I Found a Scoped Rifle in the Woods . . . No, not a toy -

[parsonwalker]

Crazy. While hunting a Civil War site I got a huge signal beside a tree. Kicked the leaves aside and, "Forsooth! Do mine eyes betray me?? Be that a gun barrel??" When I picked it up I quickly realized that I had made an incredible find. I didn't even know they HAD .22 semi-automatic repeating rifles with scopes in the 1860s!



Seriously though, who leaves their rifle (with a scope) in a 10 acre patch of woods divided equally by a creek (surely you can remember which side of the creek you were hunting on) almost within SIGHT of a house, and never goes back to get it? Honestly, it wouldn't have been that hard to find this rifle. And I'm sure it had nothing to do with that double shooting at that same house in 1977.



Relax. I'm joking. Probably a bad one. No crimes were committed on that property, except a guy did shoot another guy off a hay wagon once in the 1930s. Suspected him of hanky-panky with the wife. Killed him. But he used a pistol, so I think we're safe there. Looks like maybe a Marlin to me. All I can read is "New Haven" on the trigger guard. Tube fed. Gold-plated trigger.

HEY! I finally found GOLD!!!!!

 

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[Garrett424]

Very interesting find.

The most unusual thing I've found was a buried chainsaw. I guess someone left it behind and was never able to find it.

 

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[kcm]

I once had a chainsaw that SHOULD have been buried!

 

[d2]

Looks like a model 60 to me also. I have re-blued several, mostly .22's, that were left in the woods or the yard and forgotten about. One for 3 years. That's a neat find...d2

 

[kcm]

Where the bolt is on the found rifle looks different than on the Marlin 60. Different variations? What is the gold-toned metal...steel? Is it brass? I haven't seen a Marlin 60 made in brass, but then I'm no gun fancier.

 

[Swordsnsalt]

I have a browning rifle with gold plated trigger and bead site..its a newer model lever though..nice find!

 

[kcm]

Yeah, I found lever actions that were similar, but this wasn't lever - trigger guard gives that away.

...Maybe a custom job?? Maybe a Heinz 57??

 

[Stand Watie]

It's probably a Marlin 39A Golden Mountie. I got one with a 4X Weatherby scope for my birthday when I was 16 years old. I've shot it every year since and it still functions and shoots like brand new. I'm 62 years old now, that's 46 years of shooting. Best built gun I've ever owned and I've owned many.

 

[eureka77]

Yep I have a marlin .22 with brass colored trigger. New Haven is Marlin.

 

[kcm]

New Haven is their own company. (<-- actually, this may not be correct) They also made some models for other companies, such as Mossberg. Other firearms companies are based or have locations in New Haven, Conn.

The Marlin 39A is a lever action.

EDIT: Found out that Mossberg made some guns but, instead of putting Mossberg on them, the brand name is New Haven. So either the website I read this on was wrong, or the New Haven .410 shotgun listed on that website that I actually have right now is made by Mossberg. Apparently it gets even more complicated, as Winchester and Marlin get thrown into the mix. Both have/have had facilities "in" New Haven, Conn., but don't know where it went from there.

The only thing I "DO" know is, I have yet to find a gun that looks like this one. But I'm not a gun nut, so that's not saying much!! It looks closest to a Marlin 60, I think, but there are definite differences to the one in the OP.

 

[scotter1]

if it says new haven ct its a marlin

 

[s.c.shooter]

Does the scope have a manufacturer on it?

 

[kcm]

See edit, post #29, page 2.

 

[UnderMiner]

Sure is missing alot of pieces, must have been out there for a very long time. Dropped by a hunter, forgotten at a campsite, ditched purposefully, we may never know

 

[nsdq]

The Model 60 22lr one of the most common 22's out there , cool find