Finds in the GARBAGE!

[Blitzkrieg Bop]

Still can't believe you found all of this stuff in the trash.

[GIZMO8Z]

I wish there was a way I could prove it. Maybe I'll try to catch the next dumpster coming in and snap some pictures as it's dumped?

[lithgow]

This all raises the question 'What rules or laws are there in place in the US (given it's probably state by state or suburb by suburb) for disposing of live firearms?'-it seems insane that folks just toss them out in the street for rubbish collection-and if you find such things what responsibility do you have to report finding them given that they may have been used in a crime or stolen etc ?

[GIZMO8Z]

This all raises the question 'What rules or laws are there in place in the US (given it's probably state by state or suburb by suburb) for disposing of live firearms?'-it seems insane that folks just toss them out in the street for rubbish collection-and if you find such things what responsibility do you have to report finding them given that they may have been used in a crime or stolen etc ?

I see what you mean, Lithgow. I would definiately be extremely concerned if I came across handguns or assault rifles and I would contact the police immediately.

I must say that these dumpsters are not what we consider rubbish dumpsters... aka not your normal trash can that you roll out to the end of your driveway on a weekly basis, or the dumpsters that sit behind restaurants.

We rent these dumpsters out to large companies, contractors, and do-it-yourself people doing building, demolishing, renovation, and cleanout projects. Usually, they are better supervised than your normal trash can and they sit well within customer's property lines. We then do our absolute best to immediately pick them up when they are filled. By doing this, we try to eliminate the general public from seeing our dumpsters as a convenient way to clean out their car, conveniently dump clutter or that busted tv set and of course dump that "hot" weapon from a crime. This also encourages customers to make sure that the dumpsters are removed immediately because they pay by the weight of what is in the dumpsters... Who would want to pay for someone elses trash?! With that being said, it's inevitable that sometimes we can't get to a full dumpster immediately and they will sit overnight. So, I am not ruling out the possibility of there may occasionally be stolen weapons or weapons associated with a crime in random dumpsters from time to time.

Also, in our area, your average garbage can goes to a burn plant and is immediately fed into an incinerator after being dumped off the garbage truck. At our facility, we are able to find these cool and crazy things because the stuff is sorted through before being fed into a grinder. What we try to do is remove anything and everything that can be recycled, while only sending non-recycleable stuff to a landfill.

I am able to find these cool things really by luck. If we see desirable stuff poking out of a pile of freshly dumped garbage, or if the truck driver sees something when he climbs up ontop of the dumpster to un-tarp it or unlock the dump door, the desirable stuff can generally be saved. If we are busy and have all 10 trucks running non stop and the grinder running non stop, a lot of times the desirable stuff is overlooked in the organized chaos and gets fed into the grinder. In this case, it only gets found when it reaches the conveyor belt where our workers sift through the grinded material which is smaller and easier to sort through/ easier to pack nonrecyclables on a transfer truck going to the landfill.

When we first opened, I was still in college and worked as a general laborer for my parents during the summer. A huge regret I have is not seeing a M1 front seam, fixed bale helmet, GI ammo belt, and M1 Garand before it went through the grinder. All were damaged severely and I passed them up.

This past summer, I missed out on saving this beaded M40:

[packin9]

Also Lithgow, we have what is called a 'Curios and Relics' license. With it we can obtain rifles,handguns etc. 50 yrs. or older depending on some other classifications that the ATF&E deems acceptable. They can be delivered to our front door via UPS ground. I've had mine for about 15 yrs. or so. $30 for 3 yrs. It pays for itself after your first purchase.So finding that type of weapon in the garbage is one heck of a super find. That looks to be in great shape GIZMO.Some cleaning etc. and you have a nice collectable! Complete with the 'Mum too!! Ron

[GIZMO8Z]

Hi Ron, Thanks for the response! I brought the T38 to my gunsmith today and he said it should clean up and fire just fine. I'm not sure if I want to go that far... but it's nice to know that this rifle isn't a hunk of junk. I decided NOT to have the gunsmith fix the bolt problem. I'm not really the best when it comes to projects like this, so I want to give it the good ole' college try!

[packin9]

Good luck working on it GIZMO. I've tore apart several Mauser's,Mozin's etc. to strip clean them. Basically there not very complicated. Then shoot em. If ya get the chance...put a few rounds through it! If possible,let us see the finished clean up. Ron

[GIZMO8Z]

Good luck working on it GIZMO. I've tore apart several Mauser's,Mozin's etc. to strip clean them. Basically there not very complicated. Then shoot em. If ya get the chance...put a few rounds through it! If possible,let us see the finished clean up. Ron

SUCCESS! I got the bolt out! The chamber, bolt, etc. everything looks MINT! It felt amazing to cycle this rifle for the first time probably since the vet brought it back from the Pacific! In fact, I took a video of me cycling it for the first time. It needs a good cleaning, and the barrel is all stopped up with gunk and spider webs... BUT I WILL RETURN IT TO IT'S FORMER GLORY! BANZAI!

[GIZMO8Z]

Here's the vid of me cycling it for the first time!


Here are some additional pictures. Sorry for the cell phone photo quality... I had very time available to reassemble the rifle. In two mins I will be on the road to visit my fiancee in Albany! A GOOD WEEK/ WEEKEND FOR ME!

[Walkwolf]

Congrats Joe ! I didn't think it would be all that hard to 'unstick'.

That is one killer collectible ! - Probably the nicest piece
you've found in the garbage so far.........!