1873 Winchester found leaning against a tree in Great Basin National Park, Nevada

15 January 2015, 22:26

ZekeShikar

Yep, cool find.
I'll bet someone was angry when they realized they forgot to pick up their rifle.
I accidentally left my rifle on the other side of the Arkansas River in Colorado. I had to re-inflate the boat and paddle across the next morning to retrieve it. Duh!
Zeke

16 January 2015, 02:35

Use Enough Gun

I was with a friend a few years ago hunting mule deer south of the Great Basin National Park here in Nevada and he found a Winchester 30-30. Not an old one, but it had been lost we figured a couple of weeks. No one ever claimed it and my friend made all kinds of efforts at trying to locate the actual owner.

17 January 2015, 08:03

D Humbarger

Very interesting. As They say, if it could only talk.

17 January 2015, 22:22

900 SS

http://www.zeiss.com/sports-op...scope-in-norway.html

18 January 2015, 17:14

Clayman

That's amazing! What a neat find, and I'm glad to see the park took extra-special historical care of the rifle. All kinds of questions come to mind...

That reminds me of the time I was hunting with my father in Wyoming for elk and we stopped at a lookout point in the field to glass. It was the kind of point that would serve as an ideal crow's nest for taking shots at animals. He looked down and saw a cartridge case sitting there, brittle and gray from the ages. Turned out to be an old, old 40-70 or 40-72 case (I can't specifically remember which one). He carefully picked it up and packed it back. We still have it today. Just makes me think of a frontier hunter sitting on the cliff taking a distant shot at an elk!

18 January 2015, 20:30

Steve E.

Many many years ago (back in the late 70's) when I was still living in Mississippi my friend Rex Long and I were Deer hunting deep in the woods miles from any road and found an old S&W style top break revolver stuck barrel first in the side of a dirt bank which had washed out a foot or two so it must have been buried to begin with. Too rusted to see a name but you could almost make out a bit of nickel (maybe). Chambers were loaded. As said before if it could only talk.

Steve..........

18 January 2015, 20:47

cal30 1906

Very interesting find, I'm envious.

Cal30

If it cant be Grown it has to be Mined! Devoted member of Newmont mining company Underground Mine rescue team. Carlin East,Deep Star ,Leeville,Deep Post ,Chukar and now Exodus Where next? Pete Bajo to train newbies on long hole stoping and proper blasting techniques.
Back to Exodus mine again learning teaching and operating autonomous loaders in the underground. Bringing everyday life to most individuals 8' at a time!

18 January 2015, 22:47

Atkinson

Bob Baily, former sheriff of El Paso Texas and Juan Escontrias, one a sheriff and the other a infamous rogue but really a likable fellow. were riding across the salt flats in their cowboy youth and got off their horses and crawled up on a salt mound to eat lunch. The found a skeleton of a man and a cap and ball six shooter in his hand with 3 fired shots and two loaded rounds..It was totally rusted however. Bob had still had that gun and maybe the skeleton (who knows) last time I saw him. Juan told me Bob wouldn't let him have the gun!
What a find...You can conjure all mannor of how the man and gun got there, Indians? Mexican bandits? a posse? who knows but it had to be a story worth a read for sure.

25 January 2015, 06:26

Snellstrom

quote:
Originally posted by Clayman:
That's amazing! What a neat find, and I'm glad to see the park took extra-special historical care of the rifle. All kinds of questions come to mind...

That reminds me of the time I was hunting with my father in Wyoming for elk and we stopped at a lookout point in the field to glass. It was the kind of point that would serve as an ideal crow's nest for taking shots at animals. He looked down and saw a cartridge case sitting there, brittle and gray from the ages. Turned out to be an old, old 40-70 or 40-72 case (I can't specifically remember which one). He carefully picked it up and packed it back. We still have it today. Just makes me think of a frontier hunter sitting on the cliff taking a distant shot at an elk!

I have a similar story!
Up in the Piceance Creek country of Colorado I walked out on a point that was an excellent place to watch where several gullies came together right at your feet, I looked down as I often do and right there was a crusty old cartridge case in 40/82.
5 or 6 miles away from there but in very similar terrain I glassed from a place where deer or elk would be funneled together to come out of a canyon. Looking down at my feet I find an arrowhead. Great feeling knowing that the last person to touch it could have been 5-10,000 years ago and he was doing the very same thing I was doing!
I've never found a rifle but often daydreamed of it.