eed assistance with IDing rifle...

[John Wasmuth]

I am hoping that some of the people here can help with IDing a rifle that I traded six bucks for.
It looks to me as if the rifle started out a full stock and flintlock that was converted rather rudely to a percussion and a halfstock somewhere along the line. Here is the lock.

There is no provision for a half cock position on the tumbler and you can see the brass brazing that was done on the lock and cock.

 

[John Wasmuth]

Butt end of the rifle.

It has iron hardware for the trigger guard, double set triggers, a brass butt plate and pourd pewter nose cap. The barrel is pinned in with one pin and a simple wood screw holds the tang in. There is one lock screw.The thimbles have replaced the tenons and were rather rudely done, the thimbles are iron. The barrel is 47 inches long and slightly over one inch across the flats. It is a .45 caliber.

It shoots extremely accurate with 65 grains of FFg a .440 hornady rb and a .015 lubed patch.

 

[John Wasmuth]

Tang area.

Lock and trigger guard.

I dont have a scale thats worth a hoot but it weighs a lot! LOL! Its is almost as heavy as my sniper rifle which tips the scales at 19 pounds 4 ounces.

 

[Keb]

I'm guessing but it looks like a gun someone made recently using a mixture of parts, some new & some old.

The lock doesn't appear to be a flint conversion and the bridal screws look new. It also looks like the lock plate has been brazed where it meets a smaller modern drum.

The stock doesn't appear to have been shortened and also looks like a modern creation. It just looks too nice for a relic.

Not sure about the barrel. It also looks new. Are there any markings on it anywhere? If so, what are they?

 

[John Wasmuth]

Not a mark on the barrel anywhere. The barrel, lock, trigger quard, wood screws, all show age on them. The bridle screws do look like they have been replaced. The drum and nipple are new as I replaced them to get it to go bang. The thimbles look newer than the barrel and were rudely done. I cant get any closer pictures but the lock shows some brass brazing to fill in what appears to be were the frizzen spring was set.
An antique furniture restorer said that the wood is very old but couldnt say exactly, said the wood screws are iron and havent been made like that in many years.

 

[John Wasmuth]

 

[John Wasmuth]

 

[John Wasmuth]

 

[Tumblernotch]

Can't really help on this rifle, but I still have the lock that was on my Papaw's rifle and it is nearly identical in style. The bolster is the same though the cut-out for the cone seat is deeper on mine. The mainspring is pinned like yours, the shape of the plate is the same and a stirrup is used with the tumbler like yours. But mine has a half-cock notch. It was obviously hand made. There are also no markings.

 

[dtkutcher]

I don't have much of a back ground but I'd say this was made from more than one gun. Brass and Iron do not belong together. Barrel, breech plug and trigger guard look southern. Triggers and lock very common, alittle further north. Buttplate?????

Just my .02

Regards
Dave