I'm not a collector, but I ended up with a firearm that is more of a collector piece than a shooter through no fault of my own.
It is a Colt 1903 Pocket Hammer in .38ACP (NOT .380ACP) that has been handed down three generations in my family.
It's in perfect working condition, as far as I can tell, but has some finish wear as the original owner actually carried it. I believe it has been refinished, so that probably really hurts any collector value although that's moot as I won't sell it, it will be passed down again at some point.
It is possible to get .38ACP ammo (not right now, but once the panic calms down) although it's pretty expensive. Expense isn't a big issue as I don't plan to make a habit of shooting the gun.
I do think it would be interesting to take it to the range as an experiment. I would like to know how it shoots and find out how accurate it is. Also, I just think it would be neat to fire a gun my great-grandfather fired many decades ago.
So, is curiosity enough of a reason to shoot a 100 year old gun that wasn't known for being an especially robust design--and in the caliber that was the maximum it could handle?
I'm not overly worried about an "unintentional disassembly event", but I guess that's a consideration in the back of my mind.
Also, does anyone have experience with one of the companies below that loads .38ACP? Obviously none of the big name manufacturers stock it, but it is available from a number of smaller companies.
https://www.buffaloarms.com/38-auto-38-acp-ammunition-124-grain-fmj-box-of-50-amo38auto
https://shop.ammo-one1.com/product.sc?productId=220
https://www.grafs.com/catalog/product/productId/11948
It is a Colt 1903 Pocket Hammer in .38ACP (NOT .380ACP) that has been handed down three generations in my family.
It's in perfect working condition, as far as I can tell, but has some finish wear as the original owner actually carried it. I believe it has been refinished, so that probably really hurts any collector value although that's moot as I won't sell it, it will be passed down again at some point.
It is possible to get .38ACP ammo (not right now, but once the panic calms down) although it's pretty expensive. Expense isn't a big issue as I don't plan to make a habit of shooting the gun.
I do think it would be interesting to take it to the range as an experiment. I would like to know how it shoots and find out how accurate it is. Also, I just think it would be neat to fire a gun my great-grandfather fired many decades ago.
So, is curiosity enough of a reason to shoot a 100 year old gun that wasn't known for being an especially robust design--and in the caliber that was the maximum it could handle?
I'm not overly worried about an "unintentional disassembly event", but I guess that's a consideration in the back of my mind.
Also, does anyone have experience with one of the companies below that loads .38ACP? Obviously none of the big name manufacturers stock it, but it is available from a number of smaller companies.
https://www.buffaloarms.com/38-auto-38-acp-ammunition-124-grain-fmj-box-of-50-amo38auto
https://shop.ammo-one1.com/product.sc?productId=220
https://www.grafs.com/catalog/product/productId/11948