Another 3/4 stock, unknown maker, western NC

[pjmcdonald]

Reading previous posts about 3/4 stock rifles and talking to Jim today, thought y’all might like to see another.

Needs a wee bit of TLC. Sat up in a shed for years. Trigger guard is either not original or botched repair.

Have no idea the maker. Can’t find any marks. Currently with me at Jim’s building class. I’ll try to remember to get better pics tomorrow. Handed down through family on my mother’s side. My grandmother remembers her grandmother having it. My grandmother was born in 1920 or 21 so it puts it probably around 1870-80 timeframe, give or take. The family has lived in and around Cherokee county, NC, for at least that long or longer.

Top rifle in the rack. Others are Jim’s. Third down is John Bull I’m replicating.









Paul

[Cades Cove Fiddler]

  .... Nice old Mountain rifle,.... barrel definitely shortened ... what is Jim's opinion,..?? ... cut-down fullstock    or original short stock,..? ... give us some good pix of barrel tang, butt-plate,  nosecap and ramrod entry,... thanx for pix,... My father's mother's people were from Cherokee Co., ... North of Murphy,.....

[bama]

Dana I believe this to be an original 3/4 stock gun. I agree that the barrel may have been shortened but I am not so sure of that. The rib is flat, not concave and is solid. The rib is cut flush with the end of the barrel. One thing that Bob Melancon mentioned to me was that the check rest sets very low on the stock, this may help in identifying who the maker was or maybe a region where the rifle was made.

I hope that Gerald see's this and will give us his thoughts. If anybody can tell us who  may have made this rifle it will be Gerald.

[Karl Kunkel]

That cheek rest is almost a chin rest.

[pjmcdonald]

More photos

Tang is screwed to stock. Yes, I replaced them. Not correct but at this point, it is triage to keep it from coming apart. Had to replace a few other screws on trigger plate and guard too. Originals basically disintegrated from rust.

[Hlbly]

I don’t see anything that points to a certain maker or region.

[Hungry Horse]

I wouldn’t be so sure the triggerguard is a replacement. It looks pretty well made, and obviously not someone’s first effort. The lockplate, and the trigger assembly, look like they have been stripped of any provenience, likely from a big dose of navel jelly. I would suspect that this gun started life as a 3/4 stock, since it has a metal underib, and no obvious signs of being shortened other than the barrel.

  Hungry Horse

[pjmcdonald]

Thanks Gents, for the replies. I don’t expect it to be of much value except sentimental. And I figure whatever provenance it had is lost to time, neglect, or poor care. Hope you enjoy the photos. I hope this little gun is of some passing interest.

Paul

[JTR]

This old gun is so typical of so many.
But at least you'rs has a family connection, so why not fix it up a bit? No need to worry about value, minimal as it is, as I expect it'll remain in your family. But a little work would sure make it look a lot better, and help to maintain family interest down the line.
John

[pjmcdonald]

Thanks John. I brought it with me to Jim’s class and we talked about doing some repairs. Some cosmetic, like the guard, and some functional, like a weak mainspring. But the Bull build took up all our time that trip. It will have to wait for another day. Still, I think with some professional oversight, we can turn her back into a nice little shooter to pass along to future generations.

And that is what I appreciate about this hobby. Really, we are only caretakers for a short time on this earth. Respect, appreciate, and preserve the past. Enjoy the present. Leave something better for the future.

Paul