Antique Firearms: 14 Pre-1899 Guns You Can Buy Without an FFL

Last updated September 28, 2026

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Antique firearms, in the eyes of federal law, are guns made in or before 1898. That one date turns a Colt Single Action Army, a Winchester 1873 or a Spanish-American War Krag into something the federal Gun Control Act doesn’t treat as a firearm, so an original can ship straight to your door with no FFL and no background check. The National Firearms Act uses a narrower test, and state and local laws can still say otherwise.

This is my list of 14 antique guns worth owning, from the Colt 1860 Army to the Winchester 1897. For each one I’ll show you how to tell a true pre-1899 gun from a later one, if you can still buy ammo for it, and what our dealers were asking when I checked, with a live price card wherever one is for sale.

Antique Firearms at a Glance

Here are all 14 antique guns on this list, what kind of gun each one is, and how to tell an antique one.

Table of Contents

What Makes a Gun an Antique?

Under 18 U.S.C. 921(a)(16), an antique firearm is any firearm manufactured in or before 1898, including matchlock, flintlock and percussion guns. It also covers replicas of those guns that can’t fire conventional fixed ammunition, and modern muzzleloaders designed for black powder that can’t use fixed ammunition. What counts is the date the frame or receiver was made, not the model year stamped on the gun.

That’s why the serial number matters so much with pre-1899 firearms. A Winchester Model 1894 made in 1897 is an antique, and the same rifle made in 1900 is a modern firearm. Here’s how the 14 on this list break down.

Antique status	Guns	What it means for you
Every original is an antique	Colt 1860 Army, Smith & Wesson Model 3 and Schofield, Trapdoor Springfield, Martini-Henry, Turkish Mauser 1893	Buy with confidence, but still confirm it is an original, not a later copy
Antique below a serial number	Colt Single Action Army, Mauser C96, Winchester 1873, 1886, 1892, 1894 and 1897, Krag	Check the serial against the cutoff in the table below
Antique by the date on the receiver	Mosin-Nagant M1891	Look for an 1898 or earlier date under the rear tang

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Antique Revolvers and Pistols

Four handguns from the percussion era to the first successful semi-auto pistols. Two of them, the 1860 Army and the Model 3, are antiques in every original example.

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1. Colt 1860 Army: The Civil War Revolver

• Caliber: .44 percussion, black powder
• Action: Single action, six-shot cap-and-ball cylinder
• Made: More than 200,000, 1860 to 1873
• Antique if: Every original; percussion replicas also count as antiques under federal law

Category	Rating
Collector Appeal	5/5
Shootability	4/5
Easy to Own	5/5

The 1860 Army was the most widely used revolver of the Civil War, and more than 200,000 were made before 1873. The US government bought at least 129,730 of them. Many cavalry troopers early in the war rode into combat with nothing but a saber and a Colt 1860.

Every original is an antique. So is a modern percussion replica, because federal law also covers replicas that can’t fire fixed ammunition. That makes a new Pietta or Uberti 1860 the easiest antique gun you can own, and in many states it ships to your door.

Battlehawk Armory lists Pietta’s case-hardened 1860 Army at $334.47, and Palmetto State Armory has an Old West finish at $434.99. Our best black powder revolvers roundup covers more replicas.

Best For: Shooters who want a legal antique they can shoot with loose powder, ball and caps.

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2. Colt Single Action Army: The Pre-1899 Peacemaker

• Caliber: .45 Colt originally, plus .44-40 and many others
• Action: Single action, six-round cylinder
• Made: From 1873, and Colt still makes it
• Antique if: Serial number below 182,000

Category	Rating
Collector Appeal	5/5
Shootability	4/5
Easy to Own	3/5

The Single Action Army was the standard US Army revolver from 1873 to 1892, and ranchers, lawmen and outlaws carried it across the West. Colt made it without a break until 1941, so the serial number decides which ones are antiques.

The conservative collector’s cutoff is serial number 182,000, and anything below that is a pre-1899 gun. Every antique SAA was built in the black powder era, so have one checked before you shoot it.

New Colts are modern firearms. Bass Pro Shops lists a new one in .357 Magnum at $2,499.99, and Guns.com has one at $3,100.99. Our Colt Single Action Army guide covers how to date one.

Best For: Collectors who want the revolver of the Old West with antique status and papers to prove it.

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3. Smith & Wesson Model 3 and Schofield: The Top-Break Antique

• Caliber: .44 Russian, .45 Schofield, .44 American and others
• Action: Single action, top-break, six-round cylinder
• Made: Model 3 family from 1870
• Antique if: Every original Model 3, New Model No. 3 and Schofield

Category	Rating
Collector Appeal	5/5
Shootability	3/5
Easy to Own	4/5

The Model 3 was the first cartridge revolver the US Army adopted, in 1870, and Major George Schofield’s 1875 version went to the cavalry. Imperial Russia ordered 41,000 of them, and the photo above shows two engraved New Model No. 3s.

The collector reference treats every Model 3, New Model No. 3 and Schofield as pre-1899, because Smith & Wesson made the large top-break frames before 1899. Watch out, though, because most Schofields on the market today are modern Italian copies, and those are not antiques.

Guns.com lists Uberti’s 1875 Schofield reproduction at $1,359.99, and EuroOptic has a 2nd Model in .45 Colt at $1,569.99. Our classic revolvers guide covers the Schofield’s history.

Best For: Collectors who want an antique revolver with no serial-number worries.

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4. Mauser C96 Broomhandle: The Antique Semi-Auto

• Caliber: 7.63 Mauser
• Action: Short recoil semi-auto, 10-round fixed magazine
• Made: More than 1.1 million, 1896 to 1937
• Antique if: Serial number below 15,000

Category	Rating
Collector Appeal	5/5
Shootability	3/5
Easy to Own	2/5

The C96 went into production in 1896, which makes it one of the few semi-automatic pistols that can be an antique. More than 1.1 million were made in all, but only the earliest guns qualify.

The collector cutoff is serial number 15,000, and those early pistols mostly have cone hammers or large ring hammers. The photo above shows an early cone hammer gun. Check the serial yourself, because most C96s for sale are later guns.

When I checked, Guns.com had a Broomhandle on consignment at $1,599.99, with no serial listed. Our Mauser C96 guide covers the variants.

Best For: Collectors who want an antique handgun from the dawn of the semi-auto.

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Antique Lever-Action Winchesters

Winchester’s lever guns are the heart of most antique collections, and every model on this list is made again today. Only the originals under the serial cutoffs are antiques, so learn the numbers before you shop.

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5. Winchester Model 1873: The Gun That Won the West

• Caliber: .44-40 originally; new ones in .45 Colt and .357 Magnum
• Action: Toggle-link lever action, tube magazine
• Made: About 720,000 originals, and made again today
• Antique if: Serial number below 525,923

Category	Rating
Collector Appeal	5/5
Shootability	4/5
Easy to Own	4/5

The 1873 put a pistol-size centerfire cartridge in a lever rifle, so a cowboy’s rifle and revolver could share ammunition. About 720,000 originals were built, and the collector cutoff is serial number 525,923, which covers most of them.

That makes the 1873 one of the most available antique rifles. Originals run from worn shooters to five-figure collector guns, and many left the factory with octagon barrels that collectors check are original.

A new Winchester 1873 is a modern firearm, not an antique. Palmetto State Armory lists a new short rifle in .45 Colt at $1,206.99, and Battlehawk Armory has one at $1,145.33. It’s also on our list of classic American rifles.

Best For: Anyone who wants the rifle of the frontier as a true antique.

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6. Winchester Model 1886: Browning’s Big Bore

• Caliber: .45-70 Government and other big bores
• Action: Browning lever action with vertical locking bolts
• Made: About 160,000 from 1886 to 1935
• Antique if: Serial number below 119,193

Category	Rating
Collector Appeal	5/5
Shootability	4/5
Easy to Own	3/5

John Browning designed the 1886 to handle big black powder cartridges like the .45-70, and its vertical locking bolts made it very strong. About 160,000 were made before 1935, and the cutoff for an antique is serial number 119,193.

Case colors and bluing fade fast with handling, so an antique 1886 with good finish sells at a real premium. The .45-70 is still made everywhere, which makes this one of the most shootable antiques.

Buy a new one and you’re buying a modern gun. Kentucky Gun Co lists a short rifle at $1,281.99, and Sportsman’s Outdoor Superstore has one at $1,319.99.

Best For: Big game hunters and collectors who want an antique that still shoots common ammo.

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7. Winchester Model 1892: The Two-Week Rifle

• Caliber: .44-40, .38-40, .32-20 and .25-20 originally
• Action: Browning lever action, tube magazine
• Made: 1,007,608 from 1892 to 1941
• Antique if: Serial number below 165,432

Category	Rating
Collector Appeal	4/5
Shootability	5/5
Easy to Own	3/5

When Winchester asked John Browning for a stronger pistol-cartridge rifle, he had a prototype working in about two weeks. More than a million 1892s were made before 1941, but only those below serial number 165,432 are antiques.

That’s roughly the first sixth of production, so most 1892s you’ll see are modern guns. Check the serial before you pay antique prices.

A new 1892 carbine is $969.52 at Battlehawk Armory, and Palmetto State Armory has a short rifle at $1,049.99. Both are modern firearms.

Best For: Shooters who want a handy antique lever gun, and new buyers who want the same rifle without the paperwork question.

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8. Winchester Model 1894: The Deer Rifle

• Caliber: .38-55 and .32-40 in 1894, .30-30 from 1895
• Action: Browning lever action, tube magazine
• Made: More than 7 million
• Antique if: Serial number below 147,685

Category	Rating
Collector Appeal	4/5
Shootability	5/5
Easy to Own	3/5

The 1894 launched in black powder calibers like .38-55, and in 1895 it took the new smokeless .30-30. It went on to sell more than seven million, the first sporting rifle to do it.

Only a small slice of that is antique, because the cutoff is serial number 147,685. A pre-1899 Model 1894 in .30-30 is still a practical deer rifle, which is rare among antiques.

New Model 94 carbines in .38-55 are modern firearms. Sportsman’s Warehouse lists one at $1,189.99, and Midway USA has it at $1,197.99. Our Winchester Model 94 review covers the new rifle.

Best For: Deer hunters who want an antique they can still take to the woods.

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Antique Military Rifles

Five service rifles from the black powder era to the first smokeless bolt actions. Some are antiques in every example, and some only up to a date or serial number.

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9. Trapdoor Springfield: The Little Bighorn Rifle

• Caliber: .45-70 Government
• Action: Single shot, hinged trapdoor breechblock
• Made: The national arsenal at Springfield, Massachusetts, from 1873
• Antique if: Every original Trapdoor Springfield

Category	Rating
Collector Appeal	5/5
Shootability	4/5
Easy to Own	4/5

The Model 1873 was the first standard-issue breechloading rifle of the US Army, and its .45-70 rifle load carried 70 grains of black powder behind a 405-grain bullet. It stayed the Army’s standard rifle through the Indian Wars until the Krag replaced it in the 1890s. Custer’s troopers carried the carbine at the Little Bighorn in 1876.

Every original Trapdoor Springfield is an antique, and the .45-70 is still sold everywhere. Feed an original black powder or low-pressure loads made for it, not modern high-pressure lever-gun ammo.

For a shooter without the history, Pedersoli’s reproduction is a modern firearm. Battlehawk Armory lists the carbine at $2,049.51, and Midway USA has the 22-inch rifle at $2,200.99.

Best For: Collectors who want a true antique military rifle they can still shoot.

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10. Martini-Henry: Rorke’s Drift Rifle

• Caliber: .577/450 Martini-Henry
• Action: Single shot, lever-operated falling block
• Made: British service from 1871
• Antique if: Every Martini-Henry

Category	Rating
Collector Appeal	5/5
Shootability	2/5
Easy to Own	3/5

The Martini-Henry entered British service in 1871, combining Peabody’s dropping block, Friedrich von Martini’s improvements and Alexander Henry’s rifling. It’s the rifle of the Zulu War, and the 2nd/24th fired it at Rorke’s Drift in 1879, where 139 British soldiers held off several thousand Zulus.

Every Martini-Henry is an antique. Watch for copies made by Khyber Pass gunsmiths, which even copied the proof marks, and have any rifle checked before shooting it.

None of our dealers had one listed when I checked, so there’s no price card. There was also no loaded .577/450 ammo on our dealers, so plan to handload or buy it as a wall hanger.

Best For: Collectors of British and Victorian military history.

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11. Krag-Jorgensen: America’s First Smokeless Rifle

• Caliber: .30-40 Krag
• Action: Bolt action, side-loading 5-round magazine
• Made: The Springfield, Massachusetts arsenal, 1890s to about 1904
• Antique if: Serial number below 152,670

Category	Rating
Collector Appeal	5/5
Shootability	4/5
Easy to Own	3/5

The Army adopted the Norwegian-designed Krag in the 1890s as its first smokeless-powder rifle, and it served in the Spanish-American War. Its side-mounted magazine can be topped off without opening the bolt.

Only Krags below serial number 152,670 are antiques. The Model 1898 in the photo came later in production, and many 1898s fall above the line.

When I checked, Classic Firearms had a US 1898 Krag for $799.99. Check its serial against the cutoff before you treat it as an antique. There were 21 listings of loaded .30-40 Krag across our dealers.

Best For: Collectors who want the rifle that carried the US Army into the smokeless era.

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12. Turkish Mauser Model 1893: The Antique Mauser

• Caliber: 7.65×53 Mauser; many converted to 8×57 in the 1930s
• Action: Bolt action, 5-round flush magazine
• Made: Ottoman contract rifles from the 1890s
• Antique if: Every Turkish M1893, even ones re-arsenaled in the 1930s

Category	Rating
Collector Appeal	4/5
Shootability	4/5
Easy to Own	3/5

The Model 1893 was the first Mauser with a staggered five-round magazine that fit flush in the stock, and it led to the Swedish Mausers and the Gewehr 98. Spain adopted it in 7×57, and the Ottoman Empire bought its own version in 7.65×53.

Every Turkish M1893 is an antique. That holds even for rifles the Turks rebarreled to 8mm in the 1930s and restamped with the new date, which confuses a lot of buyers.

The Turkish Mausers our dealers had when I checked were 1940s Kirikkale rifles, which are modern, so there’s no card here. There were 11 loaded 7.65×53 listings across our dealers.

Best For: Shooters who want a smokeless bolt-action antique for less money.

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13. Mosin-Nagant M1891: The Hidden Antique

• Caliber: 7.62x54R
• Action: Bolt action, 5 rounds
• Made: From 1891 in Russia and France, and later in the US
• Antique if: Receiver dated 1898 or earlier, marked under the rear tang

Category	Rating
Collector Appeal	4/5
Shootability	5/5
Easy to Own	4/5

The Mosin-Nagant M1891 was Russia’s service rifle, and many of its receivers were made before 1899. Some of those old receivers were later rebuilt into newer models, so a pre-1899 antique can hide in a surplus rifle.

The date that counts is stamped under the rear tang, near the action screw, so you have to take the stock off to see it. The date on top of the chamber is on the barrel, not the receiver.

None of our dealers listed a pre-1899 M1891 when I checked. The 7.62x54R is still made, with 38 loaded listings across our dealers. Our Mosin-Nagant guide covers the later rifles.

Best For: Bargain hunters willing to pull a stock to find an antique.

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An Antique Shotgun

One shotgun made the list, because it’s the easiest antique scattergun to find and still one of the best to shoot.

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14. Winchester Model 1897: The Antique Pump Gun

• Gauge: 12 and 16 gauge
• Action: Exposed-hammer pump action, 5-round tube
• Made: More than a million, 1897 to 1957
• Antique if: Serial number below 63,633

Category	Rating
Collector Appeal	4/5
Shootability	4/5
Easy to Own	3/5

John Browning designed the Model 1897, and Winchester made more than a million before 1957. Only the earliest are antiques, with a cutoff of serial number 63,633, and some sources put it at 64,668, so use the lower number to be safe.

An antique 97 is one of the few antiques you can take into a duck blind. Have the chamber checked first, because many were made for shells shorter than today’s 2 3/4-inch loads.

When I checked, Guns.com had a Model 1897 on consignment at $899.99, with no serial listed. Our WW1 guns list covers the trench gun.

Best For: Hunters who want an antique shotgun they can actually use.

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Antique Serial Number Cutoffs

Here are the cutoffs for all 14 antique firearms on this list, taken from James Wesley Rawles’s widely used pre-1899 antique guns FAQ. Where sources disagree, these are the conservative numbers, so a gun below the line is safely pre-1899.

Gun	Antique if	Where to check
Colt Single Action Army	Below 182,000	Serial on the frame, trigger guard and backstrap
Mauser C96	Below 15,000	Serial on the frame; early guns have cone or large ring hammers
Winchester Model 1873	Below 525,923	Serial on the lower tang
Winchester Model 1886	Below 119,193	Serial on the lower tang
Winchester Model 1892	Below 165,432	Serial on the lower tang
Winchester Model 1894	Below 147,685	Serial on the receiver
Winchester Model 1897	Below 63,633	Serial on the receiver
US Krag-Jorgensen	Below 152,670	Serial on the receiver
Mosin-Nagant M1891	1898 or earlier	Date under the rear tang, not on the barrel
Colt 1860 Army, S&W Model 3 and Schofield, Trapdoor Springfield, Martini-Henry, Turkish Mauser 1893	Every original	Confirm it is an original and not a modern copy

If a gun sits right at the line, get a factory letter or a serial-number reference for that model before you buy it as an antique. Colt letters come from Colt’s own archive, and Winchester letters come from the Cody Firearms Museum in Cody, Wyoming. The date of manufacture is what the law cares about, not the date you see on the barrel.

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Can You Still Shoot Them?

Here’s how many listings of loaded ammo each cartridge had across our dealer network on September 28, 2026, and how many dealers carried it. The Colt 1860 Army isn’t here, because it shoots loose powder, ball and caps.

Cartridge	Guns on this list	Ammo listings	Dealers carrying it
12 gauge	Winchester 1897	6,406	20
.45 Colt	Colt Single Action Army, Schofield reproductions	286	14
.30-30 Winchester	Winchester 1894	280	14
.45-70 Government	Winchester 1886, Trapdoor Springfield	269	15
.44-40 Winchester	Winchester 1873 and 1892 originals	48	12
7.62x54R	Mosin-Nagant M1891	38	12
.30-40 Krag	Krag-Jorgensen	21	10
.38-55 Winchester	Early Winchester 1894	14	7
7.65×53 Mauser	Turkish Mauser 1893	11	6
.45 Schofield	Original Schofields	2	2
7.63 Mauser	Mauser C96	1	1
.577/450 Martini-Henry	Martini-Henry	0	0

The .45-70, .30-30, .45 Colt and 12 gauge antiques are the easiest to feed. The Martini-Henry, the C96 and the original Schofield are wall hangers unless you handload.

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Buying Antique Guns for Sale: What to Check

Buying antique firearms is different from buying a modern gun, and most of the mistakes happen on paperwork, not condition. Most antique guns for sale online come from specialist dealers and auction houses, and a good one lists the serial number up front. Our gun values guide covers the NRA antique condition grades collectors price by.

• Check the serial first. Look it up against the cutoff table before you talk price. A seller calling a gun antique doesn’t make it one.
• Check your state and city. Federal law doesn’t treat a pre-1899 gun as a firearm, but some states and cities do, and some regulate antique handguns. Confirm yours before an antique ships to your door.
• Know original from reproduction. Italian Schofields, Pedersoli Trapdoors and new Japanese-made Winchesters look the part but are modern firearms, and they ship through an FFL like any other gun. Percussion replicas are the exception.
• Watch short barrels. The National Firearms Act uses a narrower antique test, so a pre-1899 cartridge gun with a short barrel can still be an NFA firearm if its ammunition is still made and easy to buy.
• Have it checked before you shoot it. Many antiques were built for black powder cartridges. A gunsmith can tell you if yours is safe to shoot and what loads to use.
• Never refinish one. Original finish and matching numbers are what hold an antique’s value. Our where to buy vintage guns guide covers auctions and dealers that sell them.

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How I Picked These 14 Antique Guns

I picked antiques that collectors want and that you can actually find, then sorted them by how easy it is to prove one is pre-1899. I checked what our 200+ retailers had for sale on September 28, 2026, and most of what they carry are modern reproductions, so each price card says which kind it is.

The legal definition comes from 18 U.S.C. 921(a)(16), and the serial cutoffs from the Rawles antique guns FAQ, with history from published histories of each gun. For rarer collector pieces, see our grail guns list.

Featured image: a scene built around a photo of an original Colt Model 1860 Army by Hmaag, Wikimedia Commons, released under CC BY-SA 3.0.

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The Bottom Line

The easiest of all antique firearms to own is a new Pietta 1860 Army, which counts as an antique under federal law for under $450. For a cartridge antique you can shoot, a pre-1899 Winchester 1886 or Trapdoor Springfield in .45-70 is hard to beat. And for pure history with no serial-number worries, it’s a Smith & Wesson Model 3 or a Martini-Henry.

Frequently Asked Questions