1882 Winchester rifle found in Great Basin National Park

[Shadow]

hmmm I thought that would copy the quote from 1911y

 

[tmschuller]

Awesome picture!! I wondered where my Great- grandpa left that.. I better let them know.. DIBBS

 

[ztnoo]

132-year-old rifle found leaning on tree in Nevada park

Rusted, 132-year-old Winchester rifle found against tree in Nevada national park | Fox News

 

[yote hunter]

I can't believe that in a 132yrs that the tree didn't claim the barrel... Meaning the barrel didn't grow into the tree after all them years.... Strange !!!

 

[calcot7]

Winchester 73

How long could it have been there? In reality it may have only been leaning against that tree for 20 years. Probably more but who knows. Some kid could have taken Great Grandpa's antique, mint condition, Winchester 73 out hunting much more recently than what many are implying.

Wouldn't the tree have grown around the rifle to some extent. I know the trees around my house grow around things.

 

[Whosyer]

Cool find, and story......but, just because the rifle is 130 years old, doesn't mean it's been there that length of time.

 

[1911ly]

Dupe

https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...er-rifle-found-great-basin-national-park.html

Actually a triple. It was brought up at least one more time last night.

 

[halfmileharry]

Dude probably got lost like Amelia Earhart and couldn't remember where he left it.

 

[DragonGunner]

Cool find, and story......but, just because the rifle is 130 years old, doesn't mean it's been there that length of time.

I said that when I first saw the picture. I clicked on the link on Facebook….lots of good stories….one guy said he found a old rifle a few years ago leaning up against a tree. He wondered why someone one leave it. He started scouting around and found a human skeleton with a moose skelton and its antlers against the human skeleton. He figured a hunter shot the moose, thought it was dead and leaned up the gun and then moose with last of its life charged and killed him.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

LOL Have you ever found any animal remains after they have died --years latter ?
There are lots of stories of hunters shooting game and leaning their rifles up against a tree and gutting the animal and cut it up ,back it out ,to find they forgot their rifle , then go back and cant find the spot they were at .. Yes I know it sounds funny /strange , but stranger things have happen .

That makes sense. Yeah, I doubt there'd be an entire skeleton lying about...maybe about all they'd find is a few bone fragments. The hunting thing makes sense as well. We don't know when that gun was left there but whoever left it, you'd imagine that would represent a fair amount of money to them--I would have to imagine you'd be pretty intent on something else to go off and leave something of value behind.

We'll likely never know...but it is interesting to think about.

 

[jamil]

That's exactly what I told my wife as I was telling her about this story.

I'm pretty sure the poop has long returned to dust. Seems like the former owner found a great spot.

This thread was first.

This thread is better.

 

[Lebowski]

 

[smittygj]

You would be amazed at how the high desert can preserve things. I was stationed at Fallon, NV back in the 90's and found a silver mine that looked like it had been mined yesterday but newspapers found inside dated to the 70's. Found unblasted dynamite, det cord, blasting caps, etc. Took Navy EOD out to the site a few weeks later and they demo'ed the stuff to make it safe. The high desert will preserve things better than you would expect.