Sad Day

[put]

I just received 12 guns in need of cleaning. The guns belong to a dear friend. Her husband and hunting buddy of mine passed away 2 years ago of a sudden heart attack. Last week while she was at work, some thugs broke in to her house and stole all her jewelry, TV and computer. On the way out they set the house on fire. Most of the house was a total loss. The guns were in the back of the house. As you can see from the photos they are in bad shape. I think they will clean up well. Most just look bad.

I will get them in as best shape as possible then they will go to her two grown sons. As I look at some of them I remember each hunting trip and some of the gun's stories. It is kind of bitter sweet.

I hope to post some after pictures as well

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg86/7738/Picture166.jpg


http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg86/7738/Picture171.jpg

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg86/7738/Picture170.jpg

[Bret4207]

Jerks! I won;t pretend to know the Good Lords mind, but I hope there is some punishment for those that invade and destroy anothers home. That just pushes me over the edge, always has.

[BD]

I'm sorry for your friends loss, and I hope she had some insurance. As to the crime, I can't think of a single polite or reasonable thing to say, so I'd best keep my trap shut.
BD

[mooman76]

That is sad indeed! Fortunately the gund don't look too bad and at least they apparently didn't find them cause I'm sure they wouldn't have passed them up. I'm hoping for the best for you and your friend's wife!

[Firebricker]

put, I've been broke into three times. I know first hand how it feels to have some dirtbag dig through your belongings trash everthing in site. So I can't imagine what your friends are going through with there home destroyed on top of everthing else. I really feel bad for them. As far as I'm concerned theres not a whole lot lower than a thief. Your a good man for helping them out I wish you the best of luck on your project. At least you can tell them theres a lot of people praying for them. FB

[Slow Elk 45/70]

Sorry for your loss, as for the scum that steal and destroy the property of others, may they die slowly , in agony, crying out to the God they don't know.

[Frank46]

Seem to remember that soot or smoke damage can really wreak havoc as far as corrosion is concerned. What with all the firearms there you have a lotta work ahead of you. Maybe if you just wipe everything down with an oily rag to protect them it will help to prevent damage to the finish. We had a wiring trunk fire on our ship and as the armory was above our engine room a bunch of us got detailed carrying out all the weapons stored there plus all the ammo. Few days after that the gunner's mates had to detail strip and clean each firearm, oil and reassemble. They were at it for some time. while they will probably never catch those thugs, rest assured that someday their time will come. Frank

[JDFuchs]

I cant even start to say anything as to the the robbers with out my head steaming off. With the look of these I cant imagine the damage to the rest of her house... Wish her well form us.
Once you do get them cleaned up take some pick's for us to see. I hope they turn out well.

[put]

I have 2 cleaned up. The Savage 99 in 243 and the Infield 303. They cleaned up ok but the soot is acidic and has some of the bluing removed or thinned. The but pads are a total loss. The guns look ok. There are some real neat guns in this pile. A Winchester Mod 12, a Winchester Model 1897 pump 12 Gauge with an exposed hammer, and a Winchester Mod 61 pump 22.

[TAWILDCATT]

get some baking soda and was the guns with that,if you dont neutralize the acid they will keep rusting.my son in law had a fire and it took me weeks to stop the rusting.:coffee:[smilie=1:

[legend]

i am sorry you lost your friend,remember to reflect as you clean the guns.

[Mtman314]

I had bought two guns that went through a fire I used kroil to get the bolts moving and kept it up until what felt like sand was no longer in the actions.

[EOD3]

His kids would probably value your memories of hunting/shooting with their father nearly as much as the guns. "This is the rifle your dad used when we went hunting for..."

Just my BAC