The photos, are those original parts?
1. The bottom photo- looks like a small nail near the top and there's also a small indent to the right (or forward) of the catch, do you have any information on these?
2. The catch- I assume it's a replacement- it looks like the original was broken. Correct?
3. There's some tiny pin holes in the bottom of the cavity- any idea about them?
4. The spring for the lid to pop up- how is that installed?
5. Removable pin? Seems it would help inlet the part? If so, how was pin then secured as final installation?
And... how do you like the 1817 U.S. Rifle?
Yes the photos are of antiques.
1. the small nail & notch are not original
2. yes, look at the top 2 photos for the lid catch shape. copy the photos to your computer & zoom in for a better look
3. the holes are from drill augering the cavity material out
4. the lid spring is vee shaped. one leg goes behind the hinge in the stock & the other leg is curved so it contacts the lid & pushes against it when the lid is closed
5. the hinge pin is a friction fit & the hinge is 1/2 inletted into the stock. that's why I included the last photo, to show the inletting.
The 1817 is a nice handling rifle, tad heavy but all military arms are more than civilian ones.....and you'll probably never see another on a rifle range or shoot.
If you drag the photo to the title bar, you'll see the address to my photo album. erase the photo name & hit the enter key and you can see some other photos of my rifle under construction & finished. Mike