Have you ever lost a gun?

[Rally]

I was out checking traps yesterday, and there was a big cardboard sign at the end of the driveway, of the guy I was selling beaver to, which he used for bear bait. The sign read "Lost rifle Sunday on Kestrel Road. Reward paid". He rides a 4wheeler around alot, and indulges in spirits regularly. I've seen his wheeler several times, and the scabbard is on the right front of the wheeler. How do you lose a rifle, driving down the road, and not notice it? It would about have to hit him to come out of the scabbard!

I took a picture of the sign today. He added reward amount and rifle description in black since I first saw it two days ago. Poor guy was out riding his wheeler along the road looking for it today.

 

[Joshua]

I have found a gun. But never lost one.

I find this rifles story so interesting.

Forgotten Winchester - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Josh

 

[CZ93X62]

Knocking on wood firmly here--I have yet to lose a firearm, as in actually LOST a gun. They got liberated with some frequency by daughters and nephews, though they have slowed their roll somewhat in recent years. Having real jobs produces such outcomes, in my experience.

 

[Mitty38]

Does forgetting you own one and leaving it at your brothers house for 35 years count???

 

[S Mac]

Had one stolen 35 years ago, lost to me.

 

[CWLONGSHOT]

I shot a deer one time right at last light. I tracked and located on opposite side of the property. Heavily laureled property so MISERABLE drag esp alone and in dark. Many many Coyotes so leaving was NOT a option.
Called my buddy he lives on that side of the property. He was able to drive within a hundred yards or so on a tote road. I waited and before long I herd and saw his head lights and headed that way with the deer. Got almost there and he walked over to meet me. I said I got this, here take my pack jacket and shotgun. He did and reached out and grabbed ine side of the tree limb I used as a drag.
Loaded up and headed home. Got to my truck and then to his house. We had a couple beers and as we was loading everything into my truck I had no jacket or shotgun!! He said OOH SHOOT! I put ut down to adjust and you started to walk and I just grabbed the stick and walked too!!

Next day it took me most of Sunday morning to locate the spot. THANK GOT my jacket was colored as the shotgun was camo stocked. I might not have ever seen it!!!
CW

 

[Bret4207]

Lost my Smith 19 out of it's holster (crap holster!) in a swamp one day. Spent 2 days on and off looking for it before finding it. My oldest boy has lost just about everything he's ever taken in the woods and I've recovered most of it. Still missing my favorite insulated seat thing, those round fabric filled seats they made back in the 70's, Blaze orange on one side and camo on the other. Either side is invisible in fallen hard maple leaves...

 

[CWLONGSHOT]

I agree modern mfg seats just dont work
Like those "hot seats" did!!!

I have a foam jobber thats pretty good but more cause its comfortable then that its really that warm.

CW

 

[RBHarter]

Dropped one out of a goose cart once in the dark . Fortunately blue steel and walnut show up well against alkali and salt grass .

Dad lost a 94' 22 WRF but we're still tripping over little stashes of this is a strange place for ......when did he buy that/what is it so it's probably there in a silicone case behind a foot locker in the back of a closet or something .

 

[Petrol & Powder]

I've never lost a firearm but I know of several events where others have lost a firearm.

I can only recall one event that involved a long gun and that was a gun left in a barn while people were working and almost immediately recovered. Most were due to nothing more than human behavior, such as putting a pistol on top of a car while loading other gear and then driving off. (I know the guy that did that and that gun was never found).
Some were due to bad holster designs or worn out rigs. (this is preventable IMO)


I've listened to people criticize the Bianchi UM-84 holster but it is nearly impossible for a large pistol to accidentally come out of that rig.
There's also a reason handguns are often equipped with lanyard rings.

 

[fiver]

I didn't really lose it but I did manage to hide one from myself for a couple of years.
or rather from Littlegirl anyway.
I bought a little Winchester 22 and had the stock and forearm shortened so she could shoot it, then stashed it in the back of the linen closet in the hallway to give to her at christmas
when I went to clean the closet out to re-paint about 1 1/2-2 years later there it was, so she got it for easter.

 

[CWLONGSHOT]

I didn't really lose it but I did manage to hide one from myself for a couple of years.
or rather from Littlegirl anyway.
I bought a little Winchester 22 and had the stock and forearm shortened so she could shoot it, then stashed it in the back of the linen closet in the hallway to give to her at christmas
when I went to clean the closet out to re-paint about 1 1/2-2 years later there it was, so she got it for easter.

Hahaha. REMINDS ME...

I also THOUGHT I lost one! It was a Charco AR7. We had returned home from a trip to Maine hiking and trail riding. I brought that rifle.
Anout 6/7 weeks later. I was looking for the rifle but it was Gone... No idea what I had done with it. I looked and looked. My mind raced of last place I had seen, but its been over a month and last place I could remember was in camp on the trail in the woods!! OH NO!!

Move forward about a year. I have a old bank safe, I use for knives and small valuables. Its about 3' tall and without getting down on hands and knees its top most shelf is invisible. It cannot be reached just bending over and reaching in and I dont do knees... Well apparently I stuck it in there on that shelf and locked the door. Wasnt lost at all!!
CW

 

[fiver]

the real sucky thing is I pulled it out and was like uhhhh.
the wife was right there too and looked at me like when did you buy that?
I completely 100% forgot about buying it, picking it up after the work, and stashing it in there.

 

[Tomme boy]

1989 Nov. 3 to be exact. Was scull boat hunting for divers and took a wave over the side of the scull boat. Everything in the boat was lost when it flipped over. 12 ga. Remington 870 Wingmaster. browning A5 solid rib 12ga that was my grandfathers my uncle lost at the same time. Luckily the other uncle was at the shore and had the chase boat to come get us.

 

[Ian]

I did think I left one in a table drawer in a hotel, but it turned up on the pistol rack in the top of my gun safe about two years later. I had mo recollection of putting it away after the trip, but did hunt for it a few times in the vehicles, bags, and luggage.

 

[Walks]

Two, one stolen by my bil a 686 4" .
The other not really lost but sorta stolen, by my sister. Over 40yrs ago went shooting with My Dad & sister. Took my new Speed-Six a blue, 2 3/4" .357mag to shoot for the 1st time. When I got home from the Range it was missing. called the range, My Dad, sister. No Luck, so I went down to local PD and reported it missing.
Last year I got a call to come to my sister's house. To pick up her handgun lockbox. I knew the combo as when she got it, I set the combo the same as mine.
Inside was MY Speed-Six. I suppose I should have guessed it as she didn't like the old M&P Dad had given her for a house gun.
It was dirty with only a tiny spot of rust on the cylinder.

Can't trust your own family.

 

[Rally]

Ian,
I did kind of the same thing. I'd bought a S&W 66, 4", from a buddy getting divorced. The wife decided she liked it when we were out in the yard shooting one day. About six months later, I'm trying to find it to include it in a canoe kit, for my daughter, who was taking a boundry waters canoe vacation. I tore the shop, trucks, gun boxes etc up looking for that pistol. About the time I was going to get the metal detector out, the wife comes down to the shop looking for some hinges. She asks what I'm looking for, and I reply the pistol you were shooting awhile back. She gives me the "Your losing your mind look", and then tells me it's in her nightstand! Evidently, I cleaned it, loaded it for her, and told her to put it there! Damned if I remember doing that!

 

[springfield17074]

I watched a guy lose a shotgun duck hunting. We were hunting out of a boat blind at the edge of brush in a big river. The guy would rush his shots trying to kill stuff before anyone else could shoot. He saw some black ducks floating along the edge of the brush and instead waiting and letting them jump and being a sportsman he shot at them on the water and hit one but not clean dead and it was trying to hide around the corner of some brush pile just above us and he leaned out to try to get a better angle and shot one handed and had the shotgun recoil right out of his hand and into the water. Model 12 I think. He did not appreciate the knee slapping as I lmao. Had to quit letting him go out to blinds with us. There is a difference between a hunter and just a killer. He wanted to kill more than being a sportsman. The straw that broke the ducks back was the following early season and he motored over to proudly show my buddy and i the 4 black ducks he shot in October. Black ducks were not legal to shot till the second season (Nov-Dec). So he did not get a invite back in the second season. We didn’t own the river but the 3 island we rented were only rented by 5 of us and he was not one of the 5. So the 5 of us decided no more invites.

 

[JonB]

I am pretty sure I've told this story before?

15+ years ago, I was out shooting at my Club's range. I had brought several handguns. Apparently, I left one behind my AMT Automag III (30 carbine in a 1911-like design) and a mil surp ammo can full of ammo at the 50 yard marker of the 100 rd rifle range

Honestly, I don't recall much from that range trip. Obviously I loaded up and went home without the AMT...and I unloaded the car and cleaned the guns and put them away, never noticing the AMT was missing.

Two weeks later I get a call from the Sheriff's office, and asked it I owned a AMT Automag III ?
I tell them I do, and it's in my safe. I hang up the phone. I go check my safe, and there is no AMT in there.
I call them back and tell them I can't find my AMT. They said come down to the Sheriff office and claim it...they said I'd need a serial number or a receipt of purchase, or some other way to prove it's mine. Lucky for me, I had documented the serial number.

When I get down to the Sheriff's Office to claim my gun, I was told that some deputies were at the Club's range last week, and found the gun and ammo box sitting on the 50 yd marker. They called the president of the Club to ask who might have left a handgun at the range. Lucky for me, Doug (The president) said Jon is the only one he knows that shoots handguns. So they called me.

This sure ain't a story to brag about, but holy crap...talk of lucky.

 

[John]

I was visiting a friend in the mid 70's when his uncle told a story. It seems he was hunting bear near Salmon, ID and glassed a decent one. He put a long stalk in and ended up 20 yards from the bear. He reached down to pull his 41 Mag BH from it's holster and it was empty. He said "You think I was quiet sneaking in you should have seen me sneaking away." Bob claimed he never did find the gun.