Southern - Henry Huffman (Attributed) 090128-3

[nord]

Unsigned Percussion Full Stock Rifle

Though unsigned, this rifle has the incised line along both sides of the comb, indicating that it was made in North Carolina.  The rifle was originally a Flint Lock as evidenced by the feather pick hole located behind the trigger guard and the cutout for the hammer between the lock and the tang..  The lock is a Percussion replacement and is shorter than the original was.  The stock is Maple and there is an old repair to the wrist.  There is a piece added between the lower portion of the butt plate and the stock (difficult to see in the pictures).  The replacement piece has the same age characteristics and handling marks as the surrounding wood, which leads me to believe that this is original to the rifle.  It could be that a different butt plate was to be used and the original owner or the gunsmith decided to use a different one.  The rifle has brass furniture consisting of the butt plate, trigger guard, diamond shaped washer for the side plate, three ramrod thimbles and the entry thimble, and the nose cap.  The entry thimble does not have an extension coming back onto the forearm.  The .32 caliber barrel is 45 3/4 inches long and appears to have been shortened about 1 1/2 inches.  Probably when converted to Percussion.  The tang is 4 3/4 inches and is secured to the stock with two screws.   A well-known collector in North Carolina told me that he feels that Henry Huffman in Catawba County North Carolina made this rifle.  However, without a signature, I cannot confirm this.  Any information from other collectors would be appreciated.