Exceptional Iron and Silver Mounted Rifle on Blog Spot

[G-Man]

There is a wonderful iron mounted antique rifle with an ornate patchbox - pierced and with offset side panels - a rare thing to see - on the Contemporary Makers Blog Spot today.  

Does anyone know anything about this one?  Although the guard looks very "Bull" like, my first hunch is that this is perhaps a Georgia made rifle.  The patchbox finial is similar ot the H Blackburn piece in Jerry Noble's Vol 1, and the offset side panels on the box call to mind the Allen Rifle.   The architecture is not like anything you would expect out of East Tennessee -  the curving top and bottom lines of the buttstock look more like something from Georgia to me as well.  However, the elongated rectangular piercings on the patchbox side panels do look a bit like that early John Bull -attributed hardware that was thought to be restocked by Jospeh Bogle (last page of Jerry Noble Vol. 1).  Any one else have any thoughts?  It certainly is a striking piece.

Guy

[M Tornichio]

I just saw the rifle and had some of the same questions. I really like it. There are quite a few nice details if you look closely. I like the fact that it has such a nice iron patch box. I like the guard also.
marc

[mr. no gold]

This is a grand rifle and it is very close in many ways to a gun I have. Mine is a smooth gun with a 48 inch, half round, barrel, but the furniture including the butt plate, triggerguard, nose cap and inlays match mine. The profile is similar, too. This gun has a box whereas mine does not, but there is a silver crescent moon inlay on the cheekrest of my gun, along with similar silver forearm inlays. The initials 'f B' are engraved on the top flat amid some other decorative engraving. Some of the furniture is engraved, as well.
For those skilled at research, my gun was posted here a long time ago, and should still be in the archives.
Ray McKnight has seen mine and stated that he regarded it having been made somewhere in North Carolina. I didn't know enough then to ask why he thought so, but I have continued to accept that until more factual information supplants that. A round of standing applause for bringing this to the table.
Dick