What are the odds on this happening?

[Willie]

I was at the range this morning, shooting a seating depth test, when a young couple set up to my right. As they were shooting, I noticed they were shooting across several others' line of fire. The RSO politely moved them to the far left bench.
They were obviously new to shooting and were banging away with an old SK and a really nice bolt gun, never touching the target. About that time, the RSO started waving at me. I had one round to shoot and the clock was ticking on my LabRadar, so I took my shot. The RSO was still motioning to me, so I went over to him and into his office, wondering WTH.
He advised me that the couple were shooting stolen weapons. I asked him how he knew they had stolen weapons. His reply stunned me, "Because the guy they were stolen from is on the firing line". "We have called the police and they're on their way". Shortly, the police arrived and disarmed the shooters, very proficiently. Found a pistol and "unknown items" in a bag. They took the guy with them, but left the girl and she drove away.
I later talked to the victim of the theft and was told the guy was cooperating with police and admitted he had more of the guns at home. Seems the victim was just back from a deployment and had taken a trip for R&R. When he got back, he had found 10 guns had been stolen.
I suggested he go buy a lotto ticket because today he was the luckiest guy in Texas. What are the odds on going to the range and finding someone else shooting your stolen guns ? Must be astronomical!
And yes, he now owns a safe.

 

[savagedasher]

I had a gun stolen at the range . Two days later he call a friend and ask if he could load some shells . It happened it was a 6 mm BR . I had the only one around . The next week he wanted to sell the gun at another gun club . They knew it was stolen and made arrangement to buy it . Best not to sell a gun to a sheriff .
Larry costa had two stolen and the stupid jerk came to the range and tryed to sell his gun to him .
Great story hope the do more to the guy then our court did . Larry

 

[swd]

Wow, that couple wins the stupid award for the year, free room and board!

 

[Willie]

Just to make it clear, the girl was released. Might not have been involved. I think the guy's story was he bought them, but a detective showed up at the range and "offered the guy a free ride to headquarters". Story may change, but will make details known as it develops. The good news is, in time, the the active duty service member will get part of his collection back, but the guy told him he didn't know where the $2,500 1911 was at. Bummer!

 

[savagedasher]

I hope where you live the courts are as liberal as ours . Larry

 

[lpreddick]

Speaking of luck, I had 2 guns stolen from my shop. They were chambered same day 5 yrs ago, 6x47 Lapua. One had a N F 8-32 BR scope. They were both Rem actions. I could not find paperwork for serial numbers. 10 days and detectives had nothing. I remembered my gunsmith had to record serial numbers of recievers when barreling a factory gun. I called my gunsmith and was informed one of his old customers had called earlier asking if had reloading dies for a 6x47 Lapua that he chambered for him the same year mine were. My gunsmith's wife kept excellent records and there was no such build. I got this man's name, address and phone number and gave to the detective. He visited later and had gun #1 . A visit to the pawn shop resulted in obtaining name and address of seller...he asked $700 for gun (NF scope one) but took $100. A midnight visit by the detective was quite a surprise to this thief who directed him to gun #2. He was prosecuted and convicted. I now have serial numbers of all my firearms and scopes.

 

[savagedasher]

Mine was convinced and got 30 day and turned loose . He left the state and got caught again in NC doing the same . There he got 8 years . And they had no idea what he had done in Florida . If they knew he would of got 15 years . Larry

 

[LHSmith]

Mine was convinced and got 30 day and turned loose . He left the state and got caught again in NC doing the same . There he got 8 years . And they had no idea what he had done in Florida . If they knew he would of got 15 years . Larry

Apparently he wasn't all that convinced ......he turned around and did it again -despite being inconvenienced by the conviction in Florida.
Texting during happy hour again?

 

[KMart]

If it was Texas, I think that it is a hanging offence the same as horse theft. If not, it should be. There is a real good chance that this is not the first time the thief got caught stealing.

 

[Eddie Harren]

Mine was convinced and got 30 day and turned loose . He left the state and got caught again in NC doing the same . There he got 8 years . And they had no idea what he had done in Florida . If they knew he would of got 15 years . Larry

Convinced of what?

I swear that Larry is Prof. Irwin Corey re-incarnate.

 

[jdh47]

Convinced of what?

I swear that Larry is Prof. Irwin Corey re-incarnate.

Don't you just love the confounded spell check on phones.

Joe

 

[Alex Wheeler]

I was at the match when the low life tried to sell Larry Costa his own stolen scope. When Larry rattled off the serial number before even looking at it, the guy got that oh shit look on his face. LOL. He seemed like a tweaker to me and was acting weird. Same story, bought it at a gun show. I hate liars and thieves....

 

[snert]

Often they get away with it. But when they don't, it is often with a nuclear backfire. I love when that happens.

 

[dragman]

They should have shot the thief and buried him at the range! fast, easy, effective, and cheap!

 

[dragman]

They should have shot the thief and buried him at the range! fast, easy, effective, and cheap!

 

[savagedasher]

I was at the match when the low life tried to sell Larry Costa his own stolen scope. When Larry rattled off the serial number before even looking at it, the guy got that oh shit look on his face. LOL. He seemed like a tweaker to me and was acting weird. Same story, bought it at a gun show. I hate liars and thieves....

He didn't have the numbers George kelby sent him them .
But the look on his face was priceless lol Larry

 

[scubohuntr]

Nice. I had a bunch stolen in St. Paul back in the 80's, and the cops basically told me there was no chance I'd ever see them again. I had serial numbers and photos of everything; didn't help. I heard a guy brought my custom 7x57 into a nearby gun shop a couple of days later and asked how much to cut the Neidner buttplate off the exhibition myrtle stock and glom a recoil pad onto it. The smith gave him a quote and he walked off, never to be seen again.

There wasn't a lot of actual value to any of the guns. The 7x57 was on a Spanish Mauser because I couldn't afford a VZ-24, standard Douglas barrel and whatnot; my final stockmaking project from the Colorado School of Trades. Plenty of sentimental value, of course. The one bright spot was that my heavy barrel 10-22 (back before everyone was doing heavy barrels on 10-22s) was still in the birch-n-bondo pattern stock, and the thieves left the feather crotch walnut actual stock behind. So that stock is the extent of what I have left of my CST work.

In these days of computer databases and internet forums there may have been some chance of recovery, but back then the next county over may as well have been Dubai.

 

[Willie]

I was at the range this morning, shooting a seating depth test, when a young couple set up to my right. As they were shooting, I noticed they were shooting across several others' line of fire. The RSO politely moved them to the far left bench.
They were obviously new to shooting and were banging away with an old SK and a really nice bolt gun, never touching the target. About that time, the RSO started waving at me. I had one round to shoot and the clock was ticking on my LabRadar, so I took my shot. The RSO was still motioning to me, so I went over to him and into his office, wondering WTH.
He advised me that the couple were shooting stolen weapons. I asked him how he knew they had stolen weapons. His reply stunned me, "Because the guy they were stolen from is on the firing line". "We have called the police and they're on their way". Shortly, the police arrived and disarmed the shooters, very proficiently. Found a pistol and "unknown items" in a bag. They took the guy with them, but left the girl and she drove away.
I later talked to the victim of the theft and was told the guy was cooperating with police and admitted he had more of the guns at home. Seems the victim was just back from a deployment and had taken a trip for R&R. When he got back, he had found 10 guns had been stolen.
I suggested he go buy a lotto ticket because today he was the luckiest guy in Texas. What are the odds on going to the range and finding someone else shooting your stolen guns ? Must be astronomical!
And yes, he now owns a safe.

UPDATE: Seems like the thief quit cooperating with the police, but he was charged with 5 felony counts for the five stolen weapons in his possession. Per the victim, while he was out of town, the thieves emptied his house, but the guy they caught refused to name anyone else. I'm sure there is a lawyer involved by now.

 

[338 Mollett]

Shoot the lawyer also!

 

[swd]

I hope they nail him!