Not sure what this barrel/tang is?

[ormond tony]

I got this long arm labelled Kentucky from a small gun shop that caters to mostly unmentionables. I started to clean the bore and noticed something I haven't seen before: a hole on one side that leads to the nipple area. I also cleaned up the barrel and finally found a date stamp of AC which means it was made in 1977 and imported from Italy

by F.I.E.. Am I wrong to believe that someone changed this from a flintlock to percussion? Any ideas?

 

[ADK Bigfoot]

I believe you are looking at the hole in the nipple bolster/tang that allow the flash to reach the powder charge. Nothing unusual, and not indicative of flint to percussion conversion.

ADK Bigfoot

 

[ormond tony]

Here's the rifle . Got it for 279. It can use 10 or 11 caps. Could the nipple have been changed from a larger cap?

 

[hanshi]

Doubtful. It looks pretty standard and has what is often called a "patent breech".

 

[Walkingeagle]

If it was swapped over from flint at one time, the person doing the work would have had to cut the breech end of the barrel to remove the original touch hole, then re-thread for the pattened breech you currently have, then swap out the whole lock as you can see it was never built for a flint, then most likely re-drill all the barrel pins as well as the underlugs to fit the new barrel length and lastly re-cut and re-shape the nose of the stock, followed by re-fitting the nose cap.
It was never a flint. You are seeing exactly what ADK Bigfoot described.
Walk

 

[poker]

FIE was an importer. That rifle was born a percussion job and hasnt had an operation. Nice piece for the money!

 

[FlinterNick]

Looks like a zoli hawken.