The gun's owner e-mailed pictures of the rifle to me. It is an 1840s full-stocked gun of moderate barrel length and rather plain. The gun's trigger guard has the small double spur at the back of the grip rail, often a detail of guns made along the Ohio River. The butt stock has a slight "fish belly" suggesting the gun was made on the north side of the river, most likely Ohio. However, the gun does not appear (to me) to be a John Griffiths product. The closest I've seen to this style gun is the work of Benjamin Sells of Brown Co. Ohio.
Unfortunately the gun has been heavily cleaned and refinished, with an inappropriate Lancaster style daisy-head patchbox installed...probably a newer box using brass screws. The box was not trimmed to meet the butt curvature, still having flat ends on the lid and side leaves, suggesting a relatively recent addition. Barrel is shortened an inch or two, a common occurrence. The owner did not show a picture of the top barrel flat where the maker's name might have been, and I have asked him to recheck that area to see if any trace of initials or a name remain...because without it, we probably can't go much farther with this rifle. Shelby Gallien
