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Had a customer bring in a completely seized-up 1911 that had been buried in a backyard for who knows how long.
After a full day of soaking, scraping, and a lot of patience, I got the slide to move and found a 1943 Ithaca frame, which made the whole frustrating process feel totally worth it, so what's the most surprising find you've uncovered inside a 'basket case' gun?
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mary_ross27d ago
Found a box of old gun parts at a yard sale, mostly rust and mystery grease. Spent a weekend cleaning a totally plain shotgun barrel, only to find a tiny, perfect proof mark from a small Belgian shop that closed in the 1950s. It’s like @iris_ellis said, you never know what’s under the grime. That barrel is now the only clean thing on my workbench.
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miles5413d ago
That "buried in a backyard" line is wild. A good soak in kerosene can work miracles on stuff like that.
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iris_ellis27d ago
Ever think those old "parts bin" revolvers are just junk? Found a Colt Official Police that was a total mess. Got it apart and the crane had a tiny inspector mark from the 1920s. Totally changed how I saw that old beater.
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