Most unusual firearm in your collection?

[greydog111]

I thought this might be a fun thread: what is the most unusual firearm in your collection? It could be different due to a mechanical feature, historical provenance, caliber, legal status, or whatever. Thanks.

K31 Schmidt Ruben Swiss!

 

[teflon6string]

Not a real rarity, but it was unique to me. A Remington Model 6, rolling block single-shot .22 rifle with a knurled thumbscrew for 2-piece takedown.
Remington No. 6 Rolling Block Rifle (Rem. No. 6)

My uncle handed it down to me in the 70s because I was the only shooter in the family. I crafted a crappy short buttstock for smaller people when my son was born, keeping the original safe for reinstallation later. Taught him to shoot with it, and it was dead-nuts accurate even with the cheapest ammo.

My uncle eventually became a grandfather so I gave it back to him to pass along to his boys. Fond memories of the unique rifle, good people and fun times.

 

[Mike_M57]

So Mike, tell me, how do you know it is .45-70 Govt?

Answer is, check the hole at the muzzle end first!!!

Not at all, Sir, I have merely pointed you in a slightly different direction with the hope of providing more elucidation to your ongoing conundrum.

Whinemeal, please do NOT try and shoot ANY kind of .45-70 Govt cartridge in this lovely old piece.

Not sure who the 2nd quote was aimed at, but, whatever...

Without a chamber cast, I can't be certain if I would be able to use .45-70-500 loads. I'm only assuming there is a slight difference in the leade dimension, but as I have been quite satisfied with the performance of the .45-70-405 loads that I've used in the past, I haven't really given it that much thought.

I'm fairly certain that the previous owner, my grandfather, "checked the hole at the muzzle end" before loading and firing who-knows-how-many rounds through this rifle.

I'm fairly certain that the gunsmith I took the rifle to after inheriting it also "checked the hole at the muzzle end" (among other things) before determining it was safe to fire with moderate loads in .45-70-405. I didn't want to pay his price for making a chamber cast to determine if .45-70-500 loads would also work. As I didn't have a bullet mold for 500 grain bullets, I just used the 405 grain bullet mold that came with the rifle.

I have personally "checked the hole at the muzzle end" before loading and firing several hundred, at least, of these.


My loads were comprised of 70 grains of FFFg Black Powder or Pyrodex (I've used both) by volume, not weight.
One 45 caliber pre-lubed Wonder Wad over the powder charge.
A 405 grain lead bullet that I cast myself, either tumble-lubed with Liquid Alox or with a 50/50 paraffin/beeswax lube that I made and run through a friends Lyman sizer/lube die (one is just as messy as another). This made for a slightly compressed, mild-to-moderate, load.

I don't recall the primers I used. Brass was once-fired stuff from another firearm.

Without the Wonder Wads it seemed the powder charge was distorting (melting?) the base of the bullets, causing them to fly in unexpected directions. The friend that helped cast/size the bullets was a muzzle loading enthusiast and suggested an over-powder wad of some kind. It worked.

Anyway, I'm pretty damned sure it's a .45-70.

As for family heritage, my last name means "Bear" in Irish. The motto on the family crest reads "Sic Nos Sic Sacra Tuemur," commonly translated to mean "Thus we defend out sacred rights."

 

[tac]

K31 Schmidt Ruben Swiss!

Well, Sir, while I heartily applaud your choice, a quiet word in your ear while everybody else is asleep.

1. A Ruben is a kind of sammidge.

2. The K31 is not a Schmidt-RubIn, having been designed by Colonel Adolf Furrer and his R&D team in the state arsenal as a much-improved version of the K11.

Here you can see my K11 and K31 - notice the position of the magazine in each case. Shortening the bolt on the K31 meant that the barrel and sight radius could both be longer, to the advantage of the shooter and the longevity of the rifle.



I hope you don't mind me advising you of the difference. No hard feelings, epovah?

 

[tac]

Not sure who the 2nd quote was aimed at, but, whatever...

Without a chamber cast, I can't be certain if I would be able to use .45-70-500 loads. I'm only assuming there is a slight difference in the leade dimension, but as I have been quite satisfied with the performance of the .45-70-405 loads that I've used in the past, I haven't really given it that much thought.

I'm fairly certain that the previous owner, my grandfather, "checked the hole at the muzzle end" before loading and firing who-knows-how-many rounds through this rifle.

I'm fairly certain that the gunsmith I took the rifle to after inheriting it also "checked the hole at the muzzle end" (among other things) before determining it was safe to fire with moderate loads in .45-70-405. I didn't want to pay his price for making a chamber cast to determine if .45-70-500 loads would also work. As I didn't have a bullet mold for 500 grain bullets, I just used the 405 grain bullet mold that came with the rifle.

I have personally "checked the hole at the muzzle end" before loading and firing several hundred, at least, of these.
View attachment 592222

My loads were comprised of 70 grains of FFFg Black Powder or Pyrodex (I've used both) by volume, not weight.
One 45 caliber pre-lubed Wonder Wad over the powder charge.
A 405 grain lead bullet that I cast myself, either tumble-lubed with Liquid Alox or with a 50/50 paraffin/beeswax lube that I made and run through a friends Lyman sizer/lube die (one is just as messy as another). This made for a slightly compressed, mild-to-moderate, load.

I don't recall the primers I used. Brass was once-fired stuff from another firearm.

Without the Wonder Wads it seemed the powder charge was distorting (melting?) the base of the bullets, causing them to fly in unexpected directions. The friend that helped cast/size the bullets was a muzzle loading enthusiast and suggested an over-powder wad of some kind. It worked.

Anyway, I'm pretty damned sure it's a .45-70.

As for family heritage, my last name means "Bear" in Irish. The motto on the family crest reads "Sic Nos Sic Sacra Tuemur," commonly translated to mean "Thus we defend out sacred rights."

Apologies, Sir, I meant no disrespect. It was not clear from your post if you had ever shot the rifle.

As you can see, I've pulled my offending posts.

Have a great day!

 

[tac]

BTW here's a pic of my K31 wearing its spiffy 3-9x40 Weaver scope - costing all of twenty-five bucks from our friendly local gun-store near Port Orford OR...


The sling is original to the rifle, but the clamp-on mount is from my friends, Swiss Products, in Kalispell MT.

 

[greydog111]

Well, Sir, while I heartily applaud your choice, a quiet word in your ear while everybody else is asleep.

1. A Ruben is a kind of sammidge.

2. The K31 is not a Schmidt-RubIn, having been designed by Colonel Adolf Furrer and his R&D team in the state arsenal as a much-improved version of the K11.

Here you can see my K11 and K31 - notice the position of the magazine in each case. Shortening the bolt on the K31 meant that the barrel and sight radius could both be longer, to the advantage of the shooter and the longevity of the rifle.

View attachment 592345

I hope you don't mind me advising you of the difference. No hard feelings, epovah?

That'll teach me to message while half asleep! I know all of this!

 

[greydog111]

Absolutely correct! I was half asleep when messaging. I liquidated three other milsurps this year but kept the Swiss! One of the most accurate military issue rifles I own!

 

[waltermitty]

interesting, I knew I had a couple of those Braverman Stingers, both in .22LR.
but until I just looked, I had totally forgotten I also had barrel conversions for
both 17HRM and .22 Magnum in the tactical belt pouch. lucky me!

 

[KKG]

I also have a few of the Smith and Wesson 3rd Model Perfected Target .22s. These date from the early part of the Last Century. Including one that is in .32S&W! Some of these could be converted from Rim Fire to Center Fire. The Factory Letter states this one was Shipped in .22 with an "accessory" but doesn't say just what. Roy Jinks says the amount would have been correct for the .32 Barrel. The .22 Rim Fire Barrel is Not with the Gun. Maybe some day I'll get a chance to actually shoot this combination, since I do have plenty of .32S&W ammunition.

 

[Hal OPeridol]

This little peashooter.

 

[gmerkt]

At present, I can't say that I have much in the truly unusual category. I like to shoot and handload, so I don't want to spend too much effort on obsolete cartridge stuff. Not that doing so can't be fun, just that I'm mostly a mainstream shooter.

On the minorly unusual side, I have two Austrian Steyr Mannlicher M95's, one carbine the other a long rifle. Straight pull actions, "ab und zu" (back and forth). Both chambered in 8x56R, which is way more practical for handloading than the original 8x50R which used a .320 bullet in the .329 barrel, it rode the rifling and had an obturating base. A pain in the neck to handload now. I do handload for the 8x56R and have for years, but there isn't much point because I have about 750 rounds of factory ammo to go through. Both M95's I have are Bulgarian reworks, done about 1939, then warehoused until the late 1980's.

I have a Ruger (original version) Vaquero convertible, one cylinder in .40 S&W, the other in .38-40. It's kinda unusual, only about 800 made.

Put me down for having a Swiss K31, made in 1954, very nice rifle save for the gouges on the toe of the butt. Not all that unusual, but not exactly mainstream, either.

Not to say I haven't owned some oddballs over the years. Back in the 1960's and 70's when German pistols hadn't gotten beyond all reason in price, I had some that were unusual due to the markings they carried. Like German police, navy, political organizations, etc. Walther PPK in .22LR made in 1945. One oddball was a Hungarian 29M in .380, not many of those made. Also had a Hungarian 35M Mannlicher rifle in 8x56R, was unusual then, not often seen now. Oh, and had a model 1939 Russian 50mm mortar, not a dewat, it was in operable condition. In 1965, we didn't know it was a destructive device. I bought it in a pawn shop for $25 and they didn't know it was illegal either. Same shop sold one of my friends a German Panzerschreck, like a bazooka. In was operable, needed a battery I believe but I haven't a clue where we could've gotten ammo for it. No face shield. An acquaintance had a dewat MP.44, very cool.

 

[KKG]

View attachment 592659

Caption would be good!

 

[WAYNO]

Army Model M-108. Ruger Speed Six, .38 Special. The replacement for the Victory Model S&W for Army aircrews, post-Vietnam.

 

[KKG]

Army Model M-108. Ruger Speed Six, .38 Special. The replacement for the Victory Model S&W for Army aircrews, post-Vietnam.
View attachment 592675

View attachment 592677

Well, that's one TM I don't have in My Stash! In fact, I don't think I have ever seen one, so Thanks for Sharing.

Those hadn't made it far enough into the System to have made it into Reserves. I did Active Duty(in the CZ and then in the RVN with the 1st Cav.) and then I did some time in the Reserves(92nd Aviation Co.) to help out a Good Friend.

FWIW I like your Avatar!!! Mine has the Crossed Sabers and a 27nd Maintenance Battalion decoration on it.

 

[burnsidePDX]

Colt New Agent .45 ACP
Sight is a trench machined in to the slide
Always gets looks & questions at the range

 

[gmerkt]

Army Model M-108. Ruger Speed Six, .38 Special. The replacement for the Victory Model S&W for Army aircrews, post-Vietnam.

I've seen one of those at a WAC gun show years ago, maybe it was yours. I was in an ordnance battalion in Vietnam, our mission was to receive equipment from units standing down. Including small arms. We had foot lockers full of .38 Special revolvers turned in by aviation units. The ones I recall seeing were all commercial shiny blue finish. In the stuff I saw, I don't recall noticing any Victory models at that time 1970-72. The stuff I saw didn't have military markings, mostly three inch bbl. and round butt as I recall at this late date.

Colt New Agent .45 ACP

This one is news to me. Never saw or heard of one before.

 

[WAYNO]

I've seen one of those at a WAC gun show years ago, maybe it was yours. I was in an ordnance battalion in Vietnam, our mission was to receive equipment from units standing down. Including small arms. We had foot lockers full of .38 Special revolvers turned in by aviation units. The ones I recall seeing were all commercial shiny blue finish. In the stuff I saw, I don't recall noticing any Victory models at that time 1970-72. The stuff I saw didn't have military markings, mostly three inch bbl. and round butt as I recall at this late date.
.

I was Air Cav, and had two Army Ordnance MOS's. My experience with .38 revolvers were Victory models during the Vietnam era. It was not until 1982 when I was trained on the Ruger for the replacement of the Victory model Smith.

My guess...The nice and shiny revolvers with no military markings were destined for use in places we never went to. Laos and Cambodia come to mind.

 

[Old salt]

Just a Glock, but unusual History

 

[DuneHopper]

One I have posted here before but both of these were done with cannibalized SKS's. That were just spare parts and made
a couple cool items.