Almost certainly a restock in my opinion, FWIW. The hardware very certainly came out of the 'right area' and given what I can see of the engraving and styling it appears to tie in with rifles I believe to me Moll Sr. What I find particularly interesting is the shaping of the sideplate; this design appears to have originated up at Christian's Spring with Christian Oerter and thence fanned-out into the region West, East and South. This shaping is much in the earlier manner which Oerter utilized: a more dramatically segregated tail with bolder filework. Two later rifles I also think to be Moll Sr. - one pictured fairly well on my site - illustrate something of a progression wherein the rear portion of the sideplate (behind the upper lock screw) blends into the main body of the sideplate in a more graceful fashion. Don't know if this makes any sense anyway I see this particular sideplate as being slightly earlier than the later signed 'Moll' examples. Also, the flat box lid is interesting (i.e. not a heavier casting with a central raised portion). Thus far, the rifles which I feel personally tie back to Moll Sr. and Peter Neihart seem to illustrate the flat sheet lids being used earlier than the cast box lids, or at least concurrently. Another rifle which was very probably made by the same hand which made the signed John Moll rifle illustrated on my site utilizes a flat box lid, more boldly-filed sideplate and stock architecture closer to what Christian Oerter was utilizing: an earlier piece, perhaps 1780s not long after the war ended. One has to wonder why one would alternate between cast domed and flat (sheet?) lids. Cost? The cast lids are easier! Well interesting gun anyway.
