The Other Rifle
- waynedevore
- Moderator
- Posts: 1669
- Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2005 8:42 am
The Other Rifle
We've talked about rusty old Henry rifle. [couple years ago]
The other gun in the pic is a Winchester 30-06.
I was Elk hunting in the Little Belts Mountains central Montana. Just down from the summit South slope I came across this. Just laying there. Kinda a half open area with wind blown White Bark Pine. Nothing else around and at least 2 miles from the trail.
This is a dry area. Wood very slow to rot. The rifle could have laid there for 20 years?
The gun had a 4 power Weaver completely clouded, the leather strap mostly rotted. A live round stuck in the chamber. [from corrosion]
I cleaned the gun up. A gun smith added a couple parts. I put on a different scope and the gun worked. Not good however the barrel badly corroded. So I never shot it again
I wish I would have left the gun as it was.
This one really stumps me, nothing makes sense?
Ideas anybody?
The Pic.
The other gun in the pic is a Winchester 30-06.
I was Elk hunting in the Little Belts Mountains central Montana. Just down from the summit South slope I came across this. Just laying there. Kinda a half open area with wind blown White Bark Pine. Nothing else around and at least 2 miles from the trail.
This is a dry area. Wood very slow to rot. The rifle could have laid there for 20 years?
The gun had a 4 power Weaver completely clouded, the leather strap mostly rotted. A live round stuck in the chamber. [from corrosion]
I cleaned the gun up. A gun smith added a couple parts. I put on a different scope and the gun worked. Not good however the barrel badly corroded. So I never shot it again
I wish I would have left the gun as it was.
This one really stumps me, nothing makes sense?
Ideas anybody?
The Pic.
Re: The Other Rifle
That's a cool story. I wonder if they just flat out lost it. Maybe they downed an animal or got injured and left the gun behind, thinking to come back and get it. Then maybe a snow storm came in and they could not remember exactly where it was left. Did you read my 2009 review story. How I found a whole camp that was left to rot. It does make you wonder. Congrats on a great find.
There's always next year
Re: The Other Rifle
That's spooky all right. I've found a couple of camps that were just left behind. Both had been destroyed by bears by the looks of them. I think the owners of the equipment just left the stuff there in disgust. In the case of the 30-06 rifle you may want to ask the old timers if any hunters were lost in the area (sometimes people just start dropping stuff as they walk especially if hypothermia is a factor) or start looking up old newspaper articles on google.
Mark
Mark
Re: The Other Rifle
Boy... If that gun could only talk, what a story. A number of years ago my brother-in-law was hunting in Utah on horseback, when his brand-new .264 with a camoed stock fell out of it's scaboard. Upon finding it missing, he turned around to look for it, and rode about a mile down the trail,and came upon more hunters riding up. As he was retelling the story to those guy's, they looked down and spotted the rifle laying in the sage. What luck!
Re: The Other Rifle
I'm with Pram-z. There is a good chance that it fell out and they didn't notice in time. Cool find though.
Live to hunt, hunt to live.
Don't argue with an idiot; people watching may not be able to tell
the difference.
Don't argue with an idiot; people watching may not be able to tell
the difference.
Re: The Other Rifle
Ever have the sr# checke to see if it was reported stolen or lost?
- sneekeepete
- Monster
- Posts: 1757
- Joined: Tue Sep 23, 2008 1:15 pm
- Location: Utah
Re: The Other Rifle
Those are both some awesome finds!!! I would check the Ser.# like Nonya said.
SNEEKEEPETE
OIF Vet.
Sgt Petersen USMC
Colossians 1:27,28
OIF Vet.
Sgt Petersen USMC
Colossians 1:27,28
Re: The Other Rifle
Talke to a friend in McDs today that is a sheriff deputy,he said it should have been turned over to the local PD IMMEDIATLY,they would have run a federal/state NCIC search and held it to make sure it hadnt been used in a crime,after a period of time if it hadnt been linked to a crime or claimed by the rightful owner you would have been able to keep it. It would suck to find out you have a murder weapon in your house!
- Springville Shooter
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- Location: Building America
Re: The Other Rifle
Given the circumstances of the find, I bet it was simply a deer and elk murder weapon, NONYA's what-if story would be much more likely if the weapon was a pistol. Look up the stats sometime on how many crimes are commited with a bolt action rifle, right there with the compound bow. I bet if you called the authorities in Utah, they would simply run the serial numbers and tell you to keep it. California authorities would come to your house, search your house, drug test you, then confiscate the rifle while giving you a lecture on how bad guns are. There's my what-if story.-------shooter
"Only accurate rifles are interesting"-----Col. Townsend Whelen
Re: The Other Rifle
givin the guns condition when you found it, i would have done the EXACT SAME THING.
i think it's a pretty cool find now that henry's rifle- that could have been biily-the-kid's rifle, you might get it checked out
i think it's a pretty cool find now that henry's rifle- that could have been biily-the-kid's rifle, you might get it checked out