Silver Bullets, Golden Guns
Silver bullets have figured in legends, TV shows and movies for years. The Lone Ranger, a hero from the early days of TV, fired silver bullets as symbols of justice and honor. Golden guns have been the stuff of legend too. One example? In the film “The Man with the Golden Gun,” an evil assassin named Scaramanga, who packs a golden gun, is trying to shoot James Bond.
Here at Specialty Metals, we'll recycle The Lone Ranger's silver bullets, silver belt buckle, and silver plated revolver – but we draw the line at his horse, Silver. Hi-yo, Silver, away!
Are there really silver bullets and gold guns that you should be on the lookout for? Can you find some in antique stores or for sale online, buy them at low prices, and recycle them profitably with us? Let’s take a closer look.
Silver Bullets
Over the years, people have made silver bullets that can really be fired. The chances of finding them is pretty small today. But if you go looking, you are going to find something quite different – solid silver bullion bars molded to look like rifle bullets. Bullion dealers sell them as investments alongside silver bullion bars and coins.
Why are the popular? It’s anybody’s guess, but if you want to, you can buy a box of solid silver bullets that are modeled after the Winchester .308 bullet, one of the most popular hunting cartridges. Again, they are silver investments, not real ammunition.
Golden and Silver Guns
For centuries, people who love firearms have been decorating rifle stocks and pistol handles with silver and gold inlays. Pistols, shotguns and rifles with gold and silver-plated working parts are not uncommon either. Sometimes only the barrel is plated with gold or silver. We even saw one old pistol not long ago that had a gold-plated trigger.
But remember that because gold and silver are soft, malleable metals, they are not suited for use in durable firearm components like barrels, cylinders, triggers or other working parts. So if you find a firearm with visible surfaces that look like silver or gold, they are only plated.
Silver Holsters and Accessories
It’s interesting to note that there is more silver to be found on decorated holsters and belts than there is in guns themselves. That logically brings us to the topic of Western clothing, where silver is widely used in jewelry, hat bands, boots, and more. We’ll write a future post about recycling silver from Western clothing, so be on the lookout for it.
Now It’s Up to You
Your “homework” after reading today’s post is to keep an eye out for guns and related items that could contain silver or gold. If you buy some of the items we mention in today’s post and want to know what they are worth, give us a call at 800-426-2377 and we will explain how we can test them for you. When you call, be sure to mention today’s post ask about free or discounted shipping to us for testing.
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