Buried gun

SpareSomeChange · Sep 15, 2019

After not finding much but some rusty junk i was ready to leave, there was only 1 target left and i didn't want to dig it because after 2" of topsoil the earth turned to all rocks and sand and roots but what the heck. This is about 1/4 to 1/2 mile up a mountain in the middle of the woods, right next to a tree. This area was strange to me because i have never seen so many ghost flowers in my life, i had actually stopped to take some pics of them when i decided to break out the detector.

A2coins · Sep 15, 2019

Most likely used in a Crime. why else would someone go out of there way to bury it in a remote area.

TommyB · Sep 15, 2019

Might want to turn over to local PD or Sheriff's Dept. YOU don't want to be charged with a crime if caught with that. You should be able to get it back if it comes back clean.

Tradertom · Sep 15, 2019

Very good suggestion.

CreakyDigger · Sep 15, 2019

Anything buried beneath it? And yeah, like they said, I'd call the sheriff's dept.

Trezurehunter · Sep 16, 2019

All of the above. You don't want to get caught with that in your possession if it was involved in a crime.

BLK HOLE · Sep 16, 2019

Cool find but like everyone says I would pass it to the police. What is a Ghost Flower?

Megalodon · Sep 16, 2019

Call the LE agency with jurisdiction. If there is more than one agency - such as local sheriff's ofc or state police, call the one you trust more. In my area, that means the state police and not the Sheriff's Ofc, but there is great variation depending on where you are located.

SpareSomeChange · Sep 16, 2019

Hey all, Yeah the gun was passed on to the police yesterday. It was completely unusable and seized up. Doing a little research on it while i had it showed it was a super cheap gun. in 1968 the Gov't passed a law banning cheap foreign guns being imported in some way and this (Raven Arms) company was one that had stepped up to fill the gap. They came into business in 1970 and went to 1991 i believe. I held on to it just long enough to give the rest of the area a proper search for anything else valuable buried that would be better placed in my hands than a police evidence locker :ruby:

but no such luck. The police did what they do best and made me regret ever talking to them by giving me a hard time but they took it. I ended up have more good luck just a short distance away and left a lot of good targets to go back to!

These are ghost flowers BLK HOLE.

TheCoinKid · Sep 16, 2019

Yep, that's a nickel plated .25 Raven Arms. I own an identical one. Bought it new-in-box in the 80's for less than $50. Although I have no practical use for it, it's actually a reliable gun if you use quality hardball ammo. Took it to the gun range a couple of years ago and it still functioned perfectly. I recall the 1985 Gun Digest stating it was one of the best low-priced guns in production. More than 1 million made. FYI.

TCK

TerryC · Sep 16, 2019

TommyB said:
Might want to turn over to local PD or Sheriff's Dept. YOU don't want to be charged with a crime if caught with that. You should be able to get it back if it comes back clean.

GET A RECEIPT when turning it in! Take someone with you to document turning it in. If stolen, you will not get it back. If used in a crime, you MAY not get it back. Tell the police exactly where you found it. If there is other forensic evidence in the immediate area, you may be credited with solving the case and may be due reward money. NOTE: If you just keep it and it is stolen, YOU may be facing jail time for possessing stolen property-firearm.... a felony in most states. Just be aware. ╦╦C

Charlie P. (NY) · Sep 16, 2019

"Ghost Flowers" we call "Indian Pipe" around here. It's a unique plant that does not have chlorophyll and doesn't need sunlight.

I agree about turning it over to the police. In this county of NY you'd have to have it on your permit (other counties are more restrictive). It's probably toast as far as evidence though it might be traceable by the serial number.

dirtlooter · Sep 16, 2019

if the gun has been in the ground very long, the inside of the barrel would most likely be too rusty up to prove one way or another that it had been used in a crime. the biggest issue would be whether or not it was a reported stolen gun and this would show up in the law running a check on it. and then there is of course local laws to deal with. And yes, this was a cheap gun back then that classified for being a Saturday Night Special or a "throw away gun." I had one back in the mid 70s but preferred to have a .22 than the .25. you probably could have soaked it in something like Navel Jelly and got it freed up but most of the small parts inside would be useless now and not worth trying to repair at all. Still, an awesome find to find.

TerryC · Sep 16, 2019

dirtlooter said:
if the gun has been in the ground very long, the inside of the barrel would most likely be too rusty up to prove one way or another that it had been used in a crime. the biggest issue would be whether or not it was a reported stolen gun and this would show up in the law running a check on it. and then there is of course local laws to deal with. And yes, this was a cheap gun back then that classified for being a Saturday Night Special or a "throw away gun." I had one back in the mid 70s but preferred to have a .22 than the .25. you probably could have soaked it in something like Navel Jelly and got it freed up but most of the small parts inside would be useless now and not worth trying to repair at all. Still, an awesome find to find.

'
The original intent of the Saturday Night Special law was to keep firearms out of the inner cities. The people in the "ghettos" could only afford cheap handguns. Make cheap guns illegal and you've disarmed the inner city population.... in theory. Didn't work. ╦╦C