Author Topic: Anyone find guns/accessories left at the range?  (Read 732 times)

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Offline His lordship.

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Anyone find guns/accessories left at the range?
« on: September 03, 2006, 07:30:30 AM »
Sometimes I find things left at my gun range, shooting glasses, staple guns, brass, etc., which I leave there hoping they will come back for them.  We have a local indoor gun range that occasionally has people leave a gun behind, the management simply calls the person to come  back, as they have you fill out a form with your address/phone number, etc., during each visit.  But not at my outdoor range, members simply come out to shoot during proper hours. 

Has anyone heard of people leaving guns on the benches, and if so how do you get the gun back to the original owner?

Offline Glanceblamm

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Re: Anyone find guns/accessories left at the range?
« Reply #1 on: September 03, 2006, 10:32:58 AM »
I thought yours would be an easy answer till I considered The original, or rightful owner.
Therefore...
I would take the gun ;D  ;) For safe keeping.
My detailed note left at the range would say to describe
Make\model\caliber\barrel lenght\blued\stainless\type of grips\ and or accessories like scope or dot.

If This Was My Gun That Was Left At The Range, I would be able to provide you with the SERIAL
number of the piece which would insure the rightfull return.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This stuff does happen! Guy up the street from me headed to the range but the gun was gone upon arrival! He found it back home on the seat of his garden tractor in the garage!

I knew of another who said he left the gun laying on his bumper in the ball hitch well. Fortunatley it stayed put and was there when he got home.

I have not had this happen yet but on occasion have to stop and walk back picking up a trail of brass & live ammo every few steps cause I left the ammo box on top of the truck upon leaving.

Offline Dusty Miller

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Re: Anyone find guns/accessories left at the range?
« Reply #2 on: September 03, 2006, 02:00:35 PM »
THAT'S all I need, yet ONE MORE thing to fret over when I go to the range!! :D :D :D
When seconds mean life or death, the police are only minutes away!

Offline Win 73

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Re: Anyone find guns/accessories left at the range?
« Reply #3 on: September 03, 2006, 06:33:00 PM »
I have a very interesting story about a gun left at the range.  My son and I were shooting at a public, outdoor, unattended range one Saturday morning.  There was a gun case lying on a shooting bench near us.  There was no one around it.  When we were ready to leave, the case was still there.  I opened the case.  It contained a Mossberg bolt action .22 with a 6-18 power variable scope on it.  There were a couple of other fellows further down the line.  I asked them if it belonged to them.  They said no.  So I put it in the truck with our guns and took it home.  The next Tuesday I went by the Game & Fish Commision office near the range to report finding it.  I was telling a game warden about finding it.  The secretary sitting near us said, "Oh, you found the gun."  I said, "Well, I found a gun."  She then went on to explain that the fellow who left it called to report leaving it.  He said that it was the second time he had gone off and left that gun lying somewhere.  He figured that it was the Lord telling him that he didn't need it.  He said that if anyone came in to report finding it that he was an honest man and deserved a reward.  He said, "Tell him that it is his.  Merry Christmas!"

Well, needless to say, that made me very happy.  I figure the gun, scope, and case were worth between two and three hundred dollars.  I have since traded off the gun but I still have the scope and case.  The scope is now on my .223.

And that is not all I have found.  I once found a Gerber multi-tool that cost about $90 that someone left behind.  Also a brass black powder flask.  I have also found ammo that people have left behind.
"When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace."  Luke 11:21

Offline Old Griz

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Re: Anyone find guns/accessories left at the range?
« Reply #4 on: September 03, 2006, 07:45:17 PM »
All I ever found was a single stack .40 magazine for a S&W. Don't know what model. No one claimed it. Probably wasn't worth the effort. I think I still have it if anybody wants it.
Griz
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Offline Swamp Yankee

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Re: Anyone find guns/accessories left at the range?
« Reply #5 on: September 04, 2006, 10:59:55 AM »
Live ammo was about all. I personally left a pair of glasses there. I remembered about half way home but by the time I got back to the range someone had steped on them. The lenses were ok but the frames were never the same...Jim

Offline His lordship.

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Re: Anyone find guns/accessories left at the range?
« Reply #6 on: September 05, 2006, 09:18:09 AM »
The reason I wrote this topic is that I did find an expensive Smith and Wesson revolver at my local gun range last Friday. I did not get too descriptive as I wanted the rightful owner to get it and not someone who could make a guess. I returned the gun to the guy this morning.

I put myself in his shoes and acted on this quickly as I would have had a fit had I lost it, probably would have reported it stolen to the police too. I am going to be more careful at the end of the shooting day to double check and make sure that everything is packed up. While I got a generous reward from the gun owner, I learned a thing or two as well.