Henry Rifle Forums

Good followup story on the Winchester Repeating Arns website about the 'Forgotton Winchester' M-1873 found leaning against a tree in Nevada in 2014.
Check it out for an interesting read.
http://www.winchesterguns.com/news/arti ... -arms.html

Missing link?

Thanks for the update Mistered. I've been interested in that since it was first reported. What a great find, and who knows what the real history is with that rifle.

Interesting read. Thks.

and who knows what the real history is with that rifle.

Probably not nearly as 'exciting' as some would like to think but interesting nonetheless.

I think the story is "gee dad, I dunno where I left it?"

My thoughts on the story are a bit more gruesome. Guy has been out hunting or maybe his horse died and he was hiking back to civilization. Ran out of water and stopped to rest in the shade of the Juniper. Leaning his rifle against the tree, he dies while resting and wild animals drag him off. Leaving the rifle behind.

Well my thoughts are are a bit more 'mundane' .
So the gun was made in 1882 and probably sold within a year or two of that.
So it is owned for some time by the original owner, used moderately, possibly changes hands a time or two and somewhere during this time frame someone drops a round of ammo in the buttstock cleaning kit recess and it gets stuck.
Ok turn of the century, rifle is stored, forgotten, etc. and eventually gets in the hands of someone who removes the cartridge lifter and carrier block effective turning it into a single shot. Was this done because the parts were needed for another rifle? OR done by a dad to limit his son's first rifle to single shot?
Fast forward to some point in history and I am going to say the rifle was most likely used for hunting and forgotten after a kill & animal dress out at the location it was found - but probably much later than most think.
I can not even begin to speculate but I believe it has been there no earlier than maybe the 1940's and probably closer to the 50's.
Reason is it is not in particularly bad shape for being out in the weather for as long as it has. While the dryness of the area no doubt helped to preserve it and slow decay, the stock is still relatively complete and in one piece and probably would not have been if it were left there much earlier as some think.
I have seen relatively 'modern' guns that have been found after only a few years outside and the wood rot and rust was quite bad.

RanchRoper wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 13, 2019 4:46 pm

I think the story is "gee dad, I dunno where I left it?"

Fascinating story, huh? Thanks for sharing!