If you own an antique gun, you want to proudly display it. A gun display case with glass is one of the most impressive ways to show off your antique firearm while keeping it safe.
While we’re proud of our concealed gun storage cabinets, we also make beautiful curios and gun display cabinets with clear or etched glass. A small corner gun cabinet made of natural oak, maple, or cherry will showcase your antique gun while it’s kept in storage.
Let’s look at antique gun display case options and how to store an antique firearm.
What Makes a Gun an Antique?
The ATF and the National Firearms Act defines an antique firearm as any gun “not intended or redesigned for using rimfire or conventional centerfire ignition with fixed ammunition and manufactured in or before 1898 …and also any firearm using fixed ammunition manufactured in or before 1898, for which ammunition is no longer manufactured in the United States and is not readily available in the ordinary channels of commercial trade.”
(More details and examples of antique firearms here.)
How to Authenticate an Antique Rifle or Other Gun?
The NRA Antique Firearm Condition Standards are the most widely used standards for grading the condition of a firearm. You’ll need to first determine your rifle’s condition. It could range from poor to factory-new.
You can view the NRA Antique Firearm Condition Standards here. An antique rifle in excellent condition will have all its original parts in the original configuration.
Also, the percentage of original finish (blued guns and nickel guns) plays into a firearm’s authentication. An antique gun must have more than 80% of its original finish to be labeled as “excellent,” yet it can still be authenticated as an antique with lower percentages of its original finish.
We recommend you find a reputable appraiser who specialized in antique firearms.
Checklist for Antique Gun Storage
We offer the following tips to care for your gun prior to storing it:
- Make sure the environment is stable and free of humidity.
- Wear cotton gloves to help maintain any bluing on the gun.
- Make sure the gun is clean and free from rust. Learn how to prevent gun rust in storage.
A Display Cabinet for Gun Storage
A handcrafted wooden gun cabinet from USA Gun Cabinets is a one-of-a-kind piece of furniture. From long wall gun cabinets to smaller gun bookcases, we have various styles available.
We can customize your wall gun cabinet with options like LED lighting, antiqued distressing, etched glass display windows, and more. A security lock comes standard on your wall gun cabinet.
An antique gun deserves a custom cabinet. Contact us to learn more about our handcrafted gun displays.
Our Amish-made gun display cabinets provide attractive storage for up to 20 guns and can be custom-made to suit your needs. We can add mounts within a cabinet to better display long rifles and muskets, along with smaller guns and handguns. Drawers and cabinets provide safekeeping for ammunition.
