Y'all like my new smooth rifle?

[Flintlock1640]

Found it in a local auction, after buyer's premium and sales tax I have a whopping $86 into it. Has a broken sear spring and the tip of the stock is broken off but so long ago it doesn't really even matter. I'm thinking late 1830s or early 1840s. I've been told the engraving is percussion era but a close look at the inside of the lock reveals the lines of the screws from when it was originally flint.

 

[Flintlock1640]

One friend thinks Shenandoah Valley, another thinks New England so the consensus is still out on it lol. It came out of Salem VA.

 

[TreeMan]

That sure is/was a nice piece of wood.

 

[nhmoose]

Great buy!!!!! Enjoy restoring it to go Boom!!!!!!

 

[Notchy Bob]

Good catch, Flintlock1640! That is a very interesting piece, and I'm sure all of us appreciate your sharing it with us!

I would lean toward a more southern origin for this gun, based primarily on the shape and drop in the buttstock. That little square lock bolt washer, I believe, is also kind of a southern thing.

The lock may very well have been flint originally, but I would suggest the gun was possibly built as a percussion. Flintlocks typically (but not always) use two lock bolts, and this gun only has one. Also, the buttplate looks, to me, to be a later style. I don't doubt the lock was originally flint. The hammer has a handmade look.

The striping on the stock looks artificial to me, but that doesn't detract from the gun at all. The technique of applying a reagent to plain wood to simulate the "tiger stripe" of highly figured curly maple is an old and honorable tradition among muzzleloading gunmakers.

I'll be interested in reading what others have to say about this interesting old gun.

You made a good purchase!

Notchy Bob

 

[MountainSmoke]

I like your smooth rifle very much. What a great piece of history. It would be a great feeling roaming the woods with that in your hand. Good score for sure.

 

[Flintlock1640]

I like your smooth rifle very much. What a great piece of history. It would be a great feeling roaming the woods with that in your hand. Good score for sure.

Thanks MountainSmoke, this smooth rifle has the best "feel" of any gun I've ever owned.

 

[Flintlock1640]

Notchy Bob,
I wouldn't be at all surprised if they spruced up the maple. I've seen them do that to wood that wasn't even Maple lol. This one at least has some natural curl just looking at the grain but maybe not as pronounced as it is now. Thank you for sharing your opinion on manufacture. Styles are so hard to pin down, especially on a plain utilitarian arm like this. Even if, hypothetically, it was made in Saunton, VA it could still have features of other regions given the traffic from the great wagon road.

 

[Cherrybow]

Awesome find! Thanks for sharing. I really like looking at the originals

 

[toot]

make some smoke with it!!

 

[Ridge]

Is that a a diagonal bolt in the top of the lock panel? And is it filed to shape with the panel?

What does it do?

Nice rifle. Great price. Your luck is way better than mine.

 

[Flintlock1640]

Is that a a diagonal bolt in the top of the lock panel? And is it filed to shape with the panel?

What does it do?

Nice rifle. Great price. Your luck is way better than mine.

That screw is interesting isn't it? The wrist broke during its uselife and has that fabulous old repair

 

[Treestalker]

A Smooth rifle! Now you can test all of Britsmoothy's theorems of small game and bird acquisition and give him some competition on this side of the pond. Just ignore his suicidal ramblings about 4f in the main charge and your gun may last another 100 plus years, LOL! I've got to get started on my .60 caliber smoothbore Springfield barrel, maybe a winter project if the Asian Bird Flu doesn't get me. Oh yeah, that and the election induced Rebellion against the Republic.

 

[MountainSmoke]

Any idea on the caliber? Again, very nice find. I can only imagine the stories that gun could tell.

 

[Dobegrant]

Wow, very nice rifle, great find

 

[Doc Ivory]

You really did well with this find.
Nice, nice piece of wood!

 

[SASS249]

Great deal. I have always liked smooth rifles and suspect there were a lot of them back when.

 

[Mulebrain]

Stole it, heck even as a wall hanger

Go through it and let us know what you find

 

[tenngun]

Good catch, Flintlock1640! That is a very interesting piece, and I'm sure all of us appreciate your sharing it with us!

I would lean toward a more southern origin for this gun, based primarily on the shape and drop in the buttstock. That little square lock bolt washer, I believe, is also kind of a southern thing.

The lock may very well have been flint originally, but I would suggest the gun was possibly built as a percussion. Flintlocks typically (but not always) use two lock bolts, and this gun only has one. Also, the buttplate looks, to me, to be a later style. I don't doubt the lock was originally flint. The hammer has a handmade look.

The striping on the stock looks artificial to me, but that doesn't detract from the gun at all. The technique of applying a reagent to plain wood to simulate the "tiger stripe" of highly figured curly maple is an old and honorable tradition among muzzleloading gunmakers.

I'll be interested in reading what others have to say about this interesting old gun.

You made a good purchase!

Notchy Bob

Looking at that lock it looks like a frizzen pin hole up forward. The cock looks a little crude.
I THINK that many parts were recycled and this looks that way to me. And this looks like a conversion to me
We think of tiger stripes and guns but it was favored for musical instruments too. Ash gets curly too.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Just saying, simply because something can be done doesn't mean its a good idea. I would think this talk of using a primed modern cartridge which gets the powder and shot loaded from the muzzle violates one of the forum discussion rules.