ALR Museum Gunsmith: A "Buck and ball" of unknown maker and origin

[Hurricane ( of Virginia)]

This wonderful " buck and ball" is exhibited for your study. Surely, though now unknown, someone in the viewing audience can add to our knowledge about the origin of this gun.... an identical patchbox or "fowl" cheekpiece?

Here is the URL:

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=12875.0

Add you comments as a reply here, please.

The Museum Committee

[rich pierce]

Real nice lines for the era in which it was made.

[Jim Kibler]

I agree, a neat looking rifle.  Is it my imagination or do I see traces of pins showing in one of the forestock inlays.  From a building perspective, I'm having trouble imagining a process of attaching inlays with pins soldered on the back.  From a non gunbuilding perspective, it seems pretty basic, but I can imagine some difficulties with this method.  Perhaps it is so.  On the other hand maybe they are attached with silver pins peened into a countersink and filed / polished flush.  Done well, the presence of pins is nearly indetectable with this method.  A closer picture of one of the inlays would be great. 

Thanks,
Jim

[oakridge]

Jim,  You see this with inlays on many later percussion era guns. Gunsmiths bought them ready-made from suppliers, and they were cast with little pointed studs or pins on the back. I agree that would make them difficult to inlet.

[Jim Kibler]

Oakridge,

Well, that's interesting and good to know.  I'll be watching for this in the future. 

Thanks,
Jim

[flintriflesmith]

Jim,  You see this with inlays on many later percussion era guns. Gunsmiths bought them ready-made from suppliers, and they were cast with little pointed studs or pins on the back. I agree that would make them difficult to inlet.

Most, if not all, of those that I have seen were German Silver. It was cheap enough by the mid-19th century that casting inlays of commercial sale became popular.
Gary

[oakridge]

Here is a photo of a German silver key escutcheon. It was cast with pins on the back (one pin is broken off). The exterior side is polished.

 

[Nate McKenzie]

Many of these inlays including this turkey were actually over-layed.