Winchester found in NP

[Hoss]

They found a 132 year old Winchester leaning against a tree out in the Great Basin

http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/outposts/post/132-year-old-winchester-found-national-park

[Kyflintguy]

That's pretty darn awesome!  I would expected it to be in worse shape but I guess the dryer less humid climate kept it intact  :dunno: would be interesting to metal detect that surrounding area, if that was left who knows what else may be laying around  :dunno:

[Hoss]

I find it very interesting they have records showing what year that rifle was made. My uncle left a shotgun leaning against a tree in Maine one time and he could never find it again. There is some might big country in some areas.  I wonder if anyone ever found that shotgun that was back around 91 or so.

[Kyflintguy]

What gets me is,  in those days your livelihood depended on that gun, that probably costed several weeks~ pay.... makes me wonder what would have happened for that to just get left and forgotten  :dunno: I myself have got up and took a couple steps away and been like "oh wait" reaching back to grab my gun in a very similar position.  But I've never completely forgot.... but I guess it happens from time to time :dunno:

[Kyflintguy]

Back when I worked as a Millwright at a sawmill in Ky , I saw and heard of lots of crazy stuff end up coming out of the center of big hardwood trees, mostly rail road stakes,  horseshoes, axe heads and picks , these items did a number on those massive band saws,  but one day it was an old shot gun completely grew up inside a massive white oak. Didn't get to see the gun incident myself,  but from what I heard
It destroyed gun and saw both.

[SDhunter]

That is really cool.  Makes a guy wonder what happened to the owner and why was it left behind.  Many possibilities I guess.

[2ndoldman]

Hoss thank you for the link. A find like that is pretty rare and I'm with you on hitting the whole area with a detector. :woohoo:

[painshill]

That would be old Jeb's gun, I reckon. Left it right there before he took a knap under the shade of that tree. Just after he uttered those immortal words: "Bears? There ain't no bears round these parts, sonny."

[Mainejman]

Well hoss I bet your uncle was pissed.A shotgun is a very personal item.I only had one shotgun.Such an event would have put me out of commission for awhile..I would guess a man getting permanently separated from his gun in those days had a significant meaning and probably not a good one.....mjm

[painshill]

Winchester 1873 in the Kingman, Arizona historical museum:

[picture from Cemetery's Gun Blob blog-site]
Mannlicher Carcano rifle from a battle site in Russia relating to the siege of Leningrad during WWII:

[picture from Alexander Ostapenko’s VKontakte social media account]

[sneakygroundbuzzard]

awesome link,thanks for posting it
  a rifle back then was not only a needed item,but an expensive one too
the article stated that it dated back to the era of the gold rush
so my guess is that the owner of that rifle was carrying his finds out of the area,sat down to take a rest or maybe grab a bite to eat
some other guys with bad intentions knew of his gold find and had been following him
when the guy leaned his rifle up against the tree and sat back to rest the other guys attacked and killed him
they grabbed the gold and left,leaving he rifle behind

[2ndoldman]

sneakygroundbuzzard wrote:

awesome link,thanks for posting it
  a rifle back then was not only a needed item,but an expensive one too
the article stated that it dated back to the era of the gold rush
so my guess is that the owner of that rifle was carrying his finds out of the area,sat down to take a rest or maybe grab a bite to eat
some other guys with bad intentions knew of his gold find and had been following him
when the guy leaned his rifle up against the tree and sat back to rest the other guys attacked and killed him
they grabbed the gold and left,leaving he rifle behind

That is very possible as the rifle may have been recognized but the gold would not.