condition. The price range in the blue book is higher than I expected and also higher than I remember it being a few years ago. Marc

# 14129 - 1873 Winchester Barrel Length
8/20/2011
Jim, Sebec, Maine

Short Mag. Did Winchester make this rifle with 20'' barrel or has it been altered?

Answer:
Jim- The barrel length can only be verified by getting a “factory letter” from the original Winchester factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum. The carbines usually had a 20 inch round barrel so there is a good chance this is original length. Magazines were normally the same length as the barrel, but for extra cost Winchester would do just about anything the person with money wanted on a special order basis. Shorter magazines were a fairly common option. John Spangler

# 14229 - Blue Star M1 Carbine.
8/20/2011
Fred Mt. Carroll Il

Blue Star Arlington VA. stamped on barrel Who is the manufacturer of this weapon and was it actual military?

Answer:
Fred, the markings that you mention sound like import markings that are often found on surplus U.S. military M1 Carbines. In the 1980s, Blue Sky, Inc. of Arlington, Virginia bought up a huge number of M1 carbines and M1 rifles that the South Korean government sold as surplus and marketed them here to shooters and collectors in the United States. Blue Sky is a marking that is often found on U.S. M1 Carbines, but I have never heard of Blue Star, is it possible that you may have remembered the marking incorrectly?

The best way to tell if your carbine is an original U.S. military issue M1 Carbine, or if it is one of the reproductions is by looking at the manufacturer name which should be stamped on the receiver behind the rear sight. The manufacturer name is sometimes hard to read because if the carbine has the later adjustable sight, it will cover the area where the name is stamped. You have to look really closely at the area under the sight to spot it.

U.S. M1 Carbines will have one of the following markings, if there is no marking, or if the marking is something different, your carbine is probably one of the more recent knockoffs.

• COMMERCIAL CONTROLS CORPORATION - Very rare supposedly under 300 manufactured.
• I.B.M.CORP
  
• INLAND DIV.
  
• WINCHESTER
  
• UNDERWOOD
  
• ROCK-OLA
  
• QUALITY H.M.C.
  
• IRWIN-PEDERSEN
  
• NATIONAL POSTAL METER
  
• STD.PRO.
  
• SAGINAW SG
  
• SAGINAW S'G'

Hope this helps, Marc

# 14226 - A. Baldwin Shotgun
8/16/2011
Jeff Hutson Starks, Louisiana 70661 USA

Single shot shotgun with breach opening lever behind hammer. hard to read serial numbers , have posted what they appear to be , may be incorrect. Found this gun and would like to know if possible the dates of production and use of shotgun and possible value of gun. Reply to dragoneye327d@yahoo.com Thank you very much for any help you can provide.

Answer:
Jeff, A. Baldwin was a Distributor / Supplier in New Orleans. The name is often seen on inexpensive US made shotguns like Stevens or Crescent and cheap Belgian doubles. There is not a lot of information available on this type firearm, a huge number were 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. Where there is any family history, we encourage people to keep these old guns for sentimental value. Please be warned that most of these are not considered safe to shoot. Hope this helps, Marc

# 14128 - Half Stock Percussion Rifle By F. Reynolds, NY
8/16/2011
Kevin - Knoxville ,Tn

percussion ,half stock ,lying dog on patchbox , silver front site ,single trigger , heavily engraved , twin gold bands on barrel , brass star on cheek , brass trigger guard engraved , brass patchbox beautifully engraved , wooden push rod with brass cap engraved -- New York F Reynolds --on top of barrel 1860 - 865 ? Condition scale 1 - 0 this rifle I would consider a 5 - Value , Also is this gun related to General F Reynolds of Gettysburg ? Appropriate venue for sale

Answer:
Kevin- There were four gunsmiths who could use F. Reynolds- one unlocated, one in Steubenville, OH, one in Troy, NY, and one in New York City. I am pretty sure the New York City is the maker of your rifle as he worked 1841-1867 according to Frank Sellers’ American Gunsmiths.

General John F. Reynolds was the senior officer killed at Gettysburg, dying instantly when hit by rifle fire on July 1st, 1863. Unless there is a typo in your question the 1860-865 may only reflect a single date, 1860 and the 865 may be some sort of serial number. I do not see how this could relate to General Reynolds, even if the mark was 1860-1865.

It sounds like a very nice rifle, typical of the better quality target or hunting rifles of the period. As far as value, these are not real popular, so I would expect to find similar guns at gun shows priced around $500-1000. John Spangler

# 14117 - 1903 Rock Island Recovered In France
8/16/2011
Alain, France

CN 1908 (stock) RIA 1905 (barrel) This gun was bring back from the battlefield by my grandfather in 1918. Is it possible to have his affectation in US army in France?

Answer:
Alain- Sorry, we have no information on that one. John Spangler

# 14126 - Mauser Headspace Adjustment
8/13/2011
David, University Park, Md

Military carbines typically made for Chile or Venezuela I have long wanted one of these carbines. They show up from time to time on various web sites. I would like to have one as a shooter, but worry about headspace. What is the feasibility of adjusting headspace on one of these rifles? Can the barrel be adjusted and can the sights be remounted without totally destroying the appearance? Although I would like such a carbine to shoot, I would still like for it to have as much of the original appearance as is reasonable.

Answer:
David- I think you are needlessly worrying about a likely non-problem. Headspace is basically the distance between the face of the bolt and the front of the cartridge chamber. (It is measured slightly differently on rimmed, rimless and belted cartridges, so I won’t try to be more specific than that, since you need to use a headspace gauge to measure it and those are made to do it right.)

Headspace is usually set at a minimum level when a rifle is made, and usually done with a chambering reamer to make the chamber just deep enough to meet the minimum level. Headspace enlargement after that is usually from firing excessively heavy loads, or even just regular loads but with thousands of rounds, where the pressure of the bolt locking lugs against the shoulders they rest on in the receiver may crush the surfaces just a tiny bit, but it can add up over thousands of rounds. If the metal on either one is compressed, or wears away a bit, the headspace measurement will increase some. Theoretically the chamber in the barrel could wear a bit, or lose some metal from rust and removal of the rust which could also increase headspace.

Headspace gauges are made in several sizes- usually called go or no-go or minimum and maximum. You need the chamber deep enough for the cartridge to fit and fire properly (go or minimum depth) but it is not a good idea to continue to fire if the headspace exceeds the maximum or no-go measurement. (Why- because the cartridge case will have to stretch too much, and may rupture, sending hot gasses and bits of cartridge case shooting out any opening it can find around the receiver. The receiver is the part you are holding right next to your face when firing, and if you do not understand why hot gasses blowing back in your face is bad, you should not own a gun!)

Few rifles ever develop excessive headspace unless they are badly abused or were poorly made or used lousy materials to start with. Except for the Turkish or Spanish Mausers, which I would never attempt to fire under any circumstances, most Mausers seem to have few problems of any sort.

If, somehow you ended up with one of the carbines which actually has excessive headspace, the cheapest fix would be to sell it and buy another one. If you really wanted to gunsmith fix it, that would require removing the barrel and cutting enough metal away from the breech to allow it to turn exactly one full turn deeper into the receiver, so the sights will still be located at the top, not on one side or the other. This would include extending the threads one more turn after the diameter is reduced, or some other plan to allow the barrel to screw in deeper. Then you have to use a chamber reamer to ream the chamber deep enough to accept the minimum gauge. That takes care of the mechanical aspect needed for firing. The Mauser barrel threads are about 12 threads per inch, (.0833” between threads) so setting the barrel back one thread will shorten it by .0833.” For all practical purposes there would be no need to fiddle with the bands or handguard or anything else, but the real work (and money if paying someone who actually knows how to do that sort of work) is in the barrel remover, cutting, reinstallation and final chambering. Like I said- just buying another rifle seems like a better solution than trying to gunsmith fix the problem. John Spangler

# 14228 - S&W 1917 History
8/13/2011
Gary, Hendersonville, TN

When manufactured? How can I get a report on it?

Answer:
Gary, my records indicate that serial number 47488 was manufactured in April of 1918. The only place that I know of, where it is possible to get information on the history of U.S. military firearms is Springfield Research Service (SRS). I looked up your serial number and unfortunately research of over 25 years in the National Archives by the late Frank Mallory failed to turn up any information. Sorry, Marc

# 14227 - What's My 92 Worth?
8/13/2011
Allen, Santee,SC

patented Oct. 14,1884 Curious as to what my gun is worth.

Answer:
Allen, you did not give much information to go on. Winchester Model 92 values can range from very modest to thousands of dollars depending on condition and configuration. Marc

# 14192 - Iver Johnson Revolver
8/2/2011
Randy, Adena, Ohio

5 shot revolver Can't find a model number or Caliber... is this gun of any value? & about how old is this.

Answer:
Randy, sorry, I can't help with providing a model or date for Iver Johnson firearms. I can tell you that as a rule of thumb, there is not much collector interest in any Iver Johnson firearm, values for them are usually in the $100 or less range.

For more information I suggest that you post a question on one of the gun forums. Try the following links:

http://www.gunvaluesboard.com/
http://www.thefirearmsforum.com/index.php
http://www.jouster.com/
http://forums.gunboards.com/

Good Luck, Marc

# 14114 - Winchester Model 94 In .32 Winchester Special
8/2/2011
Jessica, Vermillion, SD

I was wondering if you knew the beginning and end of production dates on the 32 Winchester Special? Thanks for your help!

Answer:
Jessica- The .32 Winchester Special was first offered in the Model 1894 (94) in 1902 and dropped in 1973. At least that is what Winchester guru George Madis says, but newer research may turn up slight changes in those dates, but probably not more than a year or two either way. John Spangler