New to me smooth rifle!

[Timber Wolf]

Obviously a deer rifle, got one right on it! What does the punch marks spell out?

 

[bluemule66]

Not sure. Looks like F. Goff. Hoping to get more info.

 

[smoothshooter]

I found a very nice find a a gun show this weekend. The show was over 200 miles from home, but I found out the rifle lived less than 20 miles from my farm. The man who used to own it would have had it back in the late 1800s and early 1900s. His son sold it years ago to a man who is now 86 years old. It is a .49 cal smooth bore. It has some light pitting in the first 6-8 inches but good after that. I think Britsmoothy could fall in love with it. I plan to replace the nipple and give it a try this spring. It was a good weekend.

That gun almost certainly was rifle when it was built.
Could never figure out why anyone would use a lock with no half-cock on a gun.

 

[Brokennock]

That gun almost certainly was rifle when it was built.

Please expound on that. You're reasoning? Given that guns of rifle architecture with smoothbores were advertised at least as early as the mid 1700s...

Not disagreeing,,, just curious how you come to such a definitive conclusion.

 

[centershot]

He may believe that because of the caliber. Not to hard to imagine a .45 being freshed out to .49.