RT, I thought a couple of additional comments may help you understand your Jamestown, NC rifle a little better. Its pinwheel and diamond shaped inlays of German silver, attached by large silver headed nails, are typical of Jamesown work. You said the barrel might be replaced. Actually, it's probably the original barrel that was shortened by cutting it off at the breech, which pulls/moves the rear sight back. Guns were often rebreeched a couple of times during their working lives, as the breech area corroded out. The shield shaped lock bolt washer missing on the back side of the gun was more common on Lamb rifles than Dixon guns, and I would lean toward a Lamb attribution, although there were a couple of Lamb gunsmiths who worked in the percussion era when your gun was made. I have a signed "A. Lamb" half-stocked rifle with similar stock architecture to yours, German silver inlays (not all identical) as yours has, and with the same little square tab behind the front or "hair" trigger as seen on your rifle. It doesn't prove your gun is a Lamb, but it helps support an attribution to the Lambs.
Restoration raises a couple of issues with your rifle, including: 1) is the gun currently stable when handled, or is the wrist break loose under the repair, allowing the butt to move slightly when handled; 2) how extensive a restoration is desired, and what will it cost; 3) will the type of restoration needed for your gun enhance its value more than the cost of the work?
If a gun with repaired wrist, such as yours, is solid and stable when handled, then it is not in imminent need of restoration. When a wrist break is lose under the repair, it constantly "moves" and damages the broken area as the gun is handled, making it more and more difficult to repair cleanly without the repair work showing when done. Period repairs are not totally bad, and are an interesting part of the gun's history if the repair is solid and stable. This is particularly true when it is not a high value gun, and the repair doesn't hide significant decorative inlay work or carving.
Another consideration is the old copper plate wrapped around the wrist of your rifle. Does it sit on top of the gun's original surface, or was it inletted down into the stock wood so that it sits flush with the surface? If it has been inletted into the wood (as it appears to be) and nose of the comb, then the restoration is more difficult because the surface wood that was removed when inletting the plate must be replaced. That is substantially more work than simply repairing the old break and old screw and nail holes. It increases restoration costs. There is also the issue of stretching the barrel back to its original length, if a full restoration is contemplated, which costs about $175 to $200 and maybe more.
I mention this to show that there are a number of considerations regarding restoration, if contemplated, and it often depends on the value of the gun under consideration. If your gun did not have a broken wrist, and the shield shaped lock bolt washer was still on the gun, it might bring up to $2500. But without a patchbox, my guess is that it would bring somewhat less. Will the restored gun bring that same amount? Probably not, since collectors have become more picky about restoration in the last few years, especially on lower end guns.
A lot depends on whether the old wirst break is still solid and stable. If so, you may not want to do much to the gun. On the other hand, if the old break is lose, then it should be repaired to protect the gun from further damage and more expensive repairs later on. If that kind of work is done, then by all means replace the missing side plate as well, and repair the poorly functioning lock. The current barrel length doesn't look awkward, so I'd leave the barrel alone, in part due to the difficulty in recouping that expense later on. So at least you now have another opinion on your rifle, and its possible restoration. Hope this helps you. Shelby Gallien
