Old Revolver in the ceiling

Status
Not open for further replies.
B

bigalexe

Member
Joined
Mar 14, 2009
Messages
931
Location
SE Michigan
I live in a house that is late 1800's victorian. When redoing one room we discovered an old revolver in the ceiling of the front hall (also the floor of the bedroom above). It is completely frozen in place and actually looks jammed between chambers (there isnt a chambered lined up with the barrel). I had always assumed it was complete trash and its just been a dirty relic thats been moved around since we found it.

Legally if i happen to use penetrating oil and manage to get it restored and operating what do i need to do? I live in michigan.
 
before i did anything i'd probably take it to somebody who'd be able to identify it. if you can post pics someone here might be able to.
 
I honestly dont think its very identifiable, it looks like a revolver would look if you left it sealed in the ceiling of an old house for probably 50+ years. There is nothing left that isnt metal, it weighs a bit and is about the size of the palm of an average adult. I will get pics as soon as i can find it.
 
If it is an antique (made before 1898), it is exempt from being registered. If not, you must register it.

To register it, normally you would take it to your local police station.
 
Yes, that is the law in MI for handguns. Within 10 days of coming into possession. Of course if you found it, they don't know how long you have had it. (If you bought it there would be a record.)
 
Its funny you should mention registering within 10 days of possession because one of the local police officers knows i have it (small town, we have 9 officers with 2 on duty at a time). I know him because i was in boy scouts with his son and am now an adult leader with the same troop and hes committee chair.

Actually on a side note i almost smacked him while on duty because at the time my mom didnt know i was looking for a gun and he rolls up in his cop car when we were outside and asks me "Hey Alex did you get your AR-15 yet?" with my mom standing right there. Anyway i had some explaining to do after that since my mom thought i had been shopping for an evil black rifle after that.
 
From your description it sounds like the pistol is in very bad shape. If you want to make some money off of it maybe you can turn it into one of those anonymous buybacks for like $100.
 
Id love to find an old gun, I remember reading about a guy plowing a field and finding an old Colt.
I find it interesting, wonder who put it their and why they put it their.
Cant wait to see some pics!
 
Actually, you _might_ have a real treasure. My wife's grandfather recently passed on and the family came to me with "his old pistol" for advice.

They then proceeded to hand me a rather beatup 1858 Police Positive Conversion in .36 rimfire! Most of the nickle finish was long gone and the metal heavily pitted, but it locked up solid and cycled smoothly. Best of all was the handtooled holster that it came in.

Long story shortened, the pistol went for $2500 to a collector...

I'd love to see a pic...
 
From the Michigan State Police site

http://www.michigan.gov/msp/0,1607,...tml#Pistol_Registration__Purchase____Transfer


12. I found a pistol in an old house that I was fixing up. Can I get it registered in my name?

You should take it to your local police agency and they can check on the history of the pistol. They will, of course, check to make sure it is not stolen, and also for any previous registered owner. If the pistol was not previously registered, it is considered contraband, and cannot be registered to you. If there was a previous registered owner, attempts should be made to contact that person. If contact is made, the pistol will either be turned over to them, or they will sign off as seller on a License to Purchase issued to you. If attempts at making contact are futile, you can get a License to Purchase and the pistol can be released to you.
 
My great uncle found a revolver in one of his grain storage units (basically an old shed) in the late 1960's in western North Dakota. It was a ball and cap revolver but I don't know exactly what model. Thinking about it now it looked a lot like a Colt Navy but it could have been a Colt Army or perhaps a Remington (it was a long time ago). It was wrapped in an oily cloth and stuck up in the rafters of the building. It was in remarkable condition with no rust and the wood was in very good condition. It also had several notches in the grip. I know that he sold it but I have no idea what he got for it.

He had no idea how it ended up where it was since the building had been moved to that location from another farm he had bought out in the late 1930's and by that time he had no way to contact the previous owner. He was fairly certain that it had been there long before the building became his. The building dated back to perhaps the 1880s. The speculation was that the gun was placed there around that time by someone on the run from the law but there was no way to know for sure. Guns like the Colt Navy were fairly common in that region during the 1870s and 1880s. For example Bill Hickok carried Colt Navies when he was in Deadwood SD in the late 1870s.
 
Its funny you should mention registering within 10 days of possession because one of the local police officers knows i have it
Click to expand...
They are not lawyers and he might not care. Seriously, handguns need to be registered in Michigan.
 
Ok i will start searching. The gun has been moved around between stored in the mudroom and the basement and other places where random "junk" goes since no one ever found it interesting besides me. Also i just got a new shotgun so i may be a little distracted from searching for it.
 
+1 for going south of the mason dixon

id let it soak in atf fluid for a few days to try and free it up then slowly restore it id probably never fire it for safety

go register it
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

N
  • Locked
This is why we're fighting an uphill battle
Replies
1
Views
336
only1asterisk
O
R
  • Locked
Authorities unearth 1,200-yard tunnel into U.S.
2
Replies
25
Views
964
Sindawe
S
M
  • Locked
ultimate gun safe
Replies
20
Views
2K
Doggy Daddy
D
H
  • Locked
Reaming a chamber into a revolver barrel
Replies
15
Views
2K
Hobbja
H
L
  • Locked
New project: Enfield No. 4 mk1
Replies
7
Views
1K
longshooter99
L
Back
Top