As far as finding stuff goes, we used to roam the foothills and area mountains, finding alot of interesting things in old buildings and barns. I co-discovered an old Stinson Reliant that was a total mess. It had no engine and the barn it had been in had collapsed on a good portion of it, ruining it beyond repair. But it was still cool to see. Plus we've found old cars (mostly shot up), an old tractor (completely stripped Farmall) plus various tools, glass oil jars and odds ends.
The coolest thing I have found though, was in an old silver mining ghost town in Orange County. On the edge of the ghost town, was a small farmhouse in fair condition and a barn. The barn was in terrible shape, mostly collapsed, with the exception of one corner that looked to be a storage area. We squeezed inside, and it turned out to be a workshop, complete with an anvil, a forge and workbenches with tools and stuff still where they had been left many years before. As I surveyed the room, I realized there was a rifle standing in the far corner, the butt resting on the end of the workbench! My buddy was mad as hell at me because I saw it first...sucks to be him!
It was in remarkable shape, no rust or damage except for a mud-hornet's nest in the end of the barrel. The action was too stiff to check the chamber, so I took it to a gunsmith friend, who discovered it had a round in the chamber and one in the magazine (this is a clear example of why a person should always consider every weapon loaded, and handle it accordingly...this one actually was).
In the end, we gave it a light cleaning, but no restoration. To this day, it is in pretty much the same condition as it was when I found it, proudly displayed in my cabinet.
It is a 1893 Marlin .30-30 rifle with an unusual 25" barrel.
While I am kind of suspicious of the Corsair story, I can say there are cool finds to be had out there...ya' just gotta know where to look!
