This thought crossed my mind as well. But this is a ravine in the middle of a bunch of neighborhoods. No room to 4 wheel and definitely no hunting in this spot.
File the claim paperwork now so it’s on file. Don’t wait for them to call you back. There’s a 100% chance someone at that department is hoping you forget about it so one of their friends can file for it in a year or two.
This is 100% true - we had a pistol stolen from us in 1985(!), and when it was recovered from an armed robber and returned after his conviction (in 2016!), it sat in the local PD for a few months without any effort to find us. A good cop finally got it back to us but I have no doubt someone was sitting on it waiting to say nobody claimed it. It's nickel-plated engraved Colt Python so I understand, but still ...
This very thing happened to me except the guy they recovered it from (in another state) was released and then never showed up for his hearing. Their PD literally wanted to hang on to the pistol forever until they could catch him again to use it as evidence. Took multiple calls insisting on its return until they finally sent it to my local PD so I could get it. All the while it sat in the “evidence locker” but had been fired multiple times when we got it back. I’m sure the cops were having fun with it in the meantime.
If it ends up cleaning up nice I wouldnt be surprised if it "dissapeared" before you can get it back. I had the cops take a cell phone from me when I was the victim of a crime and then when I tried to get it back they suddenly didnt have it anymore. If any officer decides he likes that gun it is gone.
In Covington KY about 25 years ago three million in cocaine walked out of the evidence room. Too bad I didn’t have any cop friends at the time. Would have been some good parties.
I was working at a U.S. Attorney’s offices when a defendant was charged with possession of 4.99 kilos of cocaine (penalties go up at 5 kilos).
Either this defended is the luckiest SOB to ever get busted or some cops had a party.
What’s the defendant going to say? Where’s the rest of my cocaine?
My friend’s house got robbed like 10 years ago, all his guns and bows were recovered by police shortly later. He only got a bow back, minus the scope and arrows of course. Never got any of his guns back. Thanks sheriff, got robbed once then they robbed him
They did that to me too. Some people broke into my house and stole cash and then the police caught them and seized the cash as 'drug proceeds'
I didnt find out until a year later. They caught the guys within 24 hours of breaking into my house. Fuckers, all of them.
Had a friend who had an AR stolen back in the 70's. He was called by the sheriff in the 90's and told they had recovered it and he could come pick it up. Was still in perfect condition, found with an entire house filled with stolen goods.
I found some items and turned them into the police. Roughly a year later they contacted me to say the investigation was over, nothing was found so they gave me what I found.
The gas blowback pistols usually have that air/gas connector in the center of the bottom of the magazine, rather than towards the back. I've never seen one mounted that far towards the back of the grip.
It's honestly not in terrible condition. I bet that could be cleaned up to shoot again, police could definitely get evidence off that if that is what it was used for.
I was kind of thinking that too. I called the cops. If it’s not part of a crime or registered to a living person, they said I could claim it in a while.
They gotta clean it enough to find a serial. I don’t expect them to return it to working condition. Just get the mud off.
Edit to say, when I said come back clean, I just meant not part of a crime.
Def..you don’t want to get caught with it if it was used in a crime at some point. Unsure why you are being downvoted. This is literally the only correct course of action
Ya now the cops have record of it, the serial number possibly the barrel's forensic fingerprint. Don't use this gun in the commission of a crime if you do get it back.
This is in a really deep ravine in the middle of a residential area. When it rains really hard, the area that I found it is usually underwater sometimes up to 4 to 7 feet. I think someone who didn’t live in the neighborhood thought they were throwing it into a small lake.
Woah!! Coolest thing I found was a couple bottle caps and a dog tag, and not even like an army dog tag but an actual dog’s tag on a dog beach, and I saw it on the surface of the sand!!! Didn’t even need to metal detect for it 😭😭
Oh man, I'd love a 1911.
My grandfather was an officer stationed in the pacific in ww2. When he was being demobilized, there was a footlocker left behind that had a bunch of these. He and the other officers that found it all tried to mail one of them back home. His never made it through the mail. What could have been...
My grandfather owned a restaurant that was robbed (1970s). Somehow got the pistol away from the guy and killed him with it. A couple of years later he got a call to come pick up his firearm from the police department. 😲
My grandma still had it when she passed.
SW Michigan. In a ravine in the middle of a bunch of neighborhoods. I could obviously walk around there today, but after a hard rain, the spot I was in is usually quite a few feet underwater.
I believe if you have a gun permit you can turn it into the police as lost and found. If no one claims it after a certain amount of time, you get to keep it.
Or Technically only the frame is the actual serial gun part so break down the parts so you can also turn the frame in at a gun buy back and get some cash and fix up the other parts to sell (or build a ghost gun with the parts.)
Taurus has lifetime warranty if that's what it is. Not sure if that kind of damage would be covered but worth a shot to contact manufacturer. Looks like my Taurus 1911 but then they all have the same look when covered in dirt.
HE’LL YA BRUDDER TOO WERLD WORS GOBBLESS
https://preview.redd.it/hhr3vi7691yc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a08ffd1e984297954a08e985687748aeed70e65d
OP, that's a WWII 1911 or a clone of one, either way, they're REALLY COOL and that one looks to have been preserved by the mud.
WWII 1911's will run someone about $2,000 nowadays depending on condition and manufacturer, and if it's all original.
You need to secure that firearm in six months when you can legally claim it from the PD and then have someone knowledgeable about cleaning them take care of a minor conservation. I'd happily clean it up for you and document it.
I'd see if there's any military bases in the area that may have been around 1940-1970. That might give you an answers to where it came from.
People always see stuff like this and think "murder weapon," but in reality it's far more commonly the result of someone inheriting a gun they didn't want, and throwing it away.
You can't really throw a gun in the trash, and some people aren't comfortable taking them to the cops or selling them to a gun store, so they end up tossing them in a body of water or into the woods.
It's a terrible idea, but it happens all the time.
I found it in a ravine in the middle of a residential area. When it rains the area I found it in is often underwater by quite a few feet. I think someone thought it was going to stay underwater forever.
But also SW Michigan, if that’s what you were asking.
Not a detectorist(?) myself, but am into military history.
Don’t know why, but I didn’t instantly assume this was found in America. I would imagine there’s a few A1’s dotted around mainland Europe, or are battlefields typically the first places you guys cover?
Weirdly enough, there was a body sized pile of dirt directly next to where I found this. I pointed it out to the cops but they just kind of laughed it off. I honestly might go back later today.
lol the cops gonna take that home and keep it depending on the state you’re in he can check in his car on his laptop or call it in if his laptops down within maybe 60 seconds
Looks to be a military issue M1911a1. I think I can see a few features that make me believe it could be an early war Colt. Did you happen to take any other pictures before you handed it off?
Buried in the woods? Doesn’t seem sketch at all
Probably fell out of a holster or pocket while someone was 4 wheeling, or hunting (if legal in your state of course)
This thought crossed my mind as well. But this is a ravine in the middle of a bunch of neighborhoods. No room to 4 wheel and definitely no hunting in this spot.
Definitely want to get the police to take a look at that one then
They have it now!
Any chance you can get it back eventually or do finds like these disappear forever once turned in?
They told me if it’s not part of a crime, or registered to a living person, I could claim it after a few weeks/months. Not sure on the timeline.
File the claim paperwork now so it’s on file. Don’t wait for them to call you back. There’s a 100% chance someone at that department is hoping you forget about it so one of their friends can file for it in a year or two.
I actually like this idea. Might go to the station today or tomorrow.
yes go even if you’d sell it you’re leaving $700+ on the table if not
This is 100% true - we had a pistol stolen from us in 1985(!), and when it was recovered from an armed robber and returned after his conviction (in 2016!), it sat in the local PD for a few months without any effort to find us. A good cop finally got it back to us but I have no doubt someone was sitting on it waiting to say nobody claimed it. It's nickel-plated engraved Colt Python so I understand, but still ...
This very thing happened to me except the guy they recovered it from (in another state) was released and then never showed up for his hearing. Their PD literally wanted to hang on to the pistol forever until they could catch him again to use it as evidence. Took multiple calls insisting on its return until they finally sent it to my local PD so I could get it. All the while it sat in the “evidence locker” but had been fired multiple times when we got it back. I’m sure the cops were having fun with it in the meantime.
Fingers crossed for you - that’s an amazing find
Hell yeah just the handle tiles would be nice to pull but I bet the whole gun is probably not that rough. Would cleanup nice!
Just put it in the dishwasher
Yeah looks like a 1911. Pretty durable guns for over 100 years.
If it ends up cleaning up nice I wouldnt be surprised if it "dissapeared" before you can get it back. I had the cops take a cell phone from me when I was the victim of a crime and then when I tried to get it back they suddenly didnt have it anymore. If any officer decides he likes that gun it is gone.
In Covington KY about 25 years ago three million in cocaine walked out of the evidence room. Too bad I didn’t have any cop friends at the time. Would have been some good parties.
You still probably got some of it if you lived in that area.
We had a cop in my home town die of an overdose because he was stealing drugs from the evidence locker.
I was working at a U.S. Attorney’s offices when a defendant was charged with possession of 4.99 kilos of cocaine (penalties go up at 5 kilos). Either this defended is the luckiest SOB to ever get busted or some cops had a party. What’s the defendant going to say? Where’s the rest of my cocaine?
My friend’s house got robbed like 10 years ago, all his guns and bows were recovered by police shortly later. He only got a bow back, minus the scope and arrows of course. Never got any of his guns back. Thanks sheriff, got robbed once then they robbed him
They did that to me too. Some people broke into my house and stole cash and then the police caught them and seized the cash as 'drug proceeds' I didnt find out until a year later. They caught the guys within 24 hours of breaking into my house. Fuckers, all of them.
Had a friend who had an AR stolen back in the 70's. He was called by the sheriff in the 90's and told they had recovered it and he could come pick it up. Was still in perfect condition, found with an entire house filled with stolen goods.
It may not make it to the station.
I bet the investigating will give it about as good a cleaning as anyone can! That’s making to police work for you!!
Same with magnet fishing
I wonder if they will do a full clean and oiling before firing for ballistics. This way you might get it back in good condition
This is when a Time Machine is needed. Let us know
Hey whenever they get back to you, let us know!
I found some items and turned them into the police. Roughly a year later they contacted me to say the investigation was over, nothing was found so they gave me what I found.
Cops will likely keep for themselves
Good call! Please follow up or edit this post to keep us updated!
Will do!!
Great job. 👏🏻
Man… I would’ve just cleaned it up and kept it.
It kind of looks like it has the hook up or a small CO2 canister within the pistol grip? Or maybe it’s a tether point? I’m not sure.
The gas blowback pistols usually have that air/gas connector in the center of the bottom of the magazine, rather than towards the back. I've never seen one mounted that far towards the back of the grip.
lanyard loop
That’s what I’m saying
I got you, I was just saying the common term is lanyard loop. :)
Why tf you give up a free gun?
Yea that be a pass on corrupt age n seas wake tf up
That's been there a long long time could be older the the housing devolments are . Maybe was a fail when it was lost .
Looks like a colt 1911 A1.
Where are you? It’d be cool to see if this is involved in some case that goes national or something!
Yeah. I’m gonna go with that’s a hot 1911
[удалено]
I safely ~~bury~~ store all of my ~~victims~~ guns in shallow ~~graves~~ safe-spots in the woods so my ~~local police~~ kids won't find them.
Yeah. Prosecutors have been waiting for that to show up.
Ah, the holy grail of r/magnetfishing.
Haha I do that too sometimes.
Oh 1911 of the woods, what wisdom can you bestow on us?
A 1911, thrust up from the ground by a dirty tart is no basis for forming a gov't.
Nice Monty python reference
You can’t expect to wield supreme executive power just because some dirty tart threw a 1911 at you.
Who said it was a tart? It was a WWI Doughboy!
This is an 1911 A1 made sometime 1924 or later.
1924? Doesn’t look a day over .45!
Nazis aren't people, therefore, sections of the Geneva Convention need not apply.
Lol, the first post I saw was about e-scooters being thrown into a river
It's honestly not in terrible condition. I bet that could be cleaned up to shoot again, police could definitely get evidence off that if that is what it was used for.
I was kind of thinking that too. I called the cops. If it’s not part of a crime or registered to a living person, they said I could claim it in a while.
Lol. If it’s not involved a cop is taking that home. Don’t hold your breath.
Yeah if that's a 1911 that cop is gonna keep it for "evidence"
You’re not getting it back
Pretty easy to do a barrel swap.
What kind of gun is that?
looks like a M1911A1 Without pictures of it cleaned up it’s impossible to tell who made it.
Nice find! Evapo-rust, new tube, new springs, lots of oil , and likely good to go!
Hopefully the cops do most of the cleaning. If it comes back clean I get to claim it. So I’ll keep these steps in mind!!
Plenty of restore videos on YouTube for guidance.
Nice find! You should post this in r/1911. What make was it?
Right where Tony dumped it...
You taking ‘bout Little Tony or Big Tony.
That's the problem in our biz...too many Tonys hahaha
Lord, I see what you’ve done for others….
Follow this up with a restoration video, and you are a good.
Call the police. Let them deal with it.
I definitely did. Not worth the risk. They were cool about it though and if it comes back clean I get to claim it.
Note to self: When ditching a gun, bring a metal detector and call the police.
I don’t think they’re gonna clean it for ya man 😕
They gotta clean it enough to find a serial. I don’t expect them to return it to working condition. Just get the mud off. Edit to say, when I said come back clean, I just meant not part of a crime.
Have my upvote
Def..you don’t want to get caught with it if it was used in a crime at some point. Unsure why you are being downvoted. This is literally the only correct course of action
Ya now the cops have record of it, the serial number possibly the barrel's forensic fingerprint. Don't use this gun in the commission of a crime if you do get it back.
It looks more like someone lost their pistol; if it was used in a commission of a crime, I would expect for it to have been buried deeper.
This is in a really deep ravine in the middle of a residential area. When it rains really hard, the area that I found it is usually underwater sometimes up to 4 to 7 feet. I think someone who didn’t live in the neighborhood thought they were throwing it into a small lake.
Reminds me of Tony soprano dropping his gun in the snow running from Johnny sacks house.
You're expecting smart criminals? This could be the one thing they didn't do correctly after the commission of a crime.
*law and order music starts playing* *
Unsolved Mysteries
Check for the serial number, seems like a modern gun to me
I called the cops, so they can handle that. BUT if it’s not part of a crime, or registered to a living person, they said I could claim it!
Way to be.
Your not getting that back, that gun has definitely seen some shit.
Yeeaaahhh, it’s an exciting thought. But hopes aren’t too high.
Colt 1911by the looks of it.
Yup. Could be modern, could be 100 years old.
Is that a 1911? If the PoPo reckons it's all good I'd claim it back and clean it up. 👍
🤞
Possibly an M1911A1, I think I see a lanyard.
I hope it comes back clean. 1911 could be worth more than $300.
Definitely a 1911, and doesn’t look particularly old
Bury it before it jumps up and gun violences someone.
Woah!! Coolest thing I found was a couple bottle caps and a dog tag, and not even like an army dog tag but an actual dog’s tag on a dog beach, and I saw it on the surface of the sand!!! Didn’t even need to metal detect for it 😭😭
Uh oh. You found your first murder weapon. Seriously though, it may be usable. Any other pistol, no. But a Colt 1911….
It’s the first murder weapon I’ve posted on Reddit about….
Oh man, I'd love a 1911. My grandfather was an officer stationed in the pacific in ww2. When he was being demobilized, there was a footlocker left behind that had a bunch of these. He and the other officers that found it all tried to mail one of them back home. His never made it through the mail. What could have been...
Crime scene!
Whoa cool
My grandfather owned a restaurant that was robbed (1970s). Somehow got the pistol away from the guy and killed him with it. A couple of years later he got a call to come pick up his firearm from the police department. 😲 My grandma still had it when she passed.
Looks like a 1911 45 cal.
That appears to have a lanyard loop mount on the grip. Where was this found? What context? It could have significant age.
SW Michigan. In a ravine in the middle of a bunch of neighborhoods. I could obviously walk around there today, but after a hard rain, the spot I was in is usually quite a few feet underwater.
Yo take it
Oh!! … You found it!! 😳🫣😲
I believe if you have a gun permit you can turn it into the police as lost and found. If no one claims it after a certain amount of time, you get to keep it. Or Technically only the frame is the actual serial gun part so break down the parts so you can also turn the frame in at a gun buy back and get some cash and fix up the other parts to sell (or build a ghost gun with the parts.)
If it has a clean record and no registration on file, the cops did say I could claim it. Fingers crossed another cop doesn’t take it first.
Taurus has lifetime warranty if that's what it is. Not sure if that kind of damage would be covered but worth a shot to contact manufacturer. Looks like my Taurus 1911 but then they all have the same look when covered in dirt.
Weird place for a boating accident.
Make yourself a copy of the serial number. If you don't hear back in 2 months then call them and ask them to check again.
Super cool
HE’LL YA BRUDDER TOO WERLD WORS GOBBLESS https://preview.redd.it/hhr3vi7691yc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a08ffd1e984297954a08e985687748aeed70e65d
That’s a secret tool we will use later.
That’s mine. Please cover it back up. I’ll get it next time I’m in the area
Hey! Free gun!
Make sure you post an update on whether it was used in a crime or if you get it back.
Will do! Looking forward to updating!
Congrats on finding a murder weapon!
This weapon was likely utilized in the commission of a felony. Nice find!!
OP, that's a WWII 1911 or a clone of one, either way, they're REALLY COOL and that one looks to have been preserved by the mud. WWII 1911's will run someone about $2,000 nowadays depending on condition and manufacturer, and if it's all original. You need to secure that firearm in six months when you can legally claim it from the PD and then have someone knowledgeable about cleaning them take care of a minor conservation. I'd happily clean it up for you and document it. I'd see if there's any military bases in the area that may have been around 1940-1970. That might give you an answers to where it came from.
People always see stuff like this and think "murder weapon," but in reality it's far more commonly the result of someone inheriting a gun they didn't want, and throwing it away. You can't really throw a gun in the trash, and some people aren't comfortable taking them to the cops or selling them to a gun store, so they end up tossing them in a body of water or into the woods. It's a terrible idea, but it happens all the time.
Do you have a source on this?
Looks like a 1911 a1. Where did you find this?
I found it in a ravine in the middle of a residential area. When it rains the area I found it in is often underwater by quite a few feet. I think someone thought it was going to stay underwater forever. But also SW Michigan, if that’s what you were asking.
Bucket lister right there
Did you keep it? If so, your next update will probably be "I'm on parole"?
Did you check and see if the serial number was scratched off?
…to solve a murder…😳
Jackpot!
RemindMe! 3 Months
99% a murder weapon
Oh baby a 1911
Not a detectorist(?) myself, but am into military history. Don’t know why, but I didn’t instantly assume this was found in America. I would imagine there’s a few A1’s dotted around mainland Europe, or are battlefields typically the first places you guys cover?
Very good condition. This one will fire again.
That's a 1911. Could it be used for a crime? Sure. . . but that's a nice (and expensive) piece.
Pretty sure that’s evidence
Oooh. Nice find. When did ya plant it there?
Is that 1911?
I think so.
Is it just me or does it seem to be in pretty good condition? It doesn't seem to have been there long at all.
Please clean and post follow ups!!
Looks like an Army issue .45
Clean and keep it
Crime gun
Murder weapon.
That thing has some bodies on it.
My immediate thought is murder weapon….
Holy shit does that 1911 have a lanyard loop? If it is then that was military issue.
Remindme! 3 months.
If you don't tell anyone, then no one knows you found it..... Then do with it what you want.
You better roll the dirt back over that
😲🫨
That was ditched while running from The Popo
Do a office pop but in the wood.
Leave it. Cover back up. Walk away from a potential migraine.
John Browning would be impressed.
High resale value. Someone in the ghetto is lookin for that.
You figure out what brand of 1911 it was?
Looks like a nice 1911!
Free gun that's a good day
What kind of 1911 is it? Looks like it could be an M1911/M1911A1.
Looks like an Sig Sauer, have you cleaned it up?
Holy cow! Amazing find
Crime scene. Ditched gun.
Nice 1911, never getting that back.
Omgeeee
did you find the dead body beside it
Weirdly enough, there was a body sized pile of dirt directly next to where I found this. I pointed it out to the cops but they just kind of laughed it off. I honestly might go back later today.
Empty your four clips and bury your guns in the mud
Magazines. Not clips.
lol the cops gonna take that home and keep it depending on the state you’re in he can check in his car on his laptop or call it in if his laptops down within maybe 60 seconds
Uhoh
Looks to be a military issue M1911a1. I think I can see a few features that make me believe it could be an early war Colt. Did you happen to take any other pictures before you handed it off?
Thats in beautiful condition
Holy murder weapon batman!
That looks savable for sure!
That has a body on it for sure
May I have it back? I love that little son of a gun.
Call Tony Soprano
Is that an Sig scorpion 911?
Do you think someone buried it? Was the dirt you dug up easier? I’m so curious about if this was accidentally or purposely discarded….