Historic rifle found

Ragman · Jan 15, 2015

The gun that won the west indeed . . .

Historic rifle found leaning against a tree in Nevada park | Las Vegas Review-Journal

Slo-Ride · Jan 15, 2015

Nice find.. Pretty sure I left that leaning there and I want it back... I officially lay first claim to it.

xmudman · Jan 15, 2015

Had it been found in New York, it would've been confiscated and destroyed by now

paullud · Jan 16, 2015

I'm wondering why it was unloaded and why there was no paperwork on who bought it, very interesting.

layoutshooter · Jan 16, 2015

paullud said:
I'm wondering why it was unloaded and why there was no paperwork on who bought it, very interesting.

Paperwork?

This was a much freer country back then. At best there would have been a bill of sale.

skyraider · Jan 16, 2015

There were real cowboys,,,,once

xmudman · Jan 16, 2015

layoutshooter said:
Paperwork? This was a much freer country back then. At best there would have been a bill of sale.

Safe bet: The only papers you had to present to buy a gun in 1873 would've been tens, fives and ones...

paullud · Jan 16, 2015

layoutshooter said:
Paperwork? This was a much freer country back then. At best there would have been a bill of sale.

The article indicates that the serial number doesn't show which retail store it would have been shipped to. I'm not sure how common that is but it sounded like it's an early case of something falling off the back of a truck.

Slo-Ride · Jan 16, 2015

paullud said:
The article indicates that the serial number doesn't show which retail store it would have been shipped to. I'm not sure how common that is but it sounded like it's an early case of something falling off the back of a truck.

I'm not a dealer but I don't think serial numbers indicate which store gets it. I think today that is tracked thru paperwork. If they trace this rifle I will be shocked considering how little paper trails we had back then unless it was Military issue??? Maybe Sears & Roebuck catalog??
You mean wagon and not truck..

My theory,Some
Indian ran out of rounds and left it behind after he stole it from me..I still want it back.

layoutshooter · Jan 16, 2015

paullud said:
The article indicates that the serial number doesn't show which retail store it would have been shipped to. I'm not sure how common that is but it sounded like it's an early case of something falling off the back of a truck.

They were not tracked back then, no reason to track them. What is common now was vastly different over 100 years ago

Keep in mind that, back then, not all firearms even had serial numbers on them. I don't believe that serial numbers were required on firearms, by the federal government, until the 1968 gun laws were passed. I have more than one, modern firearm, that do not have a serial number on them, they never had one put on at the factory.