"Here it is," Jeremiah said as he pulled the gun bag from his closet. As he unzipped it, he kept talking. "My granddaddy bought it at a gun show a few years ago. I wound up with it after he died."
Being something of an amateur shotgun collector known to haunt the clay throwers at my shooting club, Jeremiah had asked me if I would be interested in an old double barrel. Already having enough shotguns to outfit a small nations Olympic trap team and being forbidden to go gun shopping by my better half, I said, "of course."
The shotgun that Jeremiah pulled out and thrust into my hand was a beautiful example of an early Remington 1889 exposed hammer double barrel 12 Gauge break action shotgun. The firearm, more than a hundred years old had a perfect walnut pistol grip stock and forearm. All of the serial numbers matched and everything looked original. The 28" fine twisted Damascus steel barrels had a different choke on each end and were rust free. Everything was great until you looked at the breech and saw that one of the barrels was swollen and bulged out.
"What happened here?" I asked.
Jeremiah shrugged with his palms up, "After granddaddy died we took it and went dove hunting with it. After a few shells that barrel swoll up and did that."
I carefully explained to my friend that the Damascus steel barrels on the century old Remington was designed for paper shells that fired a black powder charge. Modern plastic-hulled shells, if they even fit, are too powerful for the mild steel. What had been a wonderful $500 collector's item was now junk.
What is a Wallhanger?
A true wall hanger is a firearm that is either too unsafe or impractical to shoot, or are worth too much to risk damaging them. Its days as a home defense or sporting piece have come and gone. In short, it is now a decorative piece to hang on the wall or over a mantle. However, in some cases, they can be brought out of retirement.
When is a Wallhanger still a shooter?
Since the first European settlers stepped from their wooden hulled ships onto the continent, there have been firearms. Over the course of those 500+ years, these have been in a constant state of evolution, always growing more powerful, accurate, and lighter. Modern breech loading firearms, made after about 1899, are usually designed from the ground up to use smokeless powder. In fact, although your State and local laws may vary, any firearm with a frame or receiver that actually manufactured before Jan. 1, 1899 is legally "antique" and not considered a "firearm" under Federal law.
Jeremiah's granddaddy's Remington, made before 1899 and designed for black powder, was a bona-fide non-gun under Federal law. It was not designed to handle the pressure of firing smokeless powder shells and he is lucky all it did was swell the barrel and not pepper his face. However, that same shotgun, after a competent gunsmith for any issues inspected it, could have still been put to use with black powder shotgun shells. Goex Black Dawge and Gamebore produce modern factory fresh paper and plastic hulled black powder shells that can be used for small game hunting and clays. They are more expensive than a box of regular shells, but hey, they are specially made for hundred-year-old shotguns with 2 1/2" or 2 9/16" chambers.
Century old rifles, such as old Springfield 1903s, Savage 99s, and Winchester 1895s can still be used provided they are in good shape. I currently have a Remington made M1917 Eddystone 30-06 US Enfield that was manufactured in April 1918 for the US Army. This old soldier has a modern walnut Monte Carlo stock that someone installed in the 1960s, a Redfield scope, and Leupold rings. Even though it is over 90 years old it still shoots remarkably well with off the shelf Hornady ammo and probably will continue to do so for another 90-years.
Of course have your old shotgun or rifle checked thoroughly by a professional and never use overloaded ammunition. If it is up to it, some wall hangers can still put dinner on the table every now and then.
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