Welcome Home...THANK YOU FOR BEING A PART OF OUR COMMUNITY

iKnife Collector

The online community of knife collectors, A Knife Family Forged in Steel

New guy here showing off some of my old girls

Instead of cluttering up the group, I am going to post some of my Old gun collection and a little story about each of them all in this post.

Guns are my first passion, knives are new to me to be collecting, but loving it. I was pleasantly surprised when I found out there was a gun group on here as well!

I am far from an expert, but I love history and am very OCD, so I research and learn my passions constantly, and knives are following this pattern as well!

OK, I will update this post over time and days, whenever I get the chance. Encourage questions and stories and comments as we go along, that's what these hobbies are all about!

I am going to start with one of my favorites from my collection.

Winchester 1873 44-40 Saddle Ring Carbine manufactured in 1891. These just say "True Cowboy Gun" to me. I collect for guns that show their history, not restored, or perfectly new condition, I sit and read every bump, scrape and bruise and imagine what it did, how.

There is a brass ejector block underneath beat to heck, these were prone to stick so they would beat on them to pop them up. And when shooting this one, if you don't work the action with some grunt, I have had to do the same on it. The homemade rear sight is dead on and adds to the character of the old girl.

8 members like this

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Bob Robinson on December 16, 2014 at 9:43

Very nice ol' girl Mike.

Permalink Reply by Mike Baugh on December 16, 2014 at 10:47

Thanks Bob

Permalink Reply by Steve Hanner on December 16, 2014 at 12:04

That is just great Mike and I love the pics, make that gun look just terrific!

Permalink Reply by Mike Baugh on December 16, 2014 at 12:07

Thank you Steve, I have really tried hard the last few months in improving my picture taking. I really appreciate the complement!

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on December 16, 2014 at 13:48

Well I say you must have improved on the picture taking because it is great! Whats better is the discussion. It is obvious this is a passion and being able to appreciate the bumps and bruises is a gift! Some folks think, get that fixed...like you I think, tell me the story of how it happened!

Permalink Reply by Mike Baugh on December 16, 2014 at 15:48

Really much appreciated Jan. I am going to try and do one a day. Maybe mid a few days when things are busy, but that's my plan at least!

KnifeMakerPermalink Reply by Carl Rechsteiner on December 17, 2014 at 5:26

I'm with all the rest, the time worn patina on any hard working "tool" is a great mystery to ponder. I have an old H&R single breaktop .410 (2 3/4") just a sliver of a shotgun. It belonged to my great Uncle Knute and was passed down through the family for all us boys to cut our teeth on. I know where half the scars of war came from and the rest (earlier) are just campfire conjecture. It accounted for tons of table meat including several deer and hogs. Amazing what a .410 slug will take down with the right placement.

Beautiful '73 Charles!

Permalink Reply by Mike Baugh on December 17, 2014 at 7:18

I love the discussion that has started here, I hope it continues and I hope no one here is annoyed by me yet. I love to share my collection and help if I can, just as all of you are doing with the knives for me!

Today's gun is a Smith and Wesson .38 Single Action First Model aka "Baby Russian" manufactured in 1876

The Baby Russian was the first small frame gun produced by Smith and Wesson, in fact, the .38 round was created specifically for this gun in fact.

Now comes the great story this gun holds. I got it in a trade deal for an old 22 I had. It had a Smith and Wesson Historical letter with it already from 1981, which I thought was cool.

I started examining the gun because the backstrap was crudely ground down. After looking closer, I saw the tops of some engraved lettering. That info combined with the letter stating where it was shipped in 1876 I was able to determine, this was a highly desirable Baltimore Police Issued gun. The Smith and Wesson Historical society did an article on them in 1977 and at that time, only 10 complete examples had been found, of course by now I am certain there are more, but regardless this is rare! The engraving was ground off when sold to the public by the police dept. Another tell tale sign, is that most police guns will have considerable wear on the finish, but the bore and barrel are usually immaculate as they were shot very little in most cases.

So this girl here still locks up tight, shoots good, and doesn't look bad at 138 years old!!

ps. The ammo box one of the pictures is almost full and an original from the mid 1890's as well. The hat badge is real, although I don't know the age., I put the display together to complete the set.

Thanks for reading!

KnifeMakerPermalink Reply by Carl Rechsteiner on December 18, 2014 at 6:05

I saw something very similar in a display cabinet the other day, but the proprietor was absent so I could not pick it up and examine. It was a good deal smaller and looked to be .32 cal. but light was bad (so are my eyes). I will get a much closer look soon.

It is very kind of you to share your collection and knowledge here. Thank you.

I have a Baby Sedgely garter pistol hiding in a bandaid box somewhere, in .22 short. Nifty little find many years ago in a pawn shop tool box I picked up for the mircometers, calipers, and other measuring tools. Apparently once belonging to a gunsmith of sorts. Got the whole box for $50 and almost all the tools where Starrets, est. around $3000 if new. I knew what I could casually see was worth the $ but couldn't believe my luck when I did the inventory. Broker wouldn't just let me by a few of the tools - all or none so.....

Permalink Reply by Mike Baugh on December 18, 2014 at 6:17

Those kinds of finds are the best! And what seems bad luck at times are much like you describe, turn out to be great ones, far past what you think! That little gun sounds interesting, I will have to look them up! This gun here is actually really small as well. It was considered a pocket gun for the time.

Thank you for the kind words and great story too!

Carl Rechsteiner said:

I saw something very similar in a display cabinet the other day, but the proprietor was absent so I could not pick it up and examine. It was a good deal smaller and looked to be .32 cal. but light was bad (so are my eyes). I will get a much closer look soon.

It is very kind of you to share your collection and knowledge here. Thank you.

I have a Baby Sedgely garter pistol hiding in a bandaid box somewhere, in .22 short. Nifty little find many years ago in a pawn shop tool box I picked up for the mircometers, calipers, and other measuring tools. Apparently once belonging to a gunsmith of sorts. Got the whole box for $50 and almost all the tools where Starrets, est. around $3000 if new. I knew what I could casually see was worth the $ but couldn't believe my luck when I did the inventory. Broker wouldn't just let me by a few of the tools - all or none so.....

KnifeMakerPermalink Reply by Carl Rechsteiner on December 18, 2014 at 6:42

$50 was tough to part with back then (early 70's), almost didn't do the deal. Just wanted the Starrets that I could see pretty bad. They have paid me back 1000 fold so no complaints. The Sedgley was just "Christmas" for me.

Permalink Reply by Mike Baugh on December 23, 2014 at 10:14

Been really busy and haven't been able to post for a few day, so before Christmas, lets put another out here.

Here is a neat old girl right here. Its an 1869 Swiss Veterrli in .41 rimfire. This gun weighs a ton, it is a bolt action repeating rifle, it has been said they directly stole the repeater design from Winchester. Either way, it they are truly unique, or ugly, however you want to word it. lol

This gun in particular has the unfortunate name "The death Gun" I bought several guns from a fellow one time and he grabbed this one out and gave it to me. His friend got killed in a car accident 20 years before with this was in the trunk of the car and the gun had to be cut out of it.

He claimed it was haunted and I shouldn't even drive with it in the car, Well, it made it home just fine and I did too, but to say it didn't worry me all the way home would be a lie! lol