Owner comment:
Here is worthy offering of a half stock made by Valentin Shuler. Most probably after his family moved to Ohio. The family of Shuler gunsmiths were prominent in Pennsylvania as well. The barrel of this gun is rifled, 39.5 inches and 50 caliber. Note that the forend cap is likely replaced, usually in silver and the patina of the rib changes about 2 inches forward of the cap, suggesting it stock was shortened due to damaged and the original cap was probably lost.
Board Comment:
Beautiful gun with exceptional inlay work. It looks very much Ohio to me. I would suggest the original nose cap was brass, not silver, since all the other furniture is brass on this rifle, including ramrod pipes. I strongly doubt it had a silver nose cap. I would also suggest the current nose cap is most likely the original, whether moved back a couple of inches or not. Interestingly, I have a very similar half-stocked rifle with fine mounts and detail work from KY, by one of the finest makers in that state, that I would have thought was made ca. 1845.... but the barrel was dated "1837." I think the better makers moved more rapidly toward new trends, and some of their work therefore looks a little later than it really is.
