Anyone have any ideas on ID?

[Captjoel]

The use of the term "restock" is used more than it should be IMHO. I have seen more old rifles that have been altered (Dolled Up) with added patch boxes and inlays. Same with old powder horns, but that is a totally different subject. A very few of these dolled up rifles were done in earlier days by a previous owner and most likely done for his own pleasure. Most however were done in more modern times to add to the value of a gun to be sold. This of coarse constitutes blatant dishonesty on the part of the perpetrator. Once a forgery gets out on the market and is traded around several times, catching the guilty party becomes hopeless. Like musical chairs, the one who holds the item that gets tagged a fake loses his investment if he is honorable. This is what makes study and research so important to a collector. To know what to look for and to see the red flags when they are present. There is a well known expression pertaining to gun collecting. "Sure wish this old gun could talk". Well, to an educated collector, they speak volumes!

 

[54ball]

My gut feeling...
Southwestern Virgina or West Virgina region rifle made during the percussion era, likely a plain rifle of unusual wood possibly originally made without a buttplate.

Sad to say somebody added that gosh awful German Silver patchbox and Buttplate to "enhance" a already interesting rifle.
Note the Phillis screws.
Note that the rifle has been extensively cleaned.
Note the BP and box simply does not match the rest of the rifle.

A Pity :shake:

 

[Captjoel]

Thank you 54ball for finishing my last sentence!

 

[Lonegun1894]

I was afraid of that, but was hoping it wasn't too bad. Some days, I wonder what people are thinking, and other days I don't even want to know.

 

[Dphar]

Hard to tell from this distance but the lock is not as corroded as the area around the drum is. Rifle could be a restock. Is not very well done if made by a gunstocker from what I see.
Could have been redone in the early 20th c or 1870 or 1970. No way to know. The circles on the muzzle are decoration.
Grain flow in the buttstock is very poorly chosen to be done by a gunstocker. But one never really knows from photos.
Dan

 

[Lonegun1894]

Thanks everyone!

 

[hanshi]

I think you got some knowledgeable and accurate appraisals on this thread. Whatever the details and history of the piece are, it's not a collectible antique. It is, however, an excellent shooter and has value for that. I say don't be afraid to clean the rifle up and make necessary modifications. You could also restock it but that's a decision to ponder rather than one to jump to.

 

[Nativearizonan]

After reading the discussion on here, that rifle reminds me of the old axe some guy claims was his granddaddy's; it's so old it's had 7 new handles and three new heads put on.

Not all guns are static from the day they were made. Some have been very fluid in function and design. To me these guns sometimes have more of a story to tell than the ones that lived over a fireplace or in a closet for 200 years.