The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Down Range Cafe => Topic started by: Hazcat on April 14, 2009, 07:32:23 AM
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CENTREVILLE, Ala. — A road crew working in rural Alabama spotted a valuable collection of foreign military weapons dating to World War II that had been dumped in a creek, authorities said Monday.
David Hyche, an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Birmingham, said workers saw something in a creek in Bibb County last Thursday. They called sheriff’s deputies, who began pulling vintage weapons out of the water.
The haul included nine World War II-era weapons from Japan, Italy and Germany. There was a 50mm mortar, a 20mm cannon, two belt-fed machine guns and a Thompson machine gun made after the war.
“They were in pristine condition, no rust whatsoever. Some of them had magazines with them, but there was no ammunition,” he said. “Most of the stuff works, but there are a couple that are missing parts.”
Hyche said agents suspect the weapons were stolen, but no one has claimed them. Some of the weapons were rare and worth thousands of dollars, particularly the 20mm cannon, he said.
“Most of these I’ve never even seen before,” said Hyche.
http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/apr/13/valuable-cache-wwii-weapons-found-alabama-creek/?breakingnews
They were in pristine condition, no rust whatsoever. ...Some of the weapons were rare :'(
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I would be more than happy to take them off their hand's ;D
Or maybe just the Tommy ;)
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Hey, that's where my parents live. My brother is a cop in a neighboring town.
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"Found in a creek", "No corrosion". Huh???
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"Found in a creek", "No corrosion". Huh???
It's that special "Alabama" water. ;)
They were probably just dumped and hadn't been there long. My guess is stolen or some old dude died, family found them, got scared, and dumped them.
A creek is kind of a dumb place to dump them. Other than making babies at a very young age and having 3 divorces under your belt before your 25th birthday, the only past times down there are hunting and fishing. Shouldn't have taken anybody to long to find them.
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Why the hell can't I ever run across something like that?
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No Porn :(
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No Porn :(
Wonder where they will end up ???
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Wonder where they will end up ???
You DO NOT want to know, it will break your heart.
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Stolen again and on the way to MEXICO? :D
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Am I being too paranoid? Could it have been something our government agencies planted?
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Am I being too paranoid? Could it have been something our government agencies planted?
The way things are going, I wouldn't put it past them.
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Stolen again and on the way to MEXICO? :D
Worse, either left to rot in an evidence locker or melted down.
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Could have also been in a WW2 vets home that died. Its not uncommon to hear of some one finding a WW2 era Machine gun in a vets home. The sad part is, your only real legal choice that has a chance to not be destoryed is to give it to a LE agency.
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My grandfather was discharged from the Navy in 1946, and before re-enlisting, managed to get his Mauser, BAR, and 2 1911's back to the States. (My how times have changed).
Unfortunately, the BAR was sold when he needed some money after my father was born (damn) :-[
The 2 1911's were stolen in the 1950's from a break in. (Double Damn) :'(
The Mauser which was taken to my Aunt Edith's (his sister's house), along with a Ward's Western Field bolt action .410, thankfully made it to me. (Thank God.)
Could have also been in a WW2 vets home that died. Its not uncommon to hear of some one finding a WW2 era Machine gun in a vets home. The sad part is, your only real legal choice that has a chance to not be destoryed is to give it to a LE agency.
Uh,...That's a big negative Ghost Rider,........Keep it in the Family....we have Zombies now,... and their coming....
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I said legal...
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I said legal...
I would have a lawyer check that out before I took it as gospel. As it is pre 87 if the transfer to you (the heir ) is legal you may be OK as YOUR acquisition of it is legal and by the book. I vaguely remember reading something to that effect somewhere.
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It does not work like that.
its why people do trusts rather them private ownership.
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It does not work like that.
its why people do trusts rather them private ownership.
While I have to admire the "public spirtendness" of the the workers, if I ever find a vintage tommy gun in a creek, I doubt the the ATF will be my first call. Does this make me a bad person? ;D
FQ13 Who as a good libertartian remembers the three Ds (at least when it comes to federal LEOs). Darkness, Discretion and Denial.
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See if I were to find a tommy gun( a real one ) I would turn it over to LE agency( most likly the FBI as they have a oiffice close by) for the simple reason that chances are its stolen, and I'm sure the right full owner would like to have thier $25k gun back.
I would actually do that for any gun, chances are it was either lost or stolen, some one is missing it.
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After thinking about the OP, I in good conscious, would also turn them in.
Keeping them would make me any better than the thieves that stole them.
Given they were still in working order, I might even have to spray them down with oil, get that awful water off them. 8)
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After thinking about the OP, I in good conscious, would also turn them in.
Keeping them would make me any better than the thieves that stole them.
Given they were still in working order, I might even have to spray them down with oil, get that awful water off them. 8)
And maybe test fire a couple just to - you know - make sure they were still in good working order?
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OMG, someone finally found my guns....I was wondering where I dropped them..
Whew..it will be nice to get them back...
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I have a very good friend, who is more of a gun collector than I am. I have a safe, he has a bunker! He was driving through Wichita in the course of his job and saw a box in the street. Being who he is, he realized it was a pistol box. He found a Glock .40 in it with 2 mags. I never find these things. He called the police and they took and and traced it. When they found out it had NOT been used in a crime as far as they know and no rightful owner claimed it after 30 days ( I think ), they gave it back to him!
If I found one, my luck would be that it would have been used in a bank robbery or something.
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I have a very good friend, who is more of a gun collector than I am. I have a safe, he has a bunker! He was driving through Wichita in the course of his job and saw a box in the street. Being who he is, he realized it was a pistol box. He found a Glock .40 in it with 2 mags. I never find these things. He called the police and they took and and traced it. When they found out it had NOT been used in a crime as far as they know and no rightful owner claimed it after 30 days ( I think ), they gave it back to him!
If I found one, my luck would be that it would have been used in a bank robbery or something.
My sister in law found a small pistol on the dirt road in front of her house a few years ago. She called me and asked what she should do (she's an OK girl, but the hammer don't always strike the anvil squarely). I said not to touch it and call the SO, as there had been several drug related shootings in that area of her county. The SO showed up and took it. Talked to them later and they said it was a Raven .25 that had been stolen in a pawn shop break-in.
My son left his 20ga NEA single shot on the toolbox of my truck once and my wife took it on a ride to the local convenience store for a loaf of bread. When she turned onto the main highway in town, the gun (unbeknown to the wife) slid right off the toolbox and bounced out into the middle of US 82. She never knew it until she got home and the son asked where his shotgun was. After the obligatory palm slap to my forehead, we got in the truck and went looking. When we got back to US 82, there was a guy standing there in the median (turn lane) looking at the gun. We parked across the street at the post office and went to the edge of the highway and the man asked if it was ours (I guess we looked like we wee looking for something). We said yes and he said he had called the SO. We decided to wait for the deputy. He showed up and asked a few questions and was satisfied that it was our gun, so he gave it to us. I shook hands with the citizen and thanked him for his honesty (he could have taken it).
The gun's stock was skinned up pretty good, so I was able to try my hand at stock refinishing. It turned out looking better than the original finish, and my son learned a valuable lesson on keeping track of guns.
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Just spoke with my brother.
Good news: They are not going to be destroyed.
? news: They are supposed to find a museum or find a place to display them.
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Just spoke with my brother.
Good news: They are not going to be destroyed.
? news: They are supposed to find a museum or find a place to display them.
Better to be displayed than destroyed in my opinion.
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They need a warm loving home. :)
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Better to be displayed than destroyed in my opinion.
Right on, there....there should be several museums that can take them.
Here's two right there in Alabama..
http://www.memorialmuseum.org/
http://www.alabamaveteransmuseum.com/
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Just spoke with my brother.
Good news: They are not going to be destroyed.
? news: They are supposed to find a museum or find a place to display them.
I is good gues woud have been they were bound for the incereator, like of couple my great graddaddy were when deied and great mother turned them in (parker pistols). That was a criminact. Thus my thoughts of sticky fingers. I gues this ok.
FQ13.