Rifle Found - California D17

[WrstMuleHntr]

Really curious to see more of the effects of years of outdoor weathering - would you mind sharing a few photos of the condition of the glass/coatings, and more of the gun?

Scope is already on its way back to vortex so I won’t be able to get anymore of that. It was interesting though that under the rings the scope was black, like the yellow coating was put on after the scope and rings were assembled together.

 

[wind gypsy]

It Looks like it has been there 1-2 years. The bolt was rusted closed so I could not make sure that it wasn't loaded, although I was able to pull the trigger, hear a "click" and nothing happened.

Dude! You're lucky it wasn't loaded or if it is that it didn't go off! If it's that rusty, i can only imagine the bullet would have in some way, shape, or form bonded to the barrel.

I bulged a smokeless muzzleloader barrel by shooting a bullet that had been sitting loaded for less than a month and only been outside for a couple dry half day hunts. Theory being that the bullet bonded to the stainless bore in some way and created a ton of pressure. That gun could have been much worse!

 

[Dos Perros]

I think it's pretty unlikely for dissimilar metals to cold bond.

 

[Pilsner]

Gen 1 Ruger American it looks like under that rust.
My vortex optics have been back and forth to Vortex for repairs often enough that they could type in its optics SN and pull up my entire purchase history. Be worth the cost of an email to them to ask if they have any info on the prior owner. The worst they can say is "We dunno".
-Doc

 

[rclouse79]

I have left a lot of things on the mountain, but I can’t imagine leaving my rifle.

 

[DuckDawg22]

The gold paint is a desert rat special. Something that rusty in that area I probably would have left

 

[RockAndSage]

Scope is already on its way back to vortex so I won’t be able to get anymore of that. It was interesting though that under the rings the scope was black, like the yellow coating was put on after the scope and rings were assembled together.

Big thanks for taking those photos and sharing them. How would you say the plastics have held up - can you scratch it with your fingernail? Is it flakey at all?

Regarding the scope, what can you share about your impressions of the glass?