Working Rifle

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I've seen many 100 year old rifles used in Africa that were and are the finest money could buy. Today are they priceless? No, not after a century of use. Were they services regularly and 100% reliable for a professional? Absolutely.

Will all these modern "Economy" rifles or even the technological polymer based rifles be "working rifles" in 20-30 years? I doubt it. We don't even know the half-life of this stuff yet as synthetics break down and the new methods of parts begin to erode over time.

What we do know is that some pretty basic equipment can keep a 50-100 year old rifle working very well. Gun oil. Bore cleaner. Stock Oil and Paste Wax. A bit of bronze wool and cotton patches. This stuff works just fine on $200,000 Purdys and $1000 CZs.

@rookhawk
One of my rifles was made in 1891 and fully rebuilt to high custom standards it's my favorite small game rifle. My other one was built in 1915 and is my medium game rifle.
Both over 100 years old, smooth as silk,100%reliable and fit like a pair of old slippers. My other is my bigger game rifle it's only about 10 years old but has the same attributes.
Age is no barrier to functionality and usefulness .
Bob.

 

[Alistair]

I'd describe a working gun as the kind of rifle you buy not because you love it, but because it's eminently practical and you've a lot of shooting to get done.

Pigeon semi-autos or pumps, .22lr for pest control, cheap synthetic & stainless .223's for lamping foxes out the back of a pick up truck. These are working guns. Things you grab, use and stuff back in the cabinet with nary a thought because they can handle it and you're not invested in them.

For my part, anything that's synthetic stocked, be it rifle or shotgun is a 'working firearm'. Most semi-autos and pumps fit this brief too.

Happily all my shooting is done for pleasure, so I have no working guns, only sporting pieces. They do the job, sure, but I bought them because I like them, not because they're the most practical tool.

Oddly, I think how much they're used or how much they're worth has little bearing on this status. One of my friends told me a story of an old Scottish hill stalker who had an old walnut and blue Parker Hale .270 as his main rifle. It was a battered old piece that'd spent 30+ hard years on the hill. Utterly worthless monetarily and nothing to look at. But he clearly liked it and cared for it in preference to his estate provided and undeniably easier to live with synthetic Tikka T3.

That's still a sporting gun in my book.

 

[Sika98k]

Tikka T3 lite, 22/250, synth stock,SS steel barrel Is my “working gun”. It goes to work with me everyday as a gamekeeper.
i own a Proctor 7x57 and a Rigby in the same caliber when I get a bit of time off to go hunting. Or my ABolt in 375 for Africa.

 

[Dwight Beagle]

Truck gun is what most of us Country Boys carry in our trucks. Used for Varmits, Predators and pests. Not a gun that makes you cry if it gets banged or scratched.

“Country Boys”? My grandfather raised commercial cattle and while the ranch wasn’t huge it was big, 1700-1800 mother cows at any one time. That’s where I grew up and while growing up I never heard the term truck gun. It was definitely not a term in common usage in the 60’s, 70’s or 80’s. At least not where I grew up. I never hear the term used by people who live on and work their land even today.

 

[Graham Hunter]

“Country Boys”? My grandfather raised commercial cattle and while the ranch wasn’t huge it was big, 1700-1800 mother cows at any one time. That’s where I grew up and while growing up I never heard the term truck gun. It was definitely not a term in common usage in the 60’s, 70’s or 80’s. At least not where I grew up. I never hear the term used by people who live on and work their land even today.

Well my wife is from TX with a large family so I understand you guys are sometimes a little behind. LOL Please tell me you're not a Longhorn Fan.

 

[Dwight Beagle]

Me? Texas A&M class of 1981.
Daughter class of 2013
Father class of 1954
Grandfather head of engineering graphics department from 1941 to 1965.
I’ve always thought my grandfather and his father to be interesting people. All my grandmother would ever say about her family was, “they were a bunch of horse thieves from New Mexico”.

William Dan (W.D.) Street and Josie Cook Street

 

[rookhawk]

All my grandmother would ever say about her family was, “they were a bunch of horse thieves from New Mexico”.

William Dan (W.D.) Street and Josie Cook Street

No offense to your Aggie pedigree but your granny‘s kin sound much more interesting.

 

[Graham Hunter]

Me? Texas A&M class of 1981.
Daughter class of 2013
Father class of 1954
Grandfather head of engineering graphics department from 1941 to 1965.
I’ve always thought my grandfather and his father to be interesting people. All my grandmother would ever say about her family was, “they were a bunch of horse thieves from New Mexico”.

William Dan (W.D.) Street and Josie Cook Street

There is hope!

 

[Dwight Beagle]

No offense to your Aggie pedigree but your granny‘s kin sound much more interesting.

I totally agree. That’s why it was so tantalizing about her family. My grandfather‘s dad was dead long before I was born. My grandmother’s father was around and he was a serious piece of work. His whole career was spent working on the Matador, Spur and 6666’s ranches. I had a couple of VERY interesting experiences with him before I started kindergarten.

 

[WAB]

I totally agree. That’s why it was so tantalizing about her family. My grandfather‘s dad was dead long before I was born. My grandmother’s father was around and he was a serious piece of work. His whole career was spent working on the Matador, Spur and 6666’s ranches. I had a couple of VERY interesting experiences with him before I started kindergarten.

That’s some awesome country. I’ve hunted the matador a number of times. What a place! Those are some good folks that work that country.

 

[Dwight Beagle]

That’s some awesome country. I’ve hunted the matador a number of times. What a place! Those are some good folks that work that country.

Yes.

 

[Clodo Ferreira]

Dwight, about family histories...My first (and only for 20 year...) big game rifle, still in use, was my greatgrandfather's rifle. The 1893 Mauser DWM original sporting 7x57. I inherited the gun from my mother side grandfather. Still in its original blueing.

Best!

 

[rookhawk]

Dwight, about family histories...My first (and only for 20 year...) big game rifle, still in use, was my greatgrandfather's rifle. The 1893 Mauser DWM original sporting 7x57. I inherited the gun from my mother side grandfather. Still in its original blueing.

Best!View attachment 366042View attachment 366043View attachment 366044View attachment 366045View attachment 366046

Glorious rifle, Clodo! It looks like the stock could use some cleaning of the checkering and bit of oil finish rubbed on it. Do you know how to do this yourself?

 

[Clodo Ferreira]

I must add, about it's reliability: As this action was designed specifically for the 7mm Mauser, if I put 5 empty cases in the magazine they can be chambered without any trouble as if they were full cartridges.
My first working rifle!

 

[Clodo Ferreira]

Thank you rookhawk! Yes, I rub some tung oil mixed with bee wax. Nothing else. Works good enough.

 

[Clodo Ferreira]

Some years ago I saw in a collector site (collectiblefirearms if I remember well) a rifle exactly like this one, but with original double set triggers. Some 200 higher serial number....As new!
As can be seen, besides the perfect functioning and performance, the fit and finish of this rifle (the same as in the military Mauser of the era!) leaves most of the famous brands ones far behind...

 

[Fastrig]

Every gun I own is a working gun. Guess that term means the opposite of a “case queen”? Don’t own a case queen, just good solid rifles that get the job they are designed for done. In short, quality tools. Can’t imagine dropping the money on something like a nice Blaser, H&H, Rigby, etc. just to have it sit the gun case so people can look at it and say “Wow!”. All of these rifles are meant to be worked with on the range and in the field. Not doing so is a disservice to them.

 

[Clodo Ferreira]

Hi Fastrig,

Agree! The classic Mausers "made" by Rigby, H&H, Westley Richards, to name only a few, were made as a real tools or working rifles to be used!! They tried to, and sometimes reach the goal in some details, improve the Original Sporting Mausers (and Mannlicher-Schoenauer by the way), mainly because they were "not English made" as put in every gun not made or assembled in the British Empire back then. Today these and other brands became an investment by many but, fortunately, other many use them as real working rifles as should be, not matter the price. Great!

 

[Dwight Beagle]

That is a nice looking rifle Clodo. I would like a 7x57 to go with my 6.5x55.
I have my great grandfather’s Model 1873 he used when he was a Federal Deputy Marshal in Indian Territory. It was made around 1887. When I was a child my grandmother kept it in an oily sock and once a year we got to shoot it, five rounds for each of the four grandsons. It has been in a safety deposit box since I inherited it in 1978. I keep saying I’ll go to the bank and take a picture of it. Maybe I will one of these days.

My other most prized possession burned in a barn fire 30 years ago, a Donaho breaking saddle with huge suicide forks.

 

[shark_za]

You know that rifle that comes out when its time to show off around the camp fire.
Not that one.
The one you took the Kudu with while resting against the ant heap. The one with the thorn scratches on the stock and the flat spot on the bottom where you fell when the Warthog ran between your legs in fright.
Maybe that one.