132 year old firearm mystery stirs imagination

[Missourian]

A mysterious 132-year-old Winchester rifle has arrived at the Cody Firearms Museum for a little TLC after being exposed to years of inclement weather in Nevada's Snake Mountains.

The Winchester Model 1873 lever-action rifle received international attention after it was found leaning against a juniper tree last November by an archaeologist working in Nevada’s Great Basin National Park, four hours northeast of Las Vegas.


Read more: Mysterious rifle arrives at Cody Firearms Museum for TLC
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[Missourian]

The abandoned rifle contains a mystery that will likely never be solved.

“Why would you leave your rifle and not come back for it?” Hlebinsky asked. “How many years was it hidden? Why was it left leaning against a tree? We here at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West and the staff at Great Basin are both asking the same questions. The mysteries surrounding this Winchester 1873 have truly fueled its popularity.”

Hlebinsky encouraged the public to weigh in on why they think the rifle was abandoned.


Read more: Mysterious rifle arrives at Cody Firearms Museum for TLC​

 

[Moonglow]

To stoned to remember where it was left...

 

[HenryBHough]

Having come face to face with a big cat after parking the gun to take a leak, the adventurer never got around to coming back for it.

No mystery.

But don't look for the pee stains after all these years. Nor for bones. Big cats are packrats at heart.

 

[DarkFury]

Having come face to face with a big cat after parking the gun to take a leak, the adventurer never got around to coming back for it.

No mystery.

But don't look for the pee stains after all these years. Nor for bones. Big cats are packrats at heart.

Kind of reminds someone of that scene in the movie "Jeremiah Johnson".

 

[prison/con.net]

somebody probably shot him after he got separated from his gun.

 

[Ernie S.]

I found a Browning 20 gauge auto leaning up against a tree wrapped in a blanket. I restored it and it's really a very nice weapon.

I kind of think it was either used in a crime or stolen and stashed.
It had probably been there 6 months to a year.
It's from ca. 1945 and I've had it nearly 30 years.

 

[TheOldSchool]

He was probably really hammered, and furious at himself the next day he couldn't find his gun.

 

[Missourian]

Kind of reminds someone of that scene in the movie "Jeremiah Johnson".

Great movie...

 

[WinterBorn]

The owner could have died from any number of causes. After the scavengers were finished, there would be little left. After 132 years in the open, there was no body at all.

 

[pauls]

It is a gun with a hidden history. The owner could have been a coward and run from a conflict, he could have been a hero and fought until there was no more ammunition and was killed fighting hand to hand, or anything in between or outside of those two scenarios.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

I love shit like this!!