Since two different people recently asked me why anyone would buy a non-firing gun that couldn’t be made to fire, I thought it was a fair question that deserved an answer. Here are four reasons why:
(1) There are many legal restrictions on the sale of real guns.
You just can’t buy a “real” gun, or you can’t buy the one you want in many cases, because there are restrictions on buying them in many countries, and even some states or municipalities in the United States. Non-firing replica guns are legal to purchase and possess without restriction in most of the United States and in many countries around the world, and do not require any type of license or permit. If you want a firearm to protect life and property or to use for hunting and target shooting, obviously the non-shooting type doesn’t make sense. But what if you just want a classic .357 Magnum with an 8-inch barrel to display as part of a collection, or perhaps the fancy Walther PPK, like the one used by James Bond in the movies? Except in relatively few places where “modern” replica firearms are banned due to their realistic appearance, you could buy a fully realistic, non-firing replica of any of those classic handguns.
(2) Non-firing replicas can be safely displayed in your home or office.
Non-firing replicas do not fire and cannot be retrofitted to do so. Their barrels have metal plugs inside, and while they are made of metal that approximates the weight and height of a real gun, they are not made of the kind of high-strength steel needed to withstand the pressure and hot gases of a charge of gunpowder. Also, the chambers and clips are non-standard sized so that real bullets won’t fit into them, as an added security measure.
As long as they are handled sensibly by responsible adults displaying them as collectibles or using them in re-enactments, living history presentations, or motion picture productions, they are completely safe. “Safe” means that if you want to practice your Western rapid fire in front of a mirror, you won’t accidentally shoot yourself in the foot with a Colt .45 replica! If you really want to unleash your inner Wyatt Earp, grab yourself a frock coat, brocade waistcoat, and replica Tombstone Marshal insignia, and join one of the many quick draw groups in the US and other countries and test your raffle against other would-be “gunfighters”.
“Handle them sensibly” means that because they look so authentic, you don’t take them out in public and wave them around where a cop or someone else might mistake them for the real thing and shoot you. Of course, they should also be kept out of the reach of children, for the same reason, and also because the loading mechanisms and other moving metal parts on a quality replica can pinch or crush little fingers.
(3) Real vintage firearms are often hard or impossible to find and cost much more.
Despite the number of them that were captured and brought to the United States during both world wars, it is hard to find an actual Luger P08 Parabellum for sale. An extensive internet search turned up only two for sale, priced at US$3,107 and US$6,214. A search for an actual Mauser C96 Broomhandle turned up only one, and it was US$3,650.
If you go back even further in time to look for an original 1861 Navy Colt, you can certainly find them, but be sure to bring your checkbook! At a recent online auction, a brand new 1861 Colt Navy, still in the wooden presentation case with powder flask and other accessories, sold for over a million dollars! Of course, the Colt had belonged to the commanding officer at Fort Sumter at the outbreak of the Civil War, which surely increased its value, and you can certainly find 1861 Navy Colts selling for much less than that. But unless the gun has never been fired (which probably puts it in the high cost category), it probably wouldn’t be prudent or safe to try to fire it, since it would be impossible to determine the condition of the internal parts, how it works. has been maintained, etc. So when it comes to vintage guns, just because you bought a “real” one doesn’t mean you can shoot it, and anything in perfect shooting condition is going to be expensive.
Vintage rifles, like the 1860 Henry with an octagonal barrel (like the one used by Quigley in the movie “Quigley Down Under”) are almost impossible to find. Even a modern, shot reproduction of the 1860 Henry sells for around $3,000 USD.
Realistic non-firing replicas of these same historic weapons cost a small fraction of what you might expect to pay for the real thing. Best of all, ‘rare’ and ‘scarce’ are not a problem. Everything from the elusive P-08 Luger to an American Revolutionary War Brown Bess Musket is easy to find, at a price affordable for almost any budget.
(4) Quality non-firing replicas are historically authentic and have working mechanical parts.
A quality non-firing replica is the closest thing to a “real” gun. They have the weight, weight, and handling “feel” of a real gun, everything but the punch and bullet. When we say “quality,” we don’t mean those bits of plastic resin molded and painted to look like a gun. Quality replicas are made of metal, and in the case of models with wooden grips or trim, it will be real, oiled and polished wood (usually walnut) like a real pistol. The “ivory” or “pearl grip” grips will likely be a polymer imitation, but in look, feel, and action, replicas will closely resemble the original item, right down to the action of the actual moving parts in the loading mechanisms and Shooting.
Hammers the hammer and strikes the chamber with an audible “click” when the trigger is pulled. Clips snap in and drop (you can even get dummy “bullets” to load on some models). The cylinders rotate and/or rotate out, depending on the model. AK-47 assault rifle replicas can be disassembled and cleaned in the field just like the real thing, and for that reason they are often used for training. . A quality replica is heavy and has the weight, look, and feel of a real weapon. How cool would it be to display a realistic replica of Wild Bill Hickock’s engraved 1851 Navy Colt on your desk, or hang a realistic copy of Dan’l Boone’s famous Kentucky rifle on your wall? You can find a replica of almost any famous pistol or rifle with a quick internet search. Non-firing replica guns make great conversation pieces and a piece of history you can hold in your hands.