Nice unsigned rifle.

[EC121]

I have a nicely built, unsigned rifle.  It appears to be converted from flint.  To avoid a duplicate post, I posted them to my blog on the much easier to upload Google.  www.bricestultzhisblog.blogspot.com.  Anyone have any comments, opinions, or ideas of its origin?
      

[Shreckmeister]

I say New England and that's all I have to say about that

[Buck]

It's a nice gun, Upper east Coast would be my guess also.
Buck

[EC121]

Thanks for the info.  Sounds good to me. 

[JV Puleo]

There's nothing at all puzzling there. Its a very nice New England rifle, probably made in Worcester County (because about 90% of them were). Probably less than half of the NE rifles are signed. The half stock is perfectly kosher, as is the horn nose cap. The target rear sight was almost certainly added. It was a flintlock, a late one, probably c.1816-1820 and the conversion is fairly early, probably in the 1825-28 period.

Attributing it to a maker is likely a fool's errand. With effectively all the rifle makers in worcester county, the rifles are remarkably similar, regardless of who made them. There are minor nuances people often take as "signatures" but this is all pure conjecture. I've had two rifles that were essentially identical, one signed and the other not signed. Were they from the same shop? Probably, but I wouldn't stake my life on it.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I will agree:  nice rifle in nice shape.

[EC121]

Thanks.  I appreciate the replies.

Brice

[JCKelly]

The lock is held on with only one bolt (side nail)

Nice picture shows no trace of plugged up holes from frizzen or frizzen spring

Seems to me it is original percussion

[JV Puleo]

You must have a problem with your monitor. The plugged hole for the spring screw is clearly visible.
Also, the remnants of the pan are there and are never seen on purpose-made percussion locks.
The wide, flat-form hammer is consistent with the earliest percussion locks and conversions. The possibility exists that the rifle was made as percussion using a lock converted for the purpose... no one threw away a perfectly good lock because it was fling. The telling factor, which isn't visible, would be if there is a relief in the edge of the lock mortise for the shoulder of the flint hammer.

One lock screw is also quite conventional on late NE rifles. I'd say it was made flint and converted when nearly new... perhaps made around 1818-1820 and converted around 1824-25.

If it is around .54 caliber (and I suspect it is)... it was likely made for a member of a militia volunteer rifle company. The target sight was probably added after 1832 when the militia was reorganized and the state undertook to arm the entire militia. (Prior to that, all militiamen carried their own arms. The militia act guns were kept in storage). This is all presuming it stayed in Massachusetts, but most of them did.

jp

[Don Stith]

All three plugged holes are visible. Of course I have a 21" HD monitor.  Looking at the engraving on the nose of the plate, my guess is it was converted for use on this rifle as you suggested.
 Single screw flinters were fairly widespread by the time period you suggest. At least as far west as Pittsburgh and probably farther  than that.

[EC121]

My rifle is a .40cal.  There are a couple of dovetails under the rib that suggest a reused barrel.  There is no cut out for a flint hammer.  It could be a reused converted lock.  The bore is clean and smooth with a relief in the breechplug.

[JV Puleo]

Excellent... then I'd say it was made a percussion but the lock was originally flint. It could easily have been new when the gun was built. This would make your gun a very early American percussion rifle. I've never seen a NE rifle in original flint with a bore as small as .40 but very early, half stock NE rifles are often that size. I will modify my earlier assessment and say the tang sight is probably original to the rifle, not a later addition and that the whole gun dates from around 1825. I have a much plainer but quite similar half stock that I shot for years... mine is .41 caliber, has a barrel made by Remington and once had a similar rear sight.

[EC121]

I pulled the lock, and it also has a filled front stock screw hole along with the filled frizzen screw and frizzen spring screw holes.  Seems to be a repurposed conversion.

[JCKelly]

OK, OK Mea Culpa - so my new glasses haven't come in yet