Now there's a hole there....

F

freebullet

Guest
After 19 yrs in the house.

Earlier this year I had undertaken a retrofit of a new security camera setup at the house. Required a hole here or there. One hole in the living room for an access panel, fishing wires, ect.

So the wife & I are sitting relaxing one evening about 1030pm. She'd been super chatty all evening. Talking about things most guys let go in one out the other. Something came over me. I grabbed a drill & proceeded to drill a 5/8" hole in the needed location right in the ceiling. I see something green in the hole. Not wanting an eye full of insulation I dismissed it.

There, now there's a hole there, I said. Yep, there is indeed a hole there, my wife replies. Eyebrow barely raised, probably not really even surprised after many years of being married to the craziness that is me. The rest of the night was fairly quiet, peaceful, & enjoyable.

Fast forward 2 days, I'm running cables in the attic. I'm moving insulation(4 layers of different junk) and I see a glimpse of something green. I peel back a stapled in chunk of old tar paper backed insulation to reveal Rem....holy sheeee....honey, I found something....out comes a rifle length box in Remington green & printed as such. I latch on to the stock of a Winchester model 290, pulled it out of the box, checked it's clear & hand it down to the giddy wife. BUT wait, seriously? There is another rifle stuffed in the box, I pull out a 788 in 22-250, clear, hand it to her & climb out with the box they were in. The box turned out to match the 788, it was in rough shape, but it had protected them reasonably well for at least 19-40yrs.

They both appear to have been fired little. Looks like a mouse had it's way dribbling what is now surface rust in a few spots on the barrels, with the 22lr taking the worst of it. We tossed the box after a pic due to the old mouse damage. I've put poison bait up there since I've owned the place so it's gotta be pretty old damage.

Now I'm wondering what else might be up there. Seriously considering removing all the insulation.o_O
Looks like they were both dated around 76-77.
What are the odds of drilling that hole right where the box was laying?


rps20180727_214559.jpg
 

Ian

Notorious member
Holy mother lode, Batman!!! Now that's not a story you hear every day. Keep looking for the 870 Winchester Express, it should be nearby.
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
I think I would be removing more insulation.

Nice find. Now find the time to shoot them!
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
the 290 is what I cut down for Littlegirl to start shooting with.
I stuck it in the linen closet at her Grandparents house intending to give it to her that Christmas and forgot all about it for 2 years. [I just happened to be grabbing a towel to clean up a spill and recalled I had stuck something in there once, I dug around in the back of the closet and felt the rifle]
she got it a little late and in the spring ... and I felt like an idiot.
 

Intheshop

Banned
Cool story...... my wife would have never,and I mean NEVER accepted that as anything but me sneaking in a cpl rigs.Not,that it isn't a deserved rep.

But,holy cow man,that is an over the top treasure right there!Congrats!
 

Rick

Moderator
Staff member
I would sure keep looking, who knows why they were up there and what else you could find.
 

RBHarter

West Central AR
You know if it was my attic I would have no doubt drilled a hole through a stock or something worse because that how it works for me .

Nice find !
 

Ian

Notorious member
Might be time to invest in a wallabot thingy, if you don't already have one for your business.
 

Pistolero

Well-Known Member
Amazing. I believe I would get a probe out and poke it thru the insulation, feeling for high spots
and listening for cardboard boxes.

Bill
 
F

freebullet

Guest
I did poke around, but feel don't do it. The bottom layer is the stapled in junk & it's a real mess up there. I do have walk planks in & a couple lights on a switch now. Thinking about suiting up & cleaning it all out next winter when being in the proper ppe won't be such a nightmare.

I did scan with several meters, 2 thermal imaging cams, several moisture meters one in particular that can be fooled by metal, problem is the walls are 1.5" thick. .5" old school sheetrock, plaster @.75ish", & another 1/2" drywall. There is some old improperly installed paneling in the rear stairs that will be removed & two walls will be eliminated eventually, who knows what I might find.

I recieved 150rnds of hornady factory loads as a gift, as well as a set of dies, thanks cabelas points!!! I'm really going to need scopes on either to do anything fun, with my eyes. Really need some trigger time & the 788 has a nice one.