Better to stay safe in your recliner and maintain that armchair xspurt status you have worked so hard to obtain frAnk.
It must suck to be that afraid of living.
Ted, I disagree with your take on shooting old guns. If you learn to buy old guns in nice shape they are rarely money pits. Becoming an educated buyer is not for everyone though, it takes work and finding the right gun takes patience. I waited years before I found the gun for me.
I shoot almost nothing but vintage guns and I rarely need to work on them(never have touched either of my shotguns for repair). My hunting partner shoots a British SxS from the 1880's and has put tens of thousands of rounds through it without a hiccup. Find one that has been well maintained and fits you, feed it appropriate ammo and you will rarely be disappointed.
So, you got, like, what, three old guns, and your buddy has one? There have been far more horror stories than that right here over the years. Ever read about Terry Weiand’s Hussey? You are a gunsmith, I get it, but, there are lots of guys, maybe guys who punch a clock, who would be better served not trying to find good, old guns. If your buddy has an exceptional British gun from the 1880s, at the very least be honest, and admit that it is a rare find to discover any gun that old still in good, usable condition, and that it is a lucky find and not something everyone is going to pull off this week, or month or year. Your friend likely grasps that it has specific requirements for use in order for him to keep using it. You would be amazed at the people right here who don’t.
If you know what you are getting into, that is one thing. If you are going to see to the care, use and maintenance requirements, that is one thing. But, if you think that old gun will be your everyday shooter with off the shelf ammunition, and won’t ever need much more than a good cleaning, you might be better served with something newer. Like it or not, bunches of guys in a fit of nostalgia write the check for the gun first, and discover the limitations, or worse, problems, after viewing an internet posting of a gun for sale.
Producing steel was a new and developing science circa 1900. By 1920 it was much better sorted, and by 1945 it was pretty much mastered. Even run of the mill guns are built of better steel after the war.
Best,
Ted
