what's the coolest historical firearms related thing you've done

Either organizing and running four regional historic blackpowder arms shoots (1399 - 1894; we had one whole organized platoon of Civil War reenactors at one) or one of two special museums...

The Armouries in Leeds, UK, where I've been a few times (already mentioned by someone) and where I took a hands-on class with the armorers on Napoleanic weaponry, or,

The Frasier Museum (formerly the International Museum of Military History or something) which is now the US branch of the UK Armouries! This is a truly special place in Louisville and you need to be there for a minimum of two days to see as many of the living history vignettes as possible.
 
Mr egor20, in the photo from the Imperial War Museum, what is the reddish object in the middle on the blue platform, just to the right of the French 75? It looks like a rusty car body.
 
Reading all these interesting stories woke up an old and dormant memory of mine. When I was a little kid (I'll guess at 8ish years old) the family, which consisted of the grandparents and all the way down to my younger siblings, would drive out in the country on Sundays to the plantation home of relatives. My 'uncle', who was really a distant cousin, was the 'high sheriff' of the Louisiana parish we lived in. He had a gun collection and I was allowed free access to play with any and all of it (no bullets). He had a ton of pistols and WWII German MP40's and US M3 Grease guns and a Thompson, and Civil War rifles, swords and bayonets. The Civil War gear came from what my 98 year old aunt said was "the cavalry fight with the Yankees that was down the road from here". I guess she was about 8 years old when the Yankee cavalry came to town. We were south of Vicksburg, and I guess the Yankees were from the bunch that crossed the Mississippi river at Hard Bargain Plantation (I think that was the plantation) and attacked Vicksburg from the south. And out if front of the old plantation house, in the Azaleas, were two moonshine stills that the Uncle and the Feds confiscated during Prohibition. And according to Grandma, there was a small and still functioning moonshine still up on the 3rd floor (attic). Thanks to you guys from bringing that memory and others back to me. You can guess that we weren't fond of Yankees back then. I thought I was over that, but my youngest grandson plays baseball and wouldn't ya know it....he plays for the Yankees. I will not wear the baseball cap he gave me. I just can't do it. I hope you Yankees on the forum will forgive me for that. I am wearing a Boston Red Sox cap, so I'm getting better.:D

Grandma always said, with a laugh, that "the war isn't over, we're just behind right now".
 
My wife's great-great-grandfather (give or take a great) was adjutant general of the Confederate Army. He had previously been adjutant general of the U.S.Army, and had worked for Davis, who was Secretary of War. His name was Samuel Cooper and he was from New York. He married George Mason's granddaughter. All of which is irrelevant but it reminded me of something.

In my hometown in West Virginia in the 1950s, there must have been some well-heeled gun collectors. Once a year some of the stores along the main street (which was named Mercer Street) and which are all gone now, would display old guns in their windows. Most were Civil War or earlier pieces, including many Pennsylvania/Kentucky rifles. Can you imagine such a thing now?
 
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the John Browning museum in Ogden, Utah yet. Stopped there for an hour or so on my way through, definitely going to go back.
 
Doesn't have anything to do with museums, but, I'd have to say my current project of building a Winchester 94 .25-35 on a receiver manufactured in 1917 is definately it.

But I don't get out much:D
 
Looked like Dilbert already mentioned it, but had gone to the Browning museum passing through Utah. A lot of history there.
 
My coolest firearms experience

Lots of good memories -- including seeing many of the places mentioned by others on this thread. I use my photo from the ridge at the Little Bighorn battlefield as wallpaper on my phone.... But my favorite firearms memory is from when I was a young teen. I convinced my Sunday School teacher, who, with several other volunteer ladies, took care of the Fort Smith, Arkansas museum, to let me dust off and clean the firearms for them. I got to handle a Hall breechloader, many trapdoor Springfields, and a whole bunch of other firearms as I worked -- very carefully-- on them. I also identified them for the ladies, who didn't know what they were, or from what periods of history. Now the museum is divided into the National Park Service Historical site which includes the national U.S. Marshals' Museum, and the city museum. They are all nicely and professionally managed, and still include some of the firearms I fondled many decades ago.
 
akguy, I live near Seattle and I have been to that Davis Museum twice. You live in the same town and have only been twice :eek:

I had to drive once from OK City and once from Wichita, to visit it. And the drive was as worth it both times. The drives were nice too, as I was new to that part of the USA.

Bart Noir
 
BlueTrain, about that museum in London and your question....

I took off my glasses, leaned into the monitor, squinted, cleaned off noseprints from the monitor, and have figured it out.

That is a mock WW1 trench and the visitors get to throw fake grenades back and forth at each other. The loser is the one holding it when the timer goes off with a 'beep'!

Bart Noir
Who thinks that place has changed since he was there in the middle '80s.
 
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