Just got this one. It came from the same source that I got the HVF I posted several weeks ago.
It is the top gun in the first few pictures. Has a 44 inch, .72 caliber octagonal to round barrel, slightly flared at the muzzle. Original flintlock condition, the end of the barrel is paper thin, the touch hole is enlarged, and the frizzen has been relined. The gun is basically in untouched condition. The front sight has been removed and a bayonet lug added for military use. The muzzle is slightly flared. The triggerguard and buttplate came off one gun, maybe a Dutch/Germanic rifle. The sideplate is totally different/simple and is not from the same gun, in fact it is very thin sheet brass. The wood is cherry, American, possibly. The butt architecture is American fowler style. The carving, much finer than on Dutch muskets, looks like the type carving used on Hudson Valley fowlers. There is a slight swell at the rear pipe. You can see that it is not symmetrical. The swell is not a Dutch feature and the fact that it is asymmetrical is not something I'd expect to see on a European gun. Each ramrod pipe, although original to this gun, is different, again an American indication. There is a curved split in the wood on the right butt. It is filled with wax that is very old to prevent moisture from getting into the wood. Again, something you would not see on a European gun. I think all this points to an American made musket from the Rev War period that used many different parts. I also think it was made in NY by a gunsmith who made Hudson Valley fowlers. Comments are appreciated.
