Muzzle stamping***Pix Upgraded***

[Hungry Horse]

This is a question I have been meaning to post for some time. Many antique muzzleloading guns have stamping around the muzzle. Often the stamps, and pattern, are quite decorative. But, there are also numerous instances where the stamping are not very decorative, and seem to be crowded, or even overlapped. This makes me believe this was not done for decoration. Could it be, given the malleable nature of wrought iron, that these stamps were used to move the metal at the muzzle, and creat a slight choke effect? Also, could this have been done by a gunsmith, or owner, sometime later in the guns life, to tighten a worn muzzle?

  Hungry Horse

[Avlrc]

Some of them could be put on after someone chopped an inch or so from a damaged muzzle, in an attempt to make it look original. 

[Tanselman]

There is a family recollection of an early Kentucky gunsmith, William Graham of Franklin Co., KY, marking the muzzles of his rifles with a ring of punched stars around the bore. The family specifically said the ring of stars was done by Graham to identify his rifles. Graham was also known to sign the barrels of several rifles made in the first quarter of the 19th century.

While family recollections are never fool-proof, the story suggests that muzzle stampings may have been thought of by some gunsmiths as another way to identify their work. Since rifles were often set butt-down when standing around and/or talking, with the butt on the ground and muzzle up, perhaps muzzle stampings could provide a quick indication of the gunsmith to local citizens when they glanced at the muzzle, back in the day. We've all seen rifles with both signatures/initials on the barrel and muzzle stampings, making the stampings then appear more decorative...but I'd guess the stampings were still unique to individual gunsmiths within a given area...and perhaps could be used to help identify unsigned guns. Shelby Gallien 

[Howard]

William Vietor from Reelsville, Indiana always stamped his barrels at the muzzle if he rifled it.

[oakridge]

I've had two rifles by a local gunmaker (ca. 1840-1860) that had little o's punched around the muzzle face. Their location and depth appear to be purely decorative.  Both of these rifles are German silver mounted, with engraved capbox, trigger guard, sideplate, buttplate and inlays. Maybe the muzzle decoration was something he did only on his fancier guns.

[Rip]

The rifle I just bought (what's left of it) has 8 "o" imprints on the muzzle, one for each octagon flat.

[flinter49]

Does anyone make these stamps now a days?

[PPatch]

I did that on a fairly recent build, I simply used a nail punch for marking and it is purely decoration. As far as I know no one specifically makes stamps for this purpose. It would be fairly easy to create your own by modifying a nail punch into a star, etc.



dave

[Marcruger]

I'd sure want any markings at the muzzle to be filed absolutely flat.  Otherwise it would catch my patchknife and nick the edge.  Looks neat though.  God Bless, and best wishes,   Marc

[JSperry]

Muzzle stamp on my Samuel Todd Sherwood Rifles from WV 1860-1890

[Sequatchie Rifle]

I think it was just another way for a maker to decorate his rifle.

[Avlrc]

I just looked at all my rifles made in VA/WV,   1/3 of them have muzzle markings.  I think more of them originally had them.   I only have one VA/WV pistol it has a circle. 





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[louieparker]

This is the muzzle decoration on a Jacob Dickert....LP





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[Levy]

I always thought that it was to keep the haints/evil spirits out of the gun.  James Levy

[Bill-52]

Muzzle stamping on a Daniel Shell:





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[JTR]

Another Dickert, well used!

[wildcatter]

I thought I would throw out a question, are we sure those are decorations and not a by product of making the barrel? I know I have seen a lot of muzzle decorations/circles/rings etc. and maybe this question isn't easily answered but just thought I would ask and see some opinions.

Matt

[JTR]

Here's three more. Left to right; G Weiker Bucks Co., Attrib J Whitson SMR, aka Ol' ebay special!, carved Fredrick Sell half stock.





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[120RIR]

On top of all that, maker's weren't consistent - my G. Weiker has no stamping or other designs on the muzzle.  Some very fine engraved leaf-like designs on the barrel flats and the muzzle but not on the muzzle itself.

[Brooks]

This one is marked A. Bonnet. 1866.



Brooks.



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[AZshot]

I was going to ask about the era and regions of muzzle markings but found this thread.  I've bought 2 long rifles with a southern or southern mountains look to them recently one had no muzzle marks, this one did:

 

This is the one with the very long tang and the iron loop hand guard where the back part is just folded into a loop.  Was hoping the marks may help ID, but it seems they were commonly done.

[Tanselman]

Many muzzles have decorative marks around the bore. If someone really took the time to document muzzle stampings on signed rifles, we would probably see some individual patterns that would help identify some unsigned rifles by the same maker. But so many stampings use rather similar stamps, often small stars, small circles, half-moons, or punched dots, that many "seem" similar to the eye. No one, to my knowledge, has done the research to identify and catalog muzzle stampings by known gunsmiths so they can be used to help identify unsigned rifles. Unfortunately, I've seen signed rifles by the same maker with both similar stampings, and sometimes modified stampings. Probably too much effort for too little gain, so it will remain an interesting "possibility" and fun to speculate about.

Shelby Gallien

[James Wilson Everett]

Guys,

Here is the muzzle treatment used by Charles Knupp, Somerset County, PA.  Those dimples are quite deep.

Jim