# Weapons You Have Seen In Locations You Did Not Expect To See Them



## Ex-Dragoon (22 Jul 2009)

In person or through the MSM.


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## chris_log (23 Jul 2009)

My old high school.


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## Kat Stevens (23 Jul 2009)

Not a weapon per se, unless used in a road rage incident.  It was an 85ish Chevy Suburban with Ontario plates and a rattle can cam job, in Borovo Croatia, then in Serb hands.  April 92


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## vonGarvin (23 Jul 2009)

Not a weapon, but a very distinctive piece of kit. 

During the construction of camp JULIEN in Kabul in 2003, an excavator unearthed a world war two German helmet.  Though covered in muck, grime and whatever, it was in fairly good shape, all things considered.  The leather was gone, but the metal was fairly intact with very little rust.
A German signal corps Hauptfeldwebel spotted it (oh, the irony) and claimed it.  Very odd.


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## TCBF (23 Jul 2009)

Midnight Rambler said:
			
		

> Not a weapon, but a very distinctive piece of kit.
> 
> During the construction of camp JULIEN in Kabul in 2003, an excavator unearthed a world war two German helmet.  Though covered in muck, grime and whatever, it was in fairly good shape, all things considered.  The leather was gone, but the metal was fairly intact with very little rust.
> A German signal corps Hauptfeldwebel spotted it (oh, the irony) and claimed it.  Very odd.



- The Wehrmacht had a fairly large military mission in Kabul in WW2.


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## Colin Parkinson (23 Jul 2009)

2 Skink turrets on the old range near Vernon. I think they were rescued


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## Civvymedic (23 Jul 2009)

While working as a Paramedic in Nova Scotia I was treating an older gentleman for chest pain, a retired fisherman. I looked over his shoulder and out in his yard was a large Naval Mine. He said he found it one day while at sea. He assured me it was safe. The RCMP checked it out anyway.


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## medicineman (23 Jul 2009)

Like the guy wandering into the casino in Santo Domingo when I was there, and, IAW with the little "No guns" decal, pulled out his .45 and handed it to the concierge?

MM


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## FormerHorseGuard (23 Jul 2009)

my  old highschool  in Renfrew had an indoor 22 cal range.  it was built by  the military when they had army  cadets in the highschools. My  mom was on the shooting team there and use practice with her fathers platoon in Petawawa and Valcartier in the 60s. Getting back tothe range in the highschool it was used by  the highschool starting in the 50s till DND ordered all indoor ranges closed in the late 80s early  90s. Lack of clean air and the lead comtanation over the years made them a health issue. The last highschool coach there was very  sick with a lead posion issues. The weapons were the same ones the cadets used  right up till the range closed. Not sure what happened to the 12 or so  rifles they had there


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## 1feral1 (24 Jul 2009)

From time to time used to come across some Cdn Mk1* 'T series' Inglis 9mm BHPs here, ser's in the 0T range.

Since the force wide issue of the BHP MkIII Vigilante most of those Ingies have gone to smelt, as have the VN vintage L9A1s.

In Baghdad in 06/07 came across some .303 rifles, some No1 MkIII UK SMLEs, and a Stevens No4 Mk1*. Thinking back these could have made it home legally through a 3rd person. I'd loved to have had the No.4 here.

OWDU


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## Staff Weenie (24 Jul 2009)

I worked on Tel Dor Excavations in Israel in the summer of '87. One of the Israeli students was digging with a pick when we heard a big metallic 'clink' - we found a stash of WWII AAA rounds (40mm ?). I think it was Aussies using the old amnesty bush...

That, or the .22 revolver my Grandma kept tucked in the cushions of the couch....such a sweet old lady...who knew???


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## Shec (24 Jul 2009)

Staff Weenie said:
			
		

> That, or the .22 revolver my Grandma kept tucked in the cushions of the couch....such a sweet old lady...who knew???



Brings to mind the #36 grenade my late Grandmother had on the mantle in her living room when I was a little kid.  Her son had brought it home in 1945.


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## OldSolduer (24 Jul 2009)

I never actually saw these weapons, however, while I was the Bn Orderly Sgt in 1 VP, many moons ago, there was an entry made. Apparently a disgruntled wife phoned the Bn, and reported that her husband had 2 x M72s, some para flares and other assorted goodies in their home.
I wonder who took the declaration "I have no live rounds, empty casings, rockets in my pockets, mortars in my quarters" ;D


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## Gunner98 (24 Jul 2009)

Two locations 

1. Brandon MB- in garden shed and basement - paraflares, inert projectiles, smoke grenades
2. In my coursemates luggage by Customs Agents when returning from out-of-country training


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## Staff Weenie (24 Jul 2009)

When I was at the Bug School in Borden they showed us some old training kits from WWII that had actual glass vials with Mustard Gas or Lewisite in them. Some folks had brought them home after the war and years later, when Grandpa passes and the family cleans out the basement, they get found.

I wonder how much UXO is still out there in basements and attics across the country.


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## OldSolduer (24 Jul 2009)

Staff Weenie, not only are noxious substances found in basements, to wit:

While on ex in 92 in Suffield, we observed a backhoe in the distance digging something, of what we were not sure.
The next day we were told that an old truck (post WW2 I think) that had been filled with 45 gallon drums of something (we heard mustard gas) had been found buried in the trg area, and they were in the process of recovering it.


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## Gramps (25 Jul 2009)

Frag Grenades and pistols in a suit case while searching baggage.


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## 421 EME (25 Jul 2009)

A rusted FN C1A1 leaning against a tree in Meaford training area that had been there long enough that we had to cut the muzzle out of the tree because it had started grow around it.


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## Good2Golf (25 Jul 2009)

421 EME said:
			
		

> A rusted FN C1A1 leaning against a tree in Meaford training area that had been there long enough that we had to cut the muzzle out of the tree because it had started grow around it.



It would be interesting to see the loss/write-off report on that one!


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## Scratch_043 (26 Jul 2009)

now if it was a yank's rifle, it wouldn't be that big a deal..... I think it was someone on these boards told me a couple years ago, of a joint ex, in which the US Army soldier beside him 'demonstrated' the lack of repercussion for lost kit, stating 'we can even lose 1 of these a year' and hucks his rifle into the swamp.


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## mariomike (26 Jul 2009)

As seen on "Manswers". A hand grenade hidden "where the sun don't shine" at a California prison. Up inside the body cavity.


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## TCBF (26 Jul 2009)

- Loaded Long Branch Lee Enfield leaning in the corner of a cabin washroom when I was visiting the place as a kid.  Bear country, and since everybody used the washroom, everybody knew where the rifle was if they needed it.  Makes sense.


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## XMP (26 Jul 2009)

Bren magazines complete with blank adapter inserts in the bottom of an old slit trench at Petawawa in the 70's.  A Browning 1919 breechblock and body cover as well as a rusty 50 rd Thompson drum mag in the side of a hill just outside the wire at LETE in Orleans a few years ago. Appeared that somebody bulldozed a dump down the side of the hill rather than clean it up. There were a ton (literally) of vehicle and weapons parts including the coax machinegun mounts for the Ram tank, prototype track links for an armoured snowmobile and a complete periscope for a Valentine. Conditions varied from minor piiting to rusted out shell.


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## mudgunner49 (27 Jul 2009)

A full-auto Belgian FAL Para in a motorhome north of Thunder Bay while moose hunting there back in the late 80's.  The guy who owned the thing stated that he had brought it back from Africa on his sailboat and seemed genuinely surprised that there was anything wrong with it.  He stated that he had it for bears - unusual, as he was hunting with a .338 Win Mag.

We left the area hastily...


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## TCBF (28 Jul 2009)

mudgunner49 said:
			
		

> A full-auto Belgian FAL Para in a motorhome north of Thunder Bay while moose hunting there back in the late 80's.  The guy who owned the thing stated that he had brought it back from Africa on his sailboat and seemed genuinely surprised that there was anything wrong with it.  He stated that he had it for bears - unusual, as he was hunting with a .338 Win Mag.
> 
> We left the area hastily...



- That's my hometown for ya...
 8)


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## Shec (28 Jul 2009)

The young lad dancing beside my wife & I in a Tel Aviv disco wearing jeans, t-shirt , and his M-16 slung on his back.


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## Rigger052 (28 Jul 2009)

An 1908 Russian Moisin-Nagant, with the old royal cypher engraved on it. My father-in-law bought it from a gun collector in the 80's as a "conversation piece". It currently resides in my gun safe.


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## daftandbarmy (29 Jul 2009)

The .357 magnum in the shoulder holster of the guy whose girlfriend I was chatting up in a bar in Detroit. No sense of humour those Yanks; also declined to shoot when offered the chance. Not a shred of sportsmen left in those chaps I'm afraid. Pity....


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## TCBF (29 Jul 2009)

daftandbarmy said:
			
		

> The .357 magnum in the shoulder holster of the guy whose girlfriend I was chatting up in a bar in Detroit. No sense of humour those Yanks; also declined to shoot when offered the chance. Not a shred of sportsmen left in those chaps I'm afraid. Pity....



- A lot of a CCW crse is legal stuff: when NOT to shoot.  Those lawfully packing in the USA are among the most law abiding people on the planet.  The firearm is used to break contact, not initiate it.


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## Haggis (29 Jul 2009)

A cocked and locked CZ-75 in a shoulder holster under the dinner jacket of a maitre d' at an upscale restaurant in Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia, June 2002.


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## ArmyRick (29 Jul 2009)

C9 spare barrel while on a night recce patrol in Meaford. I promptly jacked my C9 gunner until he showed me his C9 spare barrel. Someone else woopsed.


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## Fishbone Jones (29 Jul 2009)

daftandbarmy said:
			
		

> The .357 magnum in the shoulder holster of the guy whose girlfriend I was chatting up in a bar in Detroit. No sense of humour those Yanks; also declined to shoot when offered the chance. Not a shred of sportsmen left in those chaps I'm afraid. Pity....



D&B,

Let me know next time you're in Motown. I'll be glad to take\direct you to a number of places where they will be more than happy to accomodate you in your request for 'dance' music  ;D


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## ajp (29 Jul 2009)

Back in University (my tree hugger days) before I even considered the military, in Residence in Ontario a reservist showed the C-7 he aquired on an ex.  His room mate at school had a similar item as well.  And then there was the guy that played with his hunting bow late at night when everyone was in bed....in the halls.  Ahhhh University.


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## Civvymedic (29 Jul 2009)

Ok Ok if were talking abroad then all the weapons I observed in the Dominican during my wedding. I think the best was my reception by the Pool at night with several armed guards with MP5 type weapons "guarding" the pool area from those coming off the beach. Made for some interesting wedding pics.


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## OldSolduer (30 Jul 2009)

ajp said:
			
		

> Back in University (my tree hugger days) before I even considered the military, in Residence in Ontario a reservist showed the C-7 he aquired on an ex.  His room mate at school had a similar item as well.  And then there was the guy that played with his hunting bow late at night when everyone was in bed....in the halls.  Ahhhh University.



I'm going to query you here.....

How did he manage to "acquire" a C7 on an ex? I don't know how they run their weapons stores in Ontario, but it s a pretty standard method.
The individual signs out the weapon and at end  ex the individual returns it. It is then signed off as being returned by the Weapons Storesman.
So tell me how me managed to "acquire" it or did he and his buddy just purchase one each in the semi-auto version?


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## FormerHorseGuard (30 Jul 2009)

I also wondered about the C7 in the dorms...very  fishy  sounding. I know I could not take my  C7 home. I did have a few c7s at my  house during an exercise  in the early  90s.  The exercise was off base and it was told to a few friends if they needed water or showers, my  shower and garden hose was there for the asking. Our town did not have water meters, just a flat rate for water each month, so a gun tractor did pull up and the gun crew did have showers and got fresh water . C7s and other weapons were under guard on the front steps during the shower. The 105 got a lot of attention fronm area kids and some older neighbours. But the weapons never came in side.


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## Ex-Dragoon (30 Jul 2009)

I realized I forgot to comment in my own topic.

I saw some UAE security types surprisingly armed with Uzi's back in '01 in Dubai.


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## Newt (30 Jul 2009)

A Carl G, in the training area, on Ex. My section was providing security to another section that was clearing an obstacle when we got bumped by the Phantasian Hordes (read the Adj with 30 blank rounds and an arty sim.) During the counter attack I looked over to see one of the new privates in my section charging into battle with a Carl G on his shoulder. I was surprised because: 1, I didn't even know the unit had a Carl G; and 2, if we did have one it sure as hell wasn't signed out to him. Regardless of how he got it, his initiative was rewarded with the privilege of carrying it for the rest of the Ex.


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## PMedMoe (30 Jul 2009)

Newt said:
			
		

> Regardless of how he got it, his initiative was rewarded with the privilege of carrying it for the rest of the Ex.



 :rofl:

Thankfully, I've never been rewarded with that "privilege", nor the one of carrying a sand bag around because of an insecure weapon.


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## ArmyRick (30 Jul 2009)

With the university tale, I am having trouble as well swallowing that one.

Did you actually see the maple leaf stamped on the side and the serial number (example 88AA134...)?

If so, I would be reporting the individual to police, its quite a serious offence to be in possesion of missing military weapon.

Personally, I don't beleive you.


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## noneck (30 Jul 2009)

Whilst working as a section commander on a QL3 Inf course in Vernon in 1992, we had just deployed to the Winfield training area. The NCO's had gone out in advance of the troops with the Pl Comd. The training area is at the North end of the Kelowna Airport and is also used by the local population extensively. 

Upon reaching the training area and unloading our rucks and webbing for the week, one of the NCO's asked who in the Pl was responsible for the Carl G and why had it been loaded on to our vehicle as opposed to carried by the weapons det. No one could answer him....it later dawned on us that the Carl G had been left in the embuss/debuss point from the Friday before, when we packed up and left in the dark! All weekend, civvies had been walking their dogs through the area and no one had made off with the 84.

That same summer when doing a serialized kit check (go figure) we came out with one 77 set over and above what we had been issued. A check on the serial # indicated that it had been reported lost the previous Summer by the Comms Reserve. When we had cleared out of one of our positions, one of the troops had picked it up as it was leaning against a tree and loaded on to the ML. It was no worse for wear other than a moldy cotton duck bag.


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## benny88 (30 Jul 2009)

ajp said:
			
		

> , in Residence in Ontario a reservist showed the C-7 he aquired on an ex... Ahhhh University.


Dang, and I have trouble just bringing my biceps onto campus these days.


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## dangerboy (30 Jul 2009)

benny88 said:
			
		

> Dang, and I have trouble just bringing my biceps onto campus these days.



Well alot of schools have rules about "small arms" ;D


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## daftandbarmy (30 Jul 2009)

recceguy said:
			
		

> D&B,
> 
> Let me know next time you're in Motown. I'll be glad to take\direct you to a number of places where they will be more than happy to accomodate you in your request for 'dance' music  ;D



No thanks! The place was more dismal than East Belfast after a bad riot - complete with dozens of angry, pissed off cops, choppers hovering overhead with searchlights, and smouldering rubble strewn streets. Hard to believe that it was a first world city. And now that I think of it, why did I find it so surprising to have a gun pulled on me in a pub... an IRISH Pub at that? Silly moi....


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## 1feral1 (31 Jul 2009)

ajp said:
			
		

> Back in University (my tree hugger days) before I even considered the military, in Residence in Ontario a reservist showed the C-7 he aquired on an ex.  His room mate at school had a similar item as well.



rly: 

op:

I'll do a wait out on this one, but methinks a birth of another urban legend waving the BS flag is being flaunted.

OWDU


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## OldSolduer (31 Jul 2009)

Overwatch Downunder said:
			
		

> rly:
> 
> op:
> 
> ...


Agreed.....

Anyone know any Military Police who may want to quietly have a look at this?


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## Nfld Sapper (31 Jul 2009)

Overwatch Downunder said:
			
		

> rly:
> 
> op:
> 
> ...



This the one you are looking for OWDU?

 ;D


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## Spanky (31 Jul 2009)

daftandbarmy said:
			
		

> No thanks! The place was more dismal than East Belfast after a bad riot - complete with dozens of angry, pissed off cops, choppers hovering overhead with searchlights, and smouldering rubble strewn streets. Hard to believe that it was a first world city. And now that I think of it, why did I find it so surprising to have a gun pulled on me in a pub... an IRISH Pub at that? Silly moi....



Sounds like you may have been in the Corktown area of the Motor City.  Scary place!
I personally don't go anywhere near there without 7 G wagons, a CP and a cube truck.  But that's a another story.


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## 1feral1 (1 Aug 2009)

NFLD Sapper said:
			
		

> This the one you are looking for OWDU?
> 
> ;D



Yes  :nod:

Now, another Baghdad adventure.

There was this place called ENZO, ran by two Englishmen. We were fresh meat at the time, and I was sent out on a tasking to introduce myself, and conjour up a new business deal with a local place who had been doing the repair/service our uparmoured fleet of vehicles. 

So, went to this ENZO place in the IZ, not far from The old Baghdad Zoo. It had a lovely Villa with all the creature comforts, and a large outdoor area with repair section, petrol/dieseline tanks, and a unique outside bar, all made of car parts. 

The older Pommy bloke said "Wes if you continue to get your veh's serviced here, we'll get you guys serviced too, as we know some western women here who'll do that". I most cheerfully declined, but we did eagerly accept his 500 ml tins of Heinekens on numerous occasions though. We had many good times there, and lots of laughs with these two english blokes, but never for a second forgot where we were. For almost the whole tour we used this facility.

Later after the Engish left for some reason, the place was ran simply by the locals, who ran the place willy-nilly, and the quality of work, went off, along with the time it took for repairs, and more questionable characters we had not seen before began to appear and disappear. Our uparmoured were rentals (we used these for IZ work only - all other stuff in the RZ was LAV) from a UK based company ($650US/day), and part of the agreement was these had to serviced locally). 

In the villa one day, I noticed a loaded Romanian PKM (ball and AP-T link hanging out) GPMG neatly tucked behind a door, and this suspicious bloke with a fuzzy moustache was looking at me like a kid who got caught stealing a cookie. AKs, not an issue, they were as common as the date palms, but a belt fed gun was a no-no, and sent of alarm bells. 

This was reported to the S2 cell, who told us to watch ourselves, and shortly after that Mohammed (their 2-IC, a well dressed tall and spoke perfect English) was picked up by the IP for insurgent activity in the IZ. There had been a lot of roving sniper activity locally. ENZO actually rang our office asking for a character reference for him  : - can you beleive that! We never found out his fate, but he was picked up with four others, and we never seen him again.

The S2 had us abandon our dealing with ENZO, and the place went downhill from there, losing much business from all within the IZ. We had showed up to pick up whatever eqpt we had left, and the tension was very VERY evident.

Not long after that, a well placed 122mm HE Katyusha paid a visit, totally smashing and levelling the villa with a 110% direct hit, killing many. The place now has since been cleared and is now a dusty field of nothing.


Cheers,

OWDU


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## mariomike (2 Aug 2009)

Sounds like a hell hole, Wes.


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## combatbuddha (2 Aug 2009)

After 20 years going by I do know the idiocy of the following events that took place. However. I was a kid, and kids do some really silly things.

Before my time in uniform, whilst scuba diving in Okanogan Lake under the floating bridge in Kelowna, I found a WWII 60mm mortor round at 110ft. At those depths I thought it was an odd shaped pop bottle so I surfaced with it. After dumping the contents of my collection bag on the rocky beach I soon discovered it to be what it was. I mulled over what to do with it. Walking it to the police station seemed a bad idea, so I loaded it in my mustang with my gear and took it home, across town to where I lived in Rutland. Arriving home, I called for my father to see my "treasure." He looked, gave me a few choice words of rebuke and discreetly called a RCMP officer he knew to come and check it out. Subsequently the EOD team from Chilliwack came out, took it to a gravel pit and destroyed it. For anyone who cares to call bunk, I have the pictures and subsequent magazine article from Okanogan Life magazine. My partner was a bit of a chatty cathy and told his buddies at the scuba shop about our "adventure" and the word got out.

I now know better.


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## mariomike (3 Aug 2009)

A couple of UXO articles, if interested:
http://www.navydiver.ca/news/Kal_Lake%20_UXO_20031231.pdf
http://www.dcc-cdc.gc.ca/english/newsletters/2009/0904_newsletter_article3.html


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## Dean22 (5 Aug 2009)

Well, I wasn't expecting to find anything but when I was younger I was in a warehouse with a friend and this warehouse is currently used for steel storage but in the 60's it made refrigerators and in the 40's it made Sherman tanks.

Needless to say we found catabombs in the warehouse and we found some interesting parts there like a 75mm shell, the Sherman gunner's scope and a few other goodies.

It was extremely interesting especially since I am a WW2 buff.


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## ajp (5 Aug 2009)

My C7 comment was real, and yes it was substantiated at the time, but that was 20 +/- years ago.  Small arms in the dorms was an issue even then, rednecks or not and the residence (read frat) was torn by the issue/presence, but I am quite certain it was never reported.  The story is a lot more colorful, but lets stick to the title...Weapons You Have Seen In Locations You Did Not Expect To See Them.  As a Civ then I was surprised.


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## mariomike (8 Aug 2009)

"Obese Texas inmate hides gun in his flabs of fat":
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/090808/koddities/us_odd_fat_hides_gun
As heavy as that sounds, humans have been reported to weigh more than 1400 lbs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Brower_Minnoch
Cheers!


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## MikeL (8 Aug 2009)

ajp said:
			
		

> My C7 comment was real, and yes it was substantiated at the time, but that was 20 +/- years ago.  Small arms in the dorms was an issue even then, rednecks or not and the residence (read frat) was torn by the issue/presence, but I am quite certain it was never reported.  The story is a lot more colorful, but lets stick to the title...Weapons You Have Seen In Locations You Did Not Expect To See Them.  As a Civ then I was surprised.



This person in the dorms.. they more than likely had a civilian AR15 rifle not a Military Issue C7 rifle.


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## Ex-Dragoon (8 Aug 2009)

mariomike said:
			
		

> "Obese Texas inmate hides gun in his flabs of fat":
> http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/090808/koddities/us_odd_fat_hides_gun
> As heavy as that sounds, humans have been reported to weigh more than 1400 lbs.



Although _you_ did not personally encounter this...


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## armyvern (9 Aug 2009)

-Skeletor- said:
			
		

> This person in the dorms.. they more than likely had a civilian AR15 rifle not a Military Issue C7 rifle.



Well, were the C7s even in the ResF at that point in time? I know in Cornwallis for my basic trg we were still using FNs 20 years ago when I went through. Lahr had just gotten C7s switched out from FNs over there --- and they were the priority pers then before all the other RegF units. IIRC, the ResF waited quite awhile after that for their allotments.

I'm going to go with the "if they had 'em, they certainly weren't CF mil issued C7s" too, unless someone can confirm any ResF unit managed to get them issued prior to the RegF roll-outs being completed (or even begun at some RegF bases).


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## Ex-Dragoon (9 Aug 2009)

I know when I went through Wally world in '89 I was dismayed to see the FN still in use. IIRC we were using them in my militia unit for well over a year.


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## darmil (9 Aug 2009)

Back in 97 I did range clearance in wainwright for the new ATS there we cleared alot of ranges we pick up everything from ball to 84mm collected a few mags, a brit bayonet.The most interesting item was this lining and handle to close the door of the car, the whole plastic part that snaps onto the metal door for the inside of a car door. It was laying on one of the ranges but nothing else around so we go over to pick it up like all the rest of the garbage and parts there of. We look at the plastic molding and what do we find the molding was modified into a .22cal semi auto you could see the bore and mag housing very odd.We wanted to take it but the engineer Sgt said put it with the rest of the crap to get melted down.I found it very interesting will never forget that.


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## Haggis (9 Aug 2009)

ArmyVern said:
			
		

> Well, were the C7s even in the ResF at that point in time? I know in Cornwallis for my basic trg we were still using FNs 20 years ago when I went through. Lahr had just gotten C7s switched out from FNs over there --- and they were the priority pers then before all the other RegF units. IIRC, the ResF waited quite awhile after that for their allotments.
> 
> I'm going to go with the "if they had 'em, they certainly weren't CF mil issued C7s" too, unless someone can confirm any ResF unit managed to get them issued prior to the RegF roll-outs being completed (or even begun at some RegF bases).



When I did my 6B in 1988, Atlantic area units and schools, both Reg and Res already had the C7.  I, being from LFCA, was a bit behind the curve and, in fact three of us "westerners" had arrived for our 6B packing amazingly polished C1A1 gas plugs and pistons for inspection, only to be issued C7's on the first day.

After the 6B course I found myself as the RQMS for a Res F Infantry unit in Ontario.  We received our C7's in 1989.   They were distributed based on regions, not Reg/Res.  So, yes, 20 years ago, I, too would wager that this was an AR15 (or .22 cal AP-74 lookalike) in the dorms.


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## Eye In The Sky (10 Aug 2009)

ArmyVern said:
			
		

> Well, were the C7s even in the ResF at that point in time? I know in Cornwallis for my basic trg we were still using FNs 20 years ago when I went through. Lahr had just gotten C7s switched out from FNs over there --- and they were the priority pers then before all the other RegF units. IIRC, the ResF waited quite awhile after that for their allotments.
> 
> I'm going to go with the "if they had 'em, they certainly weren't CF mil issued C7s" too, unless someone can confirm any ResF unit managed to get them issued prior to the RegF roll-outs being completed (or even begun at some RegF bases).



I was 12 Platoon, 8930 and we used the FN.  They had C7s in the lockup IIRC, and started using them shortly after our grad in Oct 89 if my memory of it all is...well, not totally destroyed by c/s Alpine.


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## daftandbarmy (10 Aug 2009)

combatbuddha said:
			
		

> After 20 years going by I do know the idiocy of the following events that took place. However. I was a kid, and kids do some really silly things.
> 
> Before my time in uniform, whilst scuba diving in Okanogan Lake under the floating bridge in Kelowna, I found a WWII 60mm mortor round at 110ft. At those depths I thought it was an odd shaped pop bottle so I surfaced with it. After dumping the contents of my collection bag on the rocky beach I soon discovered it to be what it was. I mulled over what to do with it. Walking it to the police station seemed a bad idea, so I loaded it in my mustang with my gear and took it home, across town to where I lived in Rutland. Arriving home, I called for my father to see my "treasure." He looked, gave me a few choice words of rebuke and discreetly called a RCMP officer he knew to come and check it out. Subsequently the EOD team from Chilliwack came out, took it to a gravel pit and destroyed it. For anyone who cares to call bunk, I have the pictures and subsequent magazine article from Okanogan Life magazine. My partner was a bit of a chatty cathy and told his buddies at the scuba shop about our "adventure" and the word got out.
> 
> I now know better.



Oh man, this just reminded me of the time I went scuba diving with the local dive club in Harstad, Norway. They have dozens of old ships sunk fairly close to land during the battles for Narvik in 1940. The day I went with them, they were visiting the wreck of an British AA cruiser, approximately 300ft long, that had apparently placed 2nd in a duel with the dive bombers. 

It was early May with about a foot of fresh snow on the ground, and the water temperature was 42F - ice cream headache cold - but it was gin clear and I had my good ol' Nanaimo made SeaTux drysuit on. It was a short surface swim out to the wreck site, which was only at about 80ft I think. So there's me, thinking it will be a pretty boring wreck, picked over and made safe by 'the authorities' over the past 60 years, drifting down to this wreck. Then the first thing I see is a medium sized pile of what look like short logs. I think 'gee, these ships weren't wood fired were they?'. Of course, the pile of logs turns out to be 3.7inch AA shells. These things were everywhere, like pick up sticks, stewn amongst a farily well preserved wreck site. The ship looked like it pretty much blew into pieces, unless there had been some kind of salvage work done on it after the war. Jagged steel was everywhere, kind of like the 9/11 WTC 'after' photos.

Needless to say I stayed well away and observed, horrifed as only a cotton-wool wrapped Canadian can be, from a semi-repsectable distance while the Norgies rummaged around in the wreckage in an unconcerned manner. Some of them were Norwegian navy clearance divers, out mucking around on their weekend off, so I expect they were used to this kind of thing. They even brought back a few smaller calibre 'empties' in their lift bags, which I wouldn't go near. How long do AA ammo primers last anyways? Egads... I've tried to find a reference to this ship since, but haven't turned up anything.

The next day they were headed off to dive on a German cruiser, at about 100+ft, somewhere near Narvik. They were especially keen about this wreck as the currents were strong. It had also apparently been colonized by a family of 'Wolf fish', described to me as being very large and aggressive and having long sharp teeth - said description accompanied by appropriate hand gestures simulating a punctured throat. I gracefully declined the offer to go along citing a rapidly developing lung infection, and naked fear, and handed them 3/4 of a bottle of Glenmorangie (sherry wood cask) single malt in thanks for having me along that day. This they gleefully accepted and drained before my eyes, passing it from hand to hand in approved 16 year old high school student fashion. 

Never let anyone tell you that Norwegians are boring.


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## AmmoTech90 (10 Aug 2009)

Eye In The Sky said:
			
		

> I was 12 Platoon, 8930 and we used the FN.  They had C7s in the lockup IIRC, and started using them shortly after our grad in Oct 89 if my memory of it all is...well, not totally destroyed by c/s Alpine.



10 Pl, 8945 was the last course in Cornwallis to use FNs, we started on 9 Nov.  Last time I fired one in the CF was in May of 91 in Dundurn along with the SMG.  Last time I fired one anywhere was Oct 07 at Llyd doing predeployment training.

The most pleasant time I unexpectedly found weapons was during an EOD call to a little podunk town west of Highway 2, sort of opposite Red Deer.  The owner of the general store had passed away and the family was cleaning out the store and found some stuff.  The RCMP showed up, called us and we showed up to pick up used aircraft practice bomb that was sitting behind the cash.  Seeing as we didn't particularly want to do that drive from Wainwright again a day latter we asked if we could look around.

After coming out of the crawl space under the building where some boxes had been spotted the conversation went like this:
Anon EOD guy- "You cops had better go"
Cop- "Why, what did you find?"
EOD guy- "Nothing...really"
Cop- "Come on, give"
EOD guy- "Well, can we share?"
Cop- "Why?"

EOD guy proceeds to pull out boxes of brand new Lee Enfields, boxes of them!  Around 20-30!!
There was also dozens of mint air craft practice bombs, and two steamer trunks of cut up Very pistols.  Apparently the old fellow had been quite active buying government surplus in the 50s.

The family wanted none of them.  The cops let us dispose of the Very pistols as scrap metal...  Lee Enfields...?


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## NavyShooter (11 Aug 2009)

The MP-5K under the jacket of the security guy on our bus during a bus-tour in Cairo.  Wish he'd been along that night at the pub/bar when we had to pay the locals $500 US to walk out.  They only had pistols under their jackets....

Other than that, well, the 2" mortar bombs I got called by a buddy to look at in his neighbour's attic (old gent who'd passed away) and I got passed between RCMP, MP, RCMP, MP and finally called a buddy of mine who works EOD directly out at Shearwater.

Fun times!

NS


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## daftandbarmy (12 Aug 2009)

NavyShooter said:
			
		

> Wish he'd been along that night at the pub/bar when we had to pay the locals $500 US to walk out.  They only had pistols under their jackets....



We need to know more about this one... or is it in your new book? ;D


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## NavyShooter (12 Aug 2009)

Long story short, we were in Cairo on a bus tour, left the hotel in a small group (3 of us) to sample the local night life.  Got to a bar, we walked in, it suddenly got busy.  A couple of beer later, there were females around, and food at our table...the females were nothing more than presence and conversation...it wasn't a "house of ill repute" but I think the guy who brought the girls was expecting more of us...it cost some $$ to get out.  I don't recall the type of pistol, but it was nickel plated, or brushed chrome finish in a shoulder-rig.

NS


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## TCBF (25 Aug 2009)

Dean22 said:
			
		

> Well, I wasn't expecting to find anything but when I was younger I was in a warehouse with a friend and this warehouse is currently used for steel storage but in the 60's it made refrigerators and in the 40's it made Sherman tanks.
> 
> Needless to say we found catabombs in the warehouse and we found some interesting parts there like a 75mm shell, the Sherman gunner's scope and a few other goodies.
> 
> It was extremely interesting especially since I am a WW2 buff.



 ;D

- Sorry Dean, but I ain't buyin' it.


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## Danjanou (25 Aug 2009)

Well it wasn’t that I wasn’t expecting it after all it was Colombia in the 1990’s and I had to transit a VCP in the taxi going from my beach hotel to the Casino/Bar strip.

Santa Marta is a lovely spot on the north ( Caribbean) coast of Colombia, Pablo Escobar had nice beach house there ( it was next door to my hotel and yes I have a picture of me standing in front of it D&B).

One night myself and  a couple of others went to this Disco in the Marina in El Rodero. The Disco was actually on a small island in the middle of the Marina with a long wooden bridge as the only entrance. At the street end of the Bridge was a massive bouncer with a .357 shoved down the front of his jeans. He was of course patting down all the people entering, guys only this being a macho Latin American Country. At least I think he was the bouncer, maybe he was just a local looking for a good time on a Saturday night.  :

Thinking myself really smart, I slipped around the corner into an alley and slipped the dive knife I’d brought with me from my belt and shoved it down my cowboy boots (hand made earlier that week great deal BTW). Passed the bouncer, entered the bar and headed to the men’s room to make the necessary room for a couple of beers. 

One inside I noticed all the Pablo wannabes were in the John holding purses? I began to think I’d wandered into the wrong sort of bar (not that there’s anything wrong with that). Nope they all had their girlfriends purses and were extracting enough assorted pistols to make Colin P, Wes, and I6 drool, and returning them to pockets, holsters etc. like I said one male bouncer and no checking the senoritas.

I decided that maybe it wasn’t the safest place to spend the night drinking and found a much quieter beach bar.


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## Smity199 (25 Aug 2009)

Danjanou said:
			
		

> Well it wasn’t that I wasn’t expecting it after all it was Colombia in the 1990’s and I had to transit a VCP in the taxi going from my beach hotel to the Casino/Bar strip.
> 
> Santa Marta is a lovely spot on the north ( Caribbean) coast of Colombia, Pablo Escobar had nice beach house there ( it was next door to my hotel and yes I have a picture of me standing in front of it D&B).
> 
> ...



lol thats hilarious, but it is columbia right what can you expect..
anyways when I was younger living in langford (outside of victoria) me and a couple friends were making our way to the nearby race track where they had stock races and demo derbies etc. it was about a 7 k walk, we knew all the short cuts though of course and our favourite was cutting through 4 or 5 acres of forest in between a pub and an old wrecking yard.. there was a deer trail we took and it took us to a road leading where we wanted to go, along the deer trail there was a small cabin that looked more like a shed than anything.. and after a few times taking the trail we decided to go have a look inside and after discovering the door was locked we climbed through one of the broken windows and at first glance thought that we wasted our times there was nothing cool in there except a few scary spiders and some odd trinkets.. we thought that untill one of my friends opened up a box made out of plywood and found 3 old .22's and a sawed off 12 guage plus an assortment of ammo. we all took a couple bigger shells prob .38's and continued on but we couldnt resist going back a couple days later partly out of curiosity and partly cause none of the other guys believed us, so we went back and got some more souvenirs but didnt touch the guns, one of the guys ended up telling his older sister who told their mom and the RCMP got called and at the end of it all it turns out that the guy who owned that land was involved in an armed robbery 25 years earlier and all those goodies were taken away by the cops.. except our souvenirs of course which we forgot to mention


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## GAP (25 Aug 2009)

This took place in the early 70's...can't remember what year, but I was working my way up through the bureaucracy  of the city parks & rec dept....on one beery night a fairly new friend (who was constantly on with the "what was it like" routine) offered to sell me a Thompson Machine gun....thinking he was talking out his ass, I bargained him down to $100.00 (a lot of money at that time). Well, he wasn't talking sh*t...he delivered it the next day with two boxes of shells.

We loaded it up, went to the gravel pits north of the city, and had lots of fun....did it for a few weekends after that until another friend (a cop) suggested that I lose said weapon, cuz if they ever caught me with it all hell would pay....

so I did....lose it that is.... ;D


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## FormerHorseGuard (26 Aug 2009)

i was out for a walk the other day  and ended up walking down memory  lane.
When I was young 10 or 12, a friend of  a friends asked if I would help deliver door to door flyers for Big Brothers and their up coming auction.
I was putting the flyers in a door way at a triplex apartment building and I opened the door at one of the houses and there a long gun in the door way. It was the biggest gun I had seen at that  point in time. Large scope , most likely just a 22 left between the doors. Only  time I delivered things door to door and found a gun in between the doors.  Cannot imagine finding one today  like that....the hell it would cause for the owner.


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## Trooper Hale (27 Aug 2009)

While out on a dismounted ex, my brick were stomping through some pretty thick bush, out in the middle of shoalwater bay, nothing for miles and miles around. We decided to have a break and jumped into a tight harbour. At this point, one of the boys looks up and notices 200rounds of 7.62 link hanging in a tree in front of him, old and rusty as hell. We thought it was hilarious.

On an Officer's crew commanders course i drove in Puckapunyal, an old and very rusty F1 SMG in a bit of bush was found while one of the boys was talking a piss. It'd been run over by a vehicle and was stuffed.

A couple of years ago now (2006/07 ish), a certain Artillery SSgt's house was raided by the MP's. They found 4 square metres of small arms ammunition, 36 grenades (old types and new) over 10000 rounds of .50cal, an M60, two F1 SMG's, an L1A1 SLR, most of a Steyr plus lots of other goodies. He had a couple of shipping containers full of kit and it took 12 Mog loads to get the stuff. That was big news for quite a while.


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## NavyShooter (30 Aug 2009)

Actually, in retrospect, probably the neatest spot to find unexpected guns was that bar in Malta I went to...they had a Vickers in the corner, and a wall of display guns behind glass! 

There was a similar spot in Florida that I came across once....they had an old dusty STG-44 behind the bar along with various other "acoutrements".

NS


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## daftandbarmy (30 Aug 2009)

Danjanou said:
			
		

> Well it wasn’t that I wasn’t expecting it after all it was Colombia in the 1990’s and I had to transit a VCP in the taxi going from my beach hotel to the Casino/Bar strip.
> 
> Santa Marta is a lovely spot on the north ( Caribbean) coast of Colombia, Pablo Escobar had nice beach house there ( it was next door to my hotel and yes I have a picture of me standing in front of it D&B).



Thank goodness, for a second there I thought you were slipping!


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## daftandbarmy (30 Aug 2009)

Just thought of another one while pulling Danjanou's tail...

In Norway we had a liaison officer attached to us from the local home guard battalion. The Home Guard, at that time anyways, had a front line war role in case of Soviet invasion, which was usually to fight like hell to defend their local bridge, or whatever, until squashed like bugs, or relieved by we gallant NATO troops (more likely the former given the 7 x Sov Abn Divs just across the border). 

Anyways, this officer invited us over for dinner one night and we went to his house in the Narvik area. Very nice little modern Norwegian house, right out of an Ikea poster. We were let in the door and I gathered up all our coatsand took them to the hall closet. When I opened the closet there, leaning in the corner, was a fully greased and ready to go MG3 and a G3. Each with a couple of boxes of ammo neatly tucked beside them. 

We knew that these guys kept their weapons ready in their houses, I just wasn't sure HOW ready until that moment. 

They seldom had any criminally related problems with these thousands of weapons kept at home either, apparently. There was a story that a local champion MG shot once took his MG3 and ammo out for some target practise at a local quarry. When his CO found out about it he was angry that he had used up his 'ready' ammo, and the guy had to pay for a replacement liner. But that was it as the guy was too good a shot to punish further!


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## Fishbone Jones (30 Aug 2009)

FormerHorseGuard said:
			
		

> i was out for a walk the other day  and ended up walking down memory  lane.
> When I was young 10 or 12, a friend of  a friends asked if I would help deliver door to door flyers for Big Brothers and their up coming auction.
> I was putting the flyers in a door way at a triplex apartment building and I opened the door at one of the houses and there a long gun in the door way. It was the biggest gun I had seen at that  point in time. Large scope , most likely just a 22 left between the doors. Only  time I delivered things door to door and found a gun in between the doors.  Cannot imagine finding one today  like that....the hell it would cause for the owner.



It still happens  I had a shotgun delivered the other day. Normally the smallest package I get nets me a notice to go to the Post Office for pickup, if I'm not home. Not last week. Opened my storm door, and stashed between it and the main door was a typical long gun box with the Browning logo and name across the whole thing. This is not a one off either. I've found them on my porch and next door at my neighbours, even though it's marked 'Do Not Safe Drop'. Gotta love Canada Post.


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## Danjanou (30 Aug 2009)

daftandbarmy said:
			
		

> Just thought of another one while pulling Danjanou's tail...


All these years and he still mocks me 8)

Careful or I will tell the zebra mussel about this site.

Anyway quiet day recovering from the inlaws over for a small BBQ ( 40+ persons) so I dug out my old photo album and booted up the scanner and voila me standing in front of Pablo Escobars House, not sure if the dog was his.


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## Fishbone Jones (30 Aug 2009)

C'mon! That's you? Sure doesn't look like the James I know. You're kidding us right? Oh wait, maybe it is you. Looks like you're wearing socks. Yup, probably you after all.


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