Boone used his flashlight and shined it down into a dark cavern of ... "two rows of boxes with another box or so pulled over the top of it."
Boone had moved a box that formed the "roof" of the cavern.... (Think of a capital "H" with the horizontal bar moved up to the top of the vertical sides. ) The rifle was laying on the floor at the bottom of the cavern... Isn't that correct?
I had my light in my hand. I was slinging it around on the floor, and I caught a glimpse of the rifle,
Stick to your original claim: Boone confirmed the photo posted is the way he found the rifle. It is NOT a recreation.
Boone testimony
(...)
Mr. Ball - Where was the rifle located on the floor, general location?
Mr. BOONE - Well, it was almost--the stairwell is in the corner of the building, something like this, and there is a wall coming up here, making one side of the stairwell with the building acting as the other two sides. And from that, it was almost directly in front or about 8 feet south, I guess, it would be, from that partition wall that made up the stairwell.
Mr. BALL - The rifle was about 3 feet from the--
Mr. BOONE - Yes, sir; behind a row of boxes. There was a row of boxes that came across there. Then the rifle was behind that first row of boxes.
Mr. BALL - I show you 514. Is that the way it looked when you saw it?
Mr. BOONE - Yes. Mr. BALL - Is that the way it was when the picture was taken?
Mr. BOONE - Yes; I believe so.
Mr. BALL - This shows the rifle as you saw it, does it?
Mr. BOONE - That is right. Then you could kneel down over here and see that it had a scope, a telescopic sight on it, by looking down underneath the boxes.
(...)