Fluke Finds

[andrewdl007]

I was just thinking about the guns I have and how I came by them. I got to an old .22 rifle I own and realized that I came by it somewhat by chance. Its not an expensive rifle, it’s a Marlin Glenfield Model 25, which depending on where you look was manufactured between 1972-83 or 1979-83. Anyway, a neighbor of mine many years back got this rifle from her father when he died, but she was a real anti. She decided she didn’t want the gun so she was going to take it to the Police station to get rid of it. Fortunately, we were good friends with her and her husband who recalled that I liked to shoot, and he recommended that she give the rifle to me. She said that was a good idea and it became the first .22 I ever owned. I know that wasn’t an exceptionally interesting story but I wondered if anyone has a good story about accidentally coming across a good gun. Another story is when my grandmother died, my family was cleaning out her home when I came across a small metal box with a three number combo lock on it. Anyway I was told to see what was in it and when I finally figured out the code (it ended up being the day and month of my grandpa’s birthday) I opened the box and discovered that it was full of old photos (1930s and 40s that my grandpa had taken of cars he liked), and at the bottom of the box was a French .32 pistol that was a bring back from WWII when my grandfather served in the 20th Armored division. The pistol and the photos were a wonderful find since my grandfather had died over 20 years earlier before I was even born. Hopefully some of you all out there have great stories as well.

 

[possom813]

I found a bolt action .410 in a rent house that my parents owned. The man that we were renting to moved into a retirement center courtesy of his kids. I asked the daughter what she wanted to do with what was in the house and got a pretty rude, "do whatever the h--- you want with it, I don't care". Later her husband came by and I asked him about the stuff that was left and he told us to sale it or whatever, they didn't care, so I got me a free .410...

About 5 years ago when the wife and I were living in Mabank we had a neighbor that was a little crazy, not too bad. If something bad happened in the neighborhood his place was the first place the officers came to because he usually knew who did what. For this, they left him alone and didn't arrest him when they came up and he was smoking marijuana. Anyways, he was out around the lake where it had gone way down one summer and found a rusted up Tommy Gun. The mag had rusted through the bottom, the action was frozen solid, and there was a stovepipe jam still caught in it. I offered to clean it up for him, but he liked it the way it was.

-John

 

[theotherwaldo]

One of my stranger finds was a ruined Vickers MG that was sticking out of a berm along the banks of the Black Warrior River, a few miles upstream of the University of Alabama. A long-defunct steel plant had been mostly pushed into the river and this was in the rubble.

It was too heavy to put in my kayak, so I just left it. Who knows, it could still be there.

 

[Vaarok]

Got a matching-but-bolt 1905 Gew98 at an estate auction for $107 after tax once.

 

[rainbowbob]

Gun #1:
A good friend had a Remington .22 rifle that had a broken part. He "gave" it to me for $40...the part cost $100...I added a scope for another $40. It's a tack driver and fun to shoot. I hope to teach my grandson with it in a few years (if I can get past his "anti" Mom - my daughter).

Gun #2:
Another good friend gave me an H&R .22 single action with an additional mag cylinder. Another fun shooting tack driver.

Gun #3:
Applied for my CPL and wondered how I would afford a good carry gun. Two weeks later I was helping my brother and sister-in-law clean out my elderly uncle's apartment when we found a beautiful Chief's Special, an S&W.38 snubby. They are both antis and practically freaked out! I took care of it for them.

 

[garymc]

A friend of mine was taking out his canoe from a stream under a bridge and saw something that looked like leather just under the edge of the water. It was a cowboy holster with a Ruger 22 in it. Great find, but sad, because it was inscribed "to Dad from Billy" or vice versa or some other name, I can't remember. It had apparently not been in the water for long and just needed cleaning. I think he had the police check and it wasn't reported lost or stolen. This same guy cleared some bushes for some elderly lady and wouldn't accept pay, so she insisted that he take the old Stevens pistol in .32 she had been wanting to get rid of. I believe it was made in 1907. My luck is that when a relative passed away, his widow offered to sell me his shotgun for more than it was worth.

 

[meinbruder]

Re: Flike Finds

I’m not sure if one would say I found it so much as took advantage of a sucker. My Brother in Law, Mr. Get Rich Quick, dreamed up his latest instant million dollar scheme some years back and let slip he was selling off a list of firearms to finance it. I immediately sent him the requested $700 for one of the items on the list. Picked it up a few months latter, along with a bag of extras; a pristine M1a with a list of upgrades from Springfield Armory. At the time the rifle had a value of two large thanks to the AWB.

Da Bianhua
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[Gingerbreadman]

I was at a small rural gunshow and was getting ready to leave when I noticed some AR-15 2-stage triggers on a table. I went over there and asked if they had entire lower parts kits (since they were the only table that had anything EBR-ish). The guy at the table told me that they didn't. It was just then that I noticed an old Mauser laying between some boxes of scopes and some other junk. The price tag said "80 00." I figured that it either meant $80 and I didn't see the decimal, or it was $8,000. If it was going for $8,000, I wanted to know why. It turns out it was $80. I made it about five feet before realizing that I would probably never see that deal again, so I turned back and looked it over again. It was in really rough shape, but the action felt smooth and the bore looked good, so I bought it. The fact that the sights line up perfectly when I shoulder is definately a plus.

A few days later I mentioned it in the hometown section on ARFcom. It turns out that I edged out a member there by only a few minutes.

 

[armoredman]

Some really great stories here, nice finds!
Only one I have is a coworker a few years ago knew I liked some WWII bolt action rifles, (had a coupleof Mosins at the time), and asked me if I wanted an Enfield. I was never interested in them.
When he was in the Coast Guard, a shipmate had pawned it to him for $50 in drinkin' money. The guy never came back for, so the Chief kept it with him for years, even after he retired, and came to work a second job with the Dept. He had never fired it in 15+ years. When he said $50, "I'll deliver", I said SOLD. I got it, with 18 rounds of original, (1950s original!) ammo, I was impressed by the fit and feel, and the 1 bolt head. When I looked down the bore, I got upset- smoothbore. A cleaning rod went down in a forlorn hope...and I was right. The original cosmo had never been cleaned off when the barrel had been place on in Fazarkley, England, so many years ago. The bore was pristine. With one handload, she will print an occaisional MOA with original iron sights. Sweet handling rifle, and I almost turned it down...because I thought Enfields were ugly.
Meet my $50 British warhorse.

 

[Bailey Boat]

Local pawnshop about 3 months ago.... I make my normal monthly stop, eyeball all the stuff on the rack, nothing I'm interested in, look toward the floor and spot a Browning Challenger. Asked to see the "one with the big azz grips"........ All original, Belgium, 99.9% for 375.00. I asked if he could take any less, he goes to the "book" and says he can go 325.00 but not a penny less. I ripped my pocket getting the cash out, we do the paperwork and I asked if it came in with a rug or anything...... He slaps his hands and says, "I almost forgot that!!!".... Comes back with the wooden presentation box, 4 barrel weights, spare magazine and cartridge block. I had to make 2 trips to the truck, one with the gun and then another to pick my jaw up off the floor.... The ONLY time I've ever got a deal at a pawnshop......

 

[ishida]

Walking around the only local FFL, looking and talking. Since that's all I can do. Mom's been looking for a good .22, and I found one. An Armscor M1600 with a broken front sight for $160 OTD. And I've been looking around, a new front sight and screw would come ot about $15. Lucky me. The previous owner had even cleaned it throughly, and re-lubed the action.

 

[PTK]

Bailey Boat

THAT is a deal! Have any pictures?

My one good find was a gunstore that didn't know anything about military rifles. I got a 1911 Schmidt-Rubin for $30 OTD, tax and all.

 

[mudslinging79]

guy at work picked up an enfield for $50 just "sittin in the back of a guys closet" for 40 odd years, took it home and found out it was number 188 of 209 that had ben converted to a sniper by the us government way back then. asshat!

 

[theotherwaldo]

Picked up two pristine WWI rifles at an auction I worked at back in my high school days - an 03a3 and a German Mauser. $12.50 each. The auctioneer was a bit peeved at me.

Lost 'em a few months later, along with my Remington .22 pump and MAS 36 modified to .735 Italian.

Broke down in the Siskiyou Mountains, had to hike out and get a clutch. Everything was gone out of the car when I got back.

 

[TwitchALot]

This one time, at THR, this jerk found a beautiful, WWII Remington Rand 1911 pistol and bought it for a measly 200 dollars. I'm still mad at him.

 

[SaltH2OHokie]

Over Christmas I was talking to my granddad and expressed some interest in getting a 16ga for duck hunting...10 minutes later he pulls out a pristine Ithaca mod 37 Featherweight and asks what I think about that. Told him "very nice, but probably nicer than what I'm looking at" and he said "nonsense, it's yours."

Even got a box of ammo from when he originally purchased the gun in the mid to late 1960's and never shot it...

 

[Scanr]

We were helping my father-in-law move and in a box he has a Smith-Corona 1903A3. It was disassembled, but he gave it me. It took no time to reassemble.

 

[csmkersh]

My fluke finds/gifts are all family related.

The first was my Great-great grandfather's pocket pistol; a .44 caliber Deringer. Captain John Bonner, formerly of Hope Station, Mississippi, was murdered in La Porte TX in 1901. The gun was passed down through the family and was supposed to go to my uncle. For what ever reason, he didn't want it so Mom brought it home to me after Grandmother died.

*
The second pistol belonged to my wife's great uncle, Dr. Bowen. He practiced back when doctors still made house calls and carried it on late night calls. About 20 years after his death, Aunt Olga found the gun in the bottom of her sewing desk under a bunch of scrap cloth. It was still loaded with 7 rounds of jacketed soft nosed bullets.

]

The last pistol is a Beretta Model 1934 Uncle Ace picked up while stationed in Italy after WWII. He was a staff officer working out of the US Embassy. The Beretta may have been a gift as it bears Italian military proof marks.

 

[akodo]

wait I am confused by the enfeild story

are you saying leaving the cosmo i the barrel ate the rifling?

 

[m38shooter]

No, he's saying that the cosmo was still packed in the barrel and simply covering the rifling.

 

[Bailey Boat]

Ouote: Bailey Boat

THAT is a deal! Have any pictures?

I haven't taken any yet, it's still sitting on the bench in my shop so I can admire it when I come out here to have a smoke.......... I have noticed that I'm smoking more lately...
I'll shoot a few for my records later this week and post them up for drooling purposes......

 

[jlficken]

My dad picked up a S&W 15-3 Saturday at a pawn shop for $214 OTD that was in about 90-95% condition. It would have been mine but closing costs on a house prohibited that from happening.

 

[JWF III]

don't want to hijack the thread, jlficken you have a private message.

Wyman

 

[Moonclip]

I found a totallly beat older DA Colt revolver in .41lc in some trash papers and a NIB .45acp Marlin Camp carbine in an old abandoned locker in the back offices of a shooting range I was cleaning up, I ended up with both.

 

[kentucky bucky]

in the 70's I had a mis-matched 03-A3 "parts gun" that had been a little bit altered and had some original screws replaced with brass as well as a few other minor things. A fellow on a local color guard needed one, so he traded me even for a International Harvester M1 Garand in great condition. At the time the Garand was worth at least three times what the 03 was worth. I still have the Garand and killed my first deer with it in '83. It's still one of my favorites.