Just a simple old rifle.....Plenty of inspiration

[54ball]

54ball, The iron mounted gun is mesmerizing; thanks for posting. I can't put my finger on WHY, but I get a Samuel/John Keller(Kellar) vibe when I look at it. There was significant commerce down the TN valley into AL at that time.

PS: does that asymmetrical concavity that sweeps down the comb off of the comb entry on the right side match the left side above the cheek piece?

View attachment 271737

I believe it does have that concavity you mention.
I’m going to get some good photos of the cheek side.

 

[54ball]

It's always something of a dilemma concerning how much conservation and restoration to do isn't it? Do you want to bring the gun back to what it likely was when it was new? Or do you just want to stop the further decay. Replace chipped out pieces of wood? Certainly (IMHO) replacing internal springs and getting a couple of centuries of grime off the stock would be ok, as would moving the metal back in to place on the buggered up screw slots, and stopping it from rusting further, but beyond that, it's a balancing act. The gun was only new once, and now it's not.

I am going to use it to make patterns and study.

 

[sportster73hp]

I have two of those orphaned barrels. One dates to 1848-1854, with makers name. The other was a percussion and unmarked, and rusty inside.