That's the problem with pictures only with certain details one can only get the full info from looking at the originals. The Medina/Modena Rifle is definitely an iron cap not poured - I examined it in detail many moons ago when it was still in Denver (unfortunately over many moves since then I lost the info and pics I had). IIRC Baird also notes it being of iron. As for the sporting rifles - as I noted above (I called them local guns)they are a different critter from the mountain rifles. On some there is also the possibilty that they were cutdown fullstocks and the nose cap was poured. NOw nothing wrong per se with a poured cap (many makers do it that way) but if one is persnickety (or OCD LOL!) about the details than an iron cap is the way to go - IIRC TOTW used to carry them and also Muzzleloader Builders Supply - also I bet Don Stith would sell some outside his kits - they are all cast, but so are most repro buttplates and tg's no matter what era. FWIW - if you're interested in doing a forged buttplate ALR recently hada thread on how-to for a southern mountain rifle which are made the same wau and a few makers offer both forged plates and tg's.Herb said:
Have you seen this article on the Sublette/Beale J & S Hawken Rifle circa 1840 or so: http://asoac.org/bulletins/87_burke_hawken.pdf
It has a good detail shot of a forged iron nose cap. Early ones were all forged iron (similar in make up to a fullstock nosecap) while the later ones (mid-late 1850's era) such as on the Carson rifle are castings the same as the buttplate and triggerguard. This rifle also has the earliest slant breech known on any Hawken.
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