Firearms Museums

[TXGunNut]

As awesome as the BBHC is, it's the little local museums along the way that can have the really good stuff.-Don McDowell


(This discussion started on a thread about the history of the 45-120 and I didn't want to hi-jack the thread.)
I won't return to Cody without budgeting 2-3 days for the museum. I spent most of a day in the firearms museum and didn't see all I wanted to. Thought about it every day while I was hanging out in Estes Park. Toured the Little Bighorn Battlefield on that trip as well, half a day was barely enough for a quick walkthru. There's a nice little museum at the battlefield and I suspect quite a few more artifacts are in storage or on display elsewhere.
Closer to home is the XIT ranch museum I wandered into on a recent trip thru the TX panhandle. The one @ Whittington Center in Raton had a nice start last time I was there, looking forward to my next trip.
I think the key to the smaller museums is that the folks who know the most about the displays are available to talk to. Only folks I got to interact with in Cody were cashiers and security folks.
Texas Ranger Museum in Waco is a nice way to spend a day, I'm familiar with some of the folks and events featured there so it was a day well spent.
So, do you have any favorite museums in your neck of the woods...or elsewhere? Mebbe one I've overlooked in my area?

[Chihuahua Floyd]

New Bern, NC has or had a very good War of Northern Agression museum several years back. Good varity of guns, some experimental ones and a uniform used in filming Gone With the Wind.
CF

[DLCTEX]

Claremore, Ok. has the J M Davis gun museum, very good one.

[starmac]

I am not a real big museum person, but I would say the Texas rangers hall of fame (I believe it is called) is by far my favorite, that I have been to. I have been through it twice, once in 84 and again around 01 and it had changed enough that it was well worth a day both times.

[GOPHER SLAYER]

The Frank Phillips musuem just outside Bartelsville Ok. is the place to go if you are a Colt fan. The collection was put together by Frank's nephew. There is at least one of each Colt pistol that was in production as well as many other fine cased and engraved pistols. There are also many fine rifles on display. Frank Phillps was facinated with the old west and he collected lots of Indian artifacts as well as outlaw and cowboy memoribilia. There is even a chair there that Jesse James sat in while he was hiding out at Bell Star's place, Of course you know I sat in it. There are lots of mounted trophies from Frank's many hunts around the world. The lodge that includes the musuem is located on several hundred acres and there is a wide variety of animals, includeing bison , elk & deer. After you see the Phillips's musuem you can drive a few miles north and see the Tom Mix musuem. One of my regrets of all the musuems I missed as we traveled the USA is the Texas Ranger Musuem in Waco, Texas. I evan walked past Jackson Square in New Orleans, not knowing that there is a great gun collection inside. At my age I don't think I will pass that way again.

[FISH4BUGS]

In Springfield, MA is the Springfield Armory Museum. Woderful dispays but what is REALLY great is the Museum Collection....unfortunately no longer open to the public.
You formerly could take a guided tour of the room (must have been 100x100 easily) with racks and rack of everything Springfield made starting with the original muskets to the latest M16's and beyond. There was oen section dedicated to the Garand, where you saw the first prototype and each tool room variation as they evolved to the final model variation. The same for the M1 carbine....complete with an M2 HB 50 cal "Ma Deuce" new in the shipping crate. The pool of saliva formed beneath my feet on that one. Trap doors, lever rifles, experimentals, etc. all on display.
Every model of every gun ever made by Springfield is there. Many variations showing the evolution of the guns as they were first made in the tool rooms and improved and tested and improved and changed and tested and on and on. Just a wonderful time. They closed the tours because of "safety and security" resons. BS. You can still tour the museum but the best part is no longer open to the public.
If you are ever in that area, stop in. It is free. Even without the Museum Collection it is still well worth the trip.

[Blacksmith]

Here is a link to a photo tour of the Springfield Armory
http://www.pbase.com/mrclark/springfield_armoury_museum

[472x1B/A]

Rock Island Arsenal Museum. This is on the arsenal island at Rock Island Illinois.Lots of Garands, carbines, and .45's. Also developmental models with cut aways. It is free but donations are welcomed. Don't know the hours as we have not been there for 5-6 years. There is an outside display of field and mechanized artillery. ( most of the pices outside were what was made there and tested for the Army )

[JIMinPHX]

This place has an amazing collection of antique firearms, or at least it did 40 years ago - http://www.spacefarms.com/

[runfiverun]

the nra and the smithsonian both have quite a museum.
the cody museum took two days for the entire family to see everything,,,,,everything.
there is a little gun museum there in town [cody] that only has dug up and found guns, that's really cool.
it's in the tourist section of town east of the museum.

[longhorn]

Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum in Canyon, Texas

[TXGunNut]

I'd forgotten about the Davis and Phillips museums in OK, actually planned a trip around those two a few years back. Life got in the way, IIRC. :sad: Tower of London had a rather gruesome collection of weapons, IIRC. If I pass that way again I'd rather tour the Pattern Room, or whatever it's called. An acquaintance toured it years ago as a VIP and he went on for a couple of hours about the things he saw there.

[JeffinNZ]

Best I know of is in Copenhagen, Denmark. Stumbled across it on walkabout one day in 1995. Unbelieveable! 3000 small arms plus SAM's, V1, 16 inch naval gun.

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
THE BBCM in Cody was great, wife & kids could only take 3 hrs. I took them to the campground & went back till closing time.
The John Browning museum in UT. is good.
Many of the castles in Europe have great arms museums. Also all the big cities do as well.:Fire::Fire:

[wilit]

The museum in Cody is awesome. I went there as a kid and was awestruck. I would love to go back now that I know what I'm looking at.

I've heard the Browning museum is great too, but I've never been there. It's definitely on my list of places to go.

Here in California, the heart of the liberal Bay Area is the Littlefield tank collection. They do private tours and it's awesome.

[waksupi]

A friend of mine gave a whiskey distillery museum in Kentucky a collection of 300 first generation Colts a few years ago. Any Kentuckians know which one?

[gmsharps]

The National Firearms museum in Leige, Belgium is a must stop if you are in Europe and the Armor museum in Dresdan Germany is the best Armor and weapons of the period I have seen.

gm

[Olevern]

I haven't been in the museum in Cody since 1965, I understand that the museum received a donation of the entire Winchester collection when Win. sold out years ago, would like to get back to see what it is now.

[schutzen]

Waksupi,

To the best of my knowledge none of the whisky distilleries has a firearms museum.

However, the Fraiser Museum in Louisville is owned by a member of the Forman Family (Jim Beam Distiller). The Fraiser has a very nice collection and is well worth visiting.

The last time I was there (3 years ago), they did not have 300 Colts on display. They did have some very fine Colts and may have been in the process of setting up a Colt display.

[imashooter2]

The US Army Ordnance Museum at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland is excellent!

[Sasquatch-1]

Being a police officer in Wash. D. C. I got to go through the NRA museum when it was located downtown. I am not sure if they moved it or not. The D. C. Police has a quite extensive collection of firearms that are displyed in the basement of police HQ. I think you would need to make friends with a local leo to see that one.

Now if you are ever in D. C. get off the beaten path and go to the Washington Navy Yard. There are a couple of museums there including the Navy Museum and the Marine Corp Combat Art Museum. To give you an idea of what type of weapons they have at the Navy museum, they have the backup bomb casing to the nukes dropped in WW2.

Another stop you might want to make is to the Smithsonian's restoration and storage center in Suitland, Md. which is about 30 minutes outside D. C. This you have to call in advance and make an appointment.

[Blacksmith]

imashooter2


The US Army Ordnance Museum at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland is excellent!

It was great however it is in the process of moving to Fort Lee Virginia.

http://www.ordmusfound.org/

[imashooter2]

imashooter2



It was great however it is in the process of moving to Fort Lee Virginia.

http://www.ordmusfound.org/

Sad news for a guy in the Philly 'burbs.:sad:

[Blacksmith]

Not many firearms but if you want to know how Black Powder was made then Hagley Museum in Delaware is well worth a trip. It is not far from I-95 in Wilmington, DE. The history of the Du Pont Company and restored Black Powder manufacturing facilities.

http://www.hagley.org/

Here is an interactive link to a digital display of the early Du Pont company:
http://www.hagley.org/library/exhibits/brandywine/

[Blacksmith]

For one you might miss in Downtown Baltimore The Walters Art Gallery.
It contains a world class collection of Arms and Armor. The guns are mostly early wheel locks and flintlocks but lots of swords daggers and armor think "Knights in shining armor" type stuff.
http://art.thewalters.org/browse/category/arms-and-armor/?sort=begin_date&order=asc

[imashooter2]

The Philadelphia Art Museum also has a nice room of armor and ornate early firearms. I always love looking at the old armor with the huge gouges in it... I'm pretty sure they didn't come from the maker that way.

[ErikO]

The First Infantry Museum (Cantigny) in Winfield, IL is a great one to see armored vehicles, uniforms and firearms of the Big Red One throughout it's history through to today.

Rock Island, IL has a museum from it's armory days and Rock Island Auctions is there as well.

[Kraschenbirn]

The Fuller Collection, located at the Chickamauga Battlefield, covers U.S. Military smallarms through WW1 and there is a nice assortment of Civil War vintage fieldpieces along the walkway outside the visitor center.

Bill

[missionary5155]

Greetings
Military Museum Danville, ILL. has the old Library to house two floors of extensive weapons and military articles. Open daily and the staff gives guided tours. Covers all US Military time periods. Right now there is a Hall flintlock breachloader dated 1823 on display until I get back in June.
Mike in Peru

[TXGunNut]

Browning museum sounds like it's a "don't miss" for me. I really enjoyed looking at the prototypes and samples on display in the BBHC. One consequence of the acquisition of the Winchester collection is that some displays are now rotated. A buddy has a few rifles there that haven't been on display for awhile. I was unable to gain access to the store room, understand that's a real treat.