Bucks or Berks ?

[Rajin cajun]

Owned by a friend of mine, we know that this rifle has been down South for the last 65 years.
What are your thoughts? At one time was in the R.E. Neville collection.
Bob

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I would say Bucks Co. from the thumb nail finials on the guard, and the curled trigger shoe.  The side opening pb also looks Bucks to me.

[Eric Kettenburg]

The furniture clearly appears to be all Bucks although the filework on the guard is interesting and slightly out of 'norm.'  The stocking... well now, that's funky, to say the least.  Interesting.

[Tim Crosby]

 Is the BP release on the tang of the BP and is that the end of the spring or lid catch coming through the carving on the cheek side?

  Tim C.

[Rajin cajun]

Tim the answer to both questions is yes.





Bob

[rich pierce]

Looks earlier than the classic Bucks County guns by Verner and Shuler and so on. Plus walnut.

[AMartin]

Neat furniture ... looks like a period restock

[Rajin cajun]

The owner will have this rifle on display at the Knoxville show. Please stop by and get a close look at it !

Bob

[rich pierce]

Wish I could make it to the show. I really like this gun. The patchbox has a distinctive slim design.  Great architecture. If a period restock, I wonder about when the original was made. Guns like this, which to me have a 1770s-80s architecture, with some features I don’t expect then (fully developed Bucks County guard and entry thimble, top of buttplate patchbox release button), are hard for me to tentatively assign to a timeframe.
 

[Rajin cajun]

Someone asked about the two holes in the patch box lid. I presented that question to the owner and he has been in contact with a gentleman on PA. who has a rifle very similar to this one and that gentleman said it’s where the spring to operate the patch box lid was attached. That spring is missing on this rifle ...
Quite an interesting piece.

Bob