Mystery antique Muzzle loader - help identify

[bkgilbert54]

I bought this old musket (?) at an estate sale in Louisiana and (somewhat crudely due to my lack of skills) partially restored it.  It has no markings on the barrel but what is strange that it is definitely a heavy barrel gun - but with no signs of ever being rifled.  A heavy bore musket?  A heavy bore shotgun?  A shot out rifle?  I don't know.  I replaced the missing lock, nose piece and made a lot of the smaller trim parts including the patch door.  The trigger on it is rather primitive - just a flag shaped metal tab at the top pivoting around a pin pressed through the stock.  The lock that fit it best was a Siler large cap lock but required a fair amount of shaving of the barrel to fit.   Barrel measures slightly between .52 and .58 inches depending where I take the measurement from.  It's beautifully adorned with lots of brass, silver (?), and wire inlay.  One of the pictures shows what it looked like when I got it. 

Any ideas out there what this may be? 

[mr. no gold]

My guess is that you have a nice New England gun with lots of silver wire inlay. A lot of these rifles are said to have gone west to become 'plains rifles.' I have one such gun and it too is smooth. It appears that you have done some nice work to bring it back to how it should look. Shouldn't be too hard to track down the maker and approximate period it was made. Seems hat a fair number of these pieces went unsigned. Mine has no signature either. Thank you for posting the photos!
Dick

[Avlrc]

Agree New England & nice.    What  a unique patchbox & cheekpiece decor.  Your restoration looks good to me.

[Tanselman]

Definitely a New England "rifle" with front and rear sights, despite being a smooth bore. The cherry stock wood, single trigger, shape of two lock bolt washers, and scrolled silver wire work are all typical of a better New England gun. I have seen a similar partchbox on another New England rifle years ago, so hopefully one will eventually show up again to help you identify the maker.    Shelby Gallien

[WESTbury]

"Similar" style rifle under New England Exhibits, said to be by to Silas Allen, in the Miller Library. I believe that here is no photo of Allen's signature on the barrel of the rifle in the library.

[Cades Cove Fiddler]

  ... good job on getting her brought back,.... is the rib under the barrel wood,...? ...

[Daryl]

Looks like wood to me, too.

[bkgilbert54]

Thwe rib under the barrel is wood with a lot of Bondo Wood Filler holding it together.  I tried buiding it up to replace the side more but with nothing there to support it, it kept braking off, so I did what I could.  Because it was more filler than wood and very brittle, ths not refinishable,  I just covered it with a coat of flat black to make it a uniform color.