I was wondering if this longrifle was going to come back into view, after the auction and for comment- and it has.
It has very nice lines and proportion going for it and will definitely draw your attention. I was going to bid on this piece, but it went for substantially more than I was prepared to put in it. I think the fact that the barrel is 'signed' contributed substantially to the final price, plus the undeniable fact, that this piece just 'presents,' so @!*% well.
The barrel is ~ 46 inches, as I recall. I may be wrong, but it looks to retain it's hand forging/heat lines along the surfaces of it's flats (not draw filed, but still beautifully finished- a VERY KOOL element, IMHO) and gracefully swamped, which definitely contributes to those nice lines.
The lock looks original, but the military-ish hole in the bolt for the lock jaws isn't something, I think, you'd see everyday on a lock this size (adds to the KOOL.)
The stock has had some restoration work along the way- someone spliced in a piece of walnut at the tang area on the lock side. (Why they would use walnut when there's a ton of maple floating around, I've no idea.)
There's not enough detail in the photographs in and around the patch box to tell much. I'm not sure that we'll see another 'latching' system quite like that one, but it made sense to somebody and the real surprise, is that it's still there. Maybe there was an earth magnet in the butt- I don't know.
It's got a VA, possibly NC look to it. I'm surprised it has a trigger plate, but by the style of the trigger plate I'd say maybe 1810-ish.
It has a certain KOOL factor about it and I hope the new owner will get rid of that walnut splice, fill-in the trigger guard feature and make it whole again. (It's just so easy to say, when it's not your money, isn't it?) It's possible that the trigger guard was even just nailed on, with small shoemaker type nails. Wouldn't be the first time. Essentially, it was a 'parts' gun to begin and as long as no new wood is removed to make parts 'fit,' I wouldn't see a problem with that. Wipe everything down with some Howard's Feed-N-Wax to nourish the wood and metal, while protecting the patina and you're good to go.
Personally, I'd like to see more of this piece. This piece is certainly wrapped in a riddle, as obviously the maker had some training and was reasonably skilled. Maybe... there's yet more to find under that barrel and lock.
