What is this? Any Idea???

[Quirt Evans]

A very close friend of mine was walking out in the vast Central Oregon High Desert and literally walk right over the top of this butt stock. This stock was found in an area far from civilization or habitation.

He recently gave it to me. We've pondered many a' night wondering what it is and why it ended up where it did. In the "pre-disposal" era pioneer NEVER threw anything away. So it is obvious this butt stock either fell off a horse, a wagon or was left behind along with the plight of its owner who may have died for a host of various reasons. The rifle is obviously broken at the stock...but they wouldn't have left it behind - intentionally.

It is obviously hand manufactured and it has laid in the desert from a LONG time...the back side of the stock is etched away from erosion. The high desert preserves artifacts for a long time - fortunately.

The hinged patch box still functions and has an interesting cam on the inside to create tension so the lid close shut with some "ump". There is still visible signs of verdigris on the inside of the patch box.

What is it?

 

[Semisane]

That is such a cool find!

If I were a talented author I could sit around and stare at that thing for a day or two with a good Scotch in hand, and then write a great novel that ended with that stock laying in the High Desert sun.

 

[DNICK]

neet I hope he looked long and hard for the rest of it

 

[cowpoke1955]

Too bad it can't talk. Bet it has one heck of a story :hmm: .

 

Hard to tell what it is but from the picture it looks like it has a hook breach type tang. So It may have be a half stock? :hmm: :hmm:

 

[Zonie]

It isn't an exact match so it probably doesn't mean anything but there is a very similar patchbox shown in the Chandler & Whisker book KENTUCKY RIFLE PATCHBOXES ALL NEW VOLUME 2" 1992.
The patchbox is #103 which is attributed to Philip Creamer. The text with it says "(1774-). 1794-1805, Taneytown, Frederick County, Maryland; 1806-16, near Prairie DuPont, Illinois; 1816 Madison City,

The patchbox in the book has as I said a very similar forward area and pierced sideplates. The 2 piercings next to the hinge in the sideplates are quite similar however the two that are by the buttplate are not.

Without an exact match it is very difficult to be able to say "that's what it is" because so many different gunsmiths seemed to use patterns of others with little variations.
Although one could say the design defiantly dates to the early 1800's one can't really say it was made by Creamer.

 

[shortstring]

Could have come out of Ohio. It was quite common for them to have ornate patchboxes even during the later halfstock era.

 

[Mulebrain]

I lean more towards a Pennsylvania build. That is a really neat find! I would be hitting that place with my metal detector and fast!

If that got left behind, surely something else did as well. You may just find the rest of that gun!

I have a good friend who lives in Oregon, and maybe I should be flying out there to meet up with you guys?

I have got a real good Whites machine!!!!

Please post pics of the whole thing from every angle!!

MB

My dad found an old sxs shotgun, that someone had leaned against a fence. It had been there so long , it nearly completely sank vertically! Only the end of the barrels were sticking straight up out of the dirt!

 

[Pork Chop]

That is such a cool find!

If I were a talented author I could sit around and stare at that thing for a day or two with a good Scotch in hand, and then write a great novel that ended with that stock laying in the High Desert sun.

A sultry wind blew across the plains as the flatlander with his shiny new rifle climbed down off of his horse...

 

[Quirt Evans]

He spent quite a bit of time looking for the rest of the rifle and other items possibly left behind. Nothing else.

The rifle does have a hooked breech which remains in the butt stock. It appears to be a half stock of some sort or another. I'm leaving this morning for a business trip to Salt Lake City...when I get back I'll try to get better/more photos of more angles. Thanks guys!

 

[Pork Chop]

It looks like the patch box is surface mounted rather than inletted, is that common?

 

[Mulebrain]

If he did not spend time looking with a metal detector, he only scratched the surface! Metal parts sink over time, unless it's hard a concrete :grin:

 

[Tumblernotch]

It looks like the patch box is surface mounted rather than inletted, is that common?

I'd say that time has eroded and shrunk the wood so that it appears that way. I've seen that effect on other guns and tools that have been exposed for a long time.

 

[jtmattison]

A sultry wind blew across the plains as the flatlander with his shiny new rifle climbed down off of his horse...

Keep going!

We need a rough draft by the end of the month.

:thumbsup:

HD

 

[longcruise]

Maybe it fell of a hunter's atv? :haha:

 

[Rev-Bill]

Looks very much like the Pennsylvania type flintlocks :thumbsup:

 

[Pork Chop]

HD,

For a while, whenever I listed stuff on eBay, I would give a little tidbit of a story about Sumatran Joe - the intrepid adventurer who dug up the parts. I got a small following going there for a while!

 

[bajabuc]

from the pic...I'd say it's not a self hinged patch box.

 

[tg]

Nice find, I'll leave the ID to those hwo are true gun scholars and just add that there were likely guns from most evry state East of the Mississippi and some from the east of the big river that made the journey to the Oregon country in the 1840-1860 time period, my GGG gradfather came out in 1841 or so with his full blood Delaware wife, he may have dropped that piece or she may have broken it over his stubborn head..a traitb that I am told runs in the family, nice piece even in its condition, fortunately the east side will preserve items, they dissolve pretty quick over here on the west side.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

Judging by the robustness of the wrist/breech area and the hooked breech, as well as the furniture, this appears to be a plains or mountain rifle. The rear profile of the lock mortise contour indicates this either held a very late flintlock, or more likely a percussion lock. This may be a half stock rifle of the great migration period and the story of how it came to lie where it did for all those years must be a fascinating one. Looking forward to more photographs, but many thanks for these. :thumbsup: