Need help identifying Revolutionary War era musket 🙏

[Benjamin_Martin]

Major update — in the process of taking off the brass barrel bands to clean them I discovered that the insides of the barrel bands are engraved with “MOORE N YORK”. In my research, I found that Moore was a prominent gun and gun parts manufacturer from the 1820s-1850s, and that many of his guns/parts went to the Confederacy during the Civil War.

Without the barrel bands on the gun, it looks almost identical to this British EIC Officer’s Fusil (https://www.ima-usa.com/products/or...ficers-fusil-circa-1810?variant=5538386313254), with the exception of the barrel and stock being slightly longer as well as the lock plate having a more “banana” and pointed shape, likely because it is an earlier model, likely later second half of the 18th century. I am now interested to restore this gun to how it would have originally been.

 

[Clark Badgett]

Ok. Let’s break this down. With some guns, it’s hard to say exactly what they are. Yours is one if those. It is old, but it it’s not 18th century old. The lock is a cheap English (or Belgian) early 19th century trade style, originally made in flint without a pan bridle. The butt plate is English style commercial as is the trigger guard. The side plate was a very common style used on English export grade fowlers. All of the parts could be purchased for construction of arms here (the US) or on a complete gun. Now here is where it gets funky. The barrel has a US contractor style proof. And the bands are in brass in some random European style, but were never drilled for band springs or sling swivels. So in most likelyhood, it was a restock of used parts for a “militia” style arm at best. Best guesstimate in 1830s and after. Do not shoot this gun. Just enjoy it for it’s mystique.

 

[Conquerordie]

Sir, you're going down a rabbit hole. It is as it should be, it's a parts gun from the 1820's-1830's. Besides being flintlock and not percussion originally, there is no real restoration to be done. It's a piece of Americana, a piece important to some unknown individual, in an unknown location, in the early decades of the 19th century. Be happy with that! The use by the Confederacy in the Civil War is a huge stretch, one based on the name of the manufacturer of the barrel bands if I read your post correctly? While this would add a huge amount of historical interest and value to the piece, I believe it too is incorrect. In order to say that you need to have definitive proof. No collector would pay you a large amount of money that Confederate arms bring on the proof you've exhibited here. It's a neat piece of American history just as it is.

 

[acavdragoon]

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[Clark Badgett]

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There is no such critter as the M1808, nor 1822. Those designations have been long abandoned.

 

[PathfinderNC]

What’s to restore? I can’t understand how some people feel the need to do these things…

 

[TFoley]

the P is just a PROOF mark i believe.i would guess the barrel is french, a bess barrel would have a "wedding band" at the breech. also standard 63/66 and 74 charleville's had iron bands. perhaps they are from a marine musket.??

Are we decided yet? I have a $3 bill hanging on this being real.

 

[Sam squanch]

This may have been banged up and sold through mail order , lots of muzzleloaders were still sold after cartridge guns came out, less expensive to shoot. It did its part securing food and protecting the farm, honor it for a job well done.

 

[Mle1822]

So let me get this straight. We are trying to deduce how this firearm, that had anywhere between 5 and 10 previous owners was put together ?