Rifle signed JMW - Who?

[Keb]

A friend of mine has this gun and he is interested in finding out who "JMW" is, where & when this gun was made. I've no clue so I thought I'd ask here. This is all the info I have.

The stock is broke & repaired twice. One repair is older than the other.
The entry pipe looks familiar and seen on "Southern" guns.
The barrel is marked JMW on a "silver", (pewter?) inlay.
The lock is marked with the same engraved initials JMW but upside down (see pic #9 & 10).
It has one of those small cap boxes on the toe barely visible in pic #14.
Trigger guard & butt plate are brass. The rest is German Silver.
Single pull, double lever triggers
33" barrel
7 lands and grooves
.355 bore
barrel has a double taper.
.810" - at muzzle
.790" - 8 inches back
.820" - 12 inches back
.860" - 24 inches back
.860" at breech
15" trigger pull.

Thanks.

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[Avlrc]

Looks Ohio/MO..A lot of gunsmiths names start with J and have last names with W....There was a J M Watts I think from PA...

[Keb]

Have you seen Ohio guns with that kind of entry pipe?
Maybe it's not JMW. Maybe it's J Moore or something like that.

[Avlrc]

The entry  does look NC...

[Mark Tyler]

Quick scan thru Sellers yields:

J.M. Wright in Missouri
J.M. Wood (unlocated)
John M. Wilson in Illinois
John M. Whitney in Virginia
John M. Watson in Pennsylvania

I'm sure it isn't John M. Watson In Altoona, Pennsylvania. Not familiar with the others. 

[Mark Tyler]

J. M. Wood is a NC gunsmith:

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?board=89.0

[Tanselman]

This rifle could easily be a Kentucky gun. The butt architecture is very much in the KY tradition, as is the rounded cheekpiece, slim wrist and long two screw tang. Triggers are also correct for KY. James Madison West (1815-1868) was born in KY and worked in Lewis (1840s) and Fleming (by 1850) Counties, Kentucky. By 1860 he was located in Pope County, Illinois. He died at Richview in Washington Co., Illinois. West was also a preacher for the American Missionary Association. Family tradition held that he "preached on Sundays and was a gunsmith during the week."   Shelby Gallien 

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

This rifle could easily be a Kentucky gun. The butt architecture is very much in the KY tradition, as is the rounded cheekpiece, slim wrist and long two screw tang. Triggers are also correct for KY. James Madison West (1815-1868) was born in KY and worked in Lewis (1840s) and Fleming (by 1850) Counties, Kentucky. By 1860 he was located in Pope County, Illinois. He died at Richview in Washington Co., Illinois. West was also a preacher for the American Missionary Association. Family tradition held that he "preached on Sundays and was a gunsmith during the week."   Shelby Gallien 

Sounds like a perfect match.... vocations I mean.... don't know anything about tese types of guns... nice piece of wood!!

[Habu]

It doesn't look like the 2 J.M. Wright-built rifles I've seen, but 2 is an awful small sample . . . .

[Keb]

Anyone have an idea of when this gun was built? 1840's? Later?

Anyone have an idea of where this gun was built? The entry pipe has me confused. If it wasn't for that, I'd say Ohio or Indiana - 1850's or 60's.

It's looking like JMW will be forever unknown.

[Curt J]

I agree with Shelby.  The Kentucky/Southern Illinois maker does seem like a good possibilty.