Not my area of interest, but looks similar to a New York style target rifle.
Probably set up to shoot a bullet, not a ball. Could be 1840-1870. Hard to say.
If you scroll down to Bigskyrimblers post from a few days ago you will see another gun from New York with the same relief on its muzzle for a bullet starter.
Hungry Horse
Appears to be "set up" for a guide bullet starter, not a false muzzle. If for a false muzzle, the muzzle's top surface would be drilled for the locating
holes for the pins of the false muzzle. A false muzzle is made from a section of the muzzle itself, drilled before cutting off, so the rifling of the bore
lines up with the rifling inside the false muzzle - seems to me.
A guide bullet starter simply has a round cavity that fits over the round turned muzzle. Back in the percussion era, Remington used to make and sell
such barrels to gun makers. Some gun makers of course, made their own, I would expect.
Can you tell it the stock wood is cherry or maple?
I'm certain Daryl is right about the muzzle. It's turned to accept a bullet starter. This if fairly common on NY rifles and on any that were intended for both target shooting and hunting.
This stock looks like cherry, unless somebody has scribed lines across it.Can you tell it the stock wood is cherry or maple?
That'll be one of the questions for after February 10th, along with
bore diameter
anything written inside the patch box
anything on the underside of the barrelwhat else?
For now, this enhanced pic of the grain will have to do on the cherry/walnut question.
(https://i.imgur.com/NKGvqIz.jpg)
Run a patch down the bore like you were cleaning it and it it has been made for a bullet it will have several turns that are noticeable,Probably set up to shoot a bullet, not a ball. Could be 1840-1870. Hard to say.
What would be an indicator(s) of that?