Stolen Rifle Recovered 15 years later

[jeff_gibbons]

Swax the gloss finish for rubbed oil. The gash will be character.

 

[rebjfan]

Sorry! I didnt think much of the story. I was in college at the time living off campus. My father bought me this rifle, my first one. I took it hunting a few times but was never taught how to big game hunt, I learned that on my own years later. So I never shot anything with this rifle. I was out n about one day and came home to a kicked in front door, a bunch of my possessions missing. I only had 3 guns at the time, 2 were taken, this rifle and a weatherby 12ga o/u. I knew who did it because they left their cell phone at my house, but it was a friend of a friend, and he was kind of a drifter type. Made the police report and forgot about it.

15+ years later, I get a letter in the mail from a sheriff's department saying the rifle has been recovered. I jumped through a lot of hoops, paperwork, and fees, then 2 months later picked it up.

I checked the arrest records for the county it was stolen in. Only one person within a few months of the recovery was arrested for possession of a stolen firearm. She was a native lady that went off res with a car full of loaded/stolen firearms, likely including mine. Guessing the gun was traded around for drugs. But its back in my hands! Not a glorious recovery story, cops just got lucky to find it one day.

Glad that you were able to get the gun back. I had given my son a Remington model 7 when he was a kid and thought my grandkids could one day shoot it but it was stolen about 20 years ago. It was reported stolen with the serial numbers, your story gives me hope that he will get his gun back.

 

[Moserkr]

Thanks @p_ham I appreciate a professional's opinion. I will come back to that advice when Im ready to work on it.

@Brittany Chukarman As much as Id like to send it off to him, my budget doesnt allow that currently. Plus I would send in a different gun first if anything. My winchester 21 sxs needs serious stock work.

@mtmuley I know I could leave it but Id like to reclaim it and put my mark on it.

@jeff_gibbons Yup thats kinda my plan. My work wont be pham quality but it will look better than it is now. Im sure I will add to the scars as Im hard on gear.

@rebjfan One of the officers I spoke to had his own rifle recovered after 23 years so you really never know. They are most likely still out there hiding.

 

[huntnfisher]

I used to have a Remington 700 BDL exactly like that also in .30-06, that I bought new back in the day. It was topped with a Leupold Vari-X III 3.5-10 50. I removed the iron sights from mine, they look so much better without the iron sights, IMO. Killed my biggest buck ever with that rifle back in 1998. Wish that I still had it.

 

[Wild Bill]

That rifle probably has some stories you'll never know. Glad you got it back. Go make some memories of your own with it now!

 

[FAIR CHASE]

That rifle has probably done some bad stuff.

 

[Greyman]

If it were me, I'd just give it a good cleaning and let er be. Scars tell a story, even if you don't really know what it is. I just look at it as character. Plus, if you bump or scratch it in the future, it will just be another chapter in the story of the rifle.

 

[isu22andy]

Go shoot that thing and see if the meth heads had her up to snuff or if its meth head zeroed ! Probably stopsign at 200 yards out the truck window in the headlights zeroed lol.

 

[Djfan]

All cleaned up and oiled. I remounted the bushnell scope since the bases were loose. Completely disassembled to get all the rust. Just a tiny spot of pitting on the barrel. Rifling is great though, happy about that. Action is tight, smooth. Will start doing my homework on how to refinish the stock and any other upgrades I should do. Next non-rainy day I will take her down the road to the woods for a shoot.

Post pics of the shooting target!

 

[6mm Remington]

Recipe:
A little IMR4350 or H4350 about 56-58 grs
Nosler 165 gr. Accubond or Partition
Federal 210 primer
Lovingly simmered in your man cave for a couple hours.
Then taken out and and set free at the 100 yard range.
Smiles to follow.

Awesome you got your rifle back. I like what you are going to do with it. Best of luck.
David

 

[Moserkr]

Haha you guys are great. The scope was loose when I got it so definitely "meth head" sighted in. I remounted the scope with some blue lock tight for now just so I could shoot it.

The scars will largely remain but will be smoothed out at least. I will add more. When I refinish the rifle and swap scopes I will start a new thread.

Plan will happen in a few phases.
1- refinish stock (repair, sand, oil)
2 - new QR mounts/rings, leupold scope
3- cerakote barrel one day

It will be my fancy goto beater gun.

 

[LopeHunter]

I like a few scars. I would not change anything about the gun other than the rust issues. Several ways to do that, though, but I would likely sand and seal so looked like a trapper had carried the gun in rough terrain for the past 15 years. You can just buy a pretty gun to leave in the safe when you are doing hunts.

 

[Moserkr]

@LopeHunter I like scars too. None of my guns are pretty. The main reasons for fixing the stock are that 1- I want to start its new history fresh with me, 2- I want to seal the wood so when it does get wet, it doesnt slowly rot away. Refinishing it just made sense then. Also a lot of the scars it now has are pretty rough to the touch. Dropped hard, put away wet.

 

[Cornbread]

That's the LSS right? The laminated gray stock, right? I have the same rifle only a leftie, if that's what it is. Mine is an awesome shooter. 5/8-3/4" groups. Before you do anything, shoot it! My does well with 160 grain TSX Federal Premium. Also try the Federal Gold Medal 168gr Match ammo. Just buy a box of each and shoot it to see what it does. Mine likes those two types of ammo.

 

[Moserkr]

@Cornbread No its the rem 700 bdl, walnut stock. It should shoot a lot better than my cheapo mossberg patriot, which honestly groups really well. I have a bunch of different ammo to try since I have 3 rifles now in .30-06. But yes, now that its cleaned, oiled, and scope remounted, next thing is shooting. Unfortunately Im in CA so ammo is $$$ and for hunting its non-lead only. I hope it likes my hornady outfitter 180gr's. Ill test it with some leftover lead first though.

 

[LopeHunter]

@LopeHunter I like scars too. None of my guns are pretty. The main reasons for fixing the stock are that 1- I want to start its new history fresh with me, 2- I want to seal the wood so when it does get wet, it doesn,t slowly rot away. Refinishing it just made sense then. Also, a lot of the scars it now has are pretty rough to the touch. Dropped hard, put away wet.

Maybe, Bondo putty on the stock for that shade tree mechanic vibe? I always use synthetic stocks on new builds.\ because wood swells when humid and wet which can put pressure points on the barrel. As have a longer poke, anything that unpredictably shifts accuracy day to day is a headache for me.

 

[44hunter45]

Sorry! I didnt think much of the story. I was in college at the time living off campus. My father bought me this rifle, my first one. I took it hunting a few times but was never taught how to big game hunt, I learned that on my own years later. So I never shot anything with this rifle. I was out n about one day and came home to a kicked in front door, a bunch of my possessions missing. I only had 3 guns at the time, 2 were taken, this rifle and a weatherby 12ga o/u. I knew who did it because they left their cell phone at my house, but it was a friend of a friend, and he was kind of a drifter type. Made the police report and forgot about it.

15+ years later, I get a letter in the mail from a sheriff's department saying the rifle has been recovered. I jumped through a lot of hoops, paperwork, and fees, then 2 months later picked it up.

I checked the arrest records for the county it was stolen in. Only one person within a few months of the recovery was arrested for possession of a stolen firearm. She was a native lady that went off res with a car full of loaded/stolen firearms, likely including mine. Guessing the gun was traded around for drugs. But its back in my hands! Not a glorious recovery story, cops just got lucky to find it one day.

This gives me some hope. Almost a year since my pistol was stolen. You keep checking with the investigating officer regularly, until one day you don't .
I still fantasize about getting a letter like this.

 

[Moserkr]

@LopeHunter Nah not going to hide the scars. May carve something into the stock where the big gouge is at. Doubt I will ever change the stock and since I dont shoot long range so swelling isnt a concern. Longest kill is 32 yards with a bow, all rifle kills are 20 yards or less. What I get for preferring to still hunt.

@44hunter45 Hope you get that letter or call one day. Im not holding my breath for the other 4/5 Im missing. The 1/5 I dont know the serial number of so it was never reported. Little does someone know, its legal to sell that one.

 

[pilsner]

Bushnell elite line up was made in japan and would probably hold up just as well as most folk's darling scope brand.

I'd maybe upgrade those rings though! Never had rings like that but I've had a lot of rifles come through with similar rings that seem to have a floating zero when i'm working public sight in day at my local private range.

Floating zero or floating chin weld?

 

[Wind Gypsy]

Floating zero or floating chin weld?

Definitely zero but on the types of rifles that I typically see them on there’s usually a number of possible issues. Torquing those thin bendy ring caps down with those little flathead scews makes a guy wonder if he’s jacking something up..