It's a very attractive rifle. However, I question it being an original flint. From the one good view of the lock, I would lean toward it being a well done remake of a percussion lock to a flint. Couple of reasons for thinking so:
1) the double line molding around edge of lock plate does not seem to stop where the frizzen spring is attached, but rather continue to run around the edge. Most original flints have the molding stop, or be interrupted, in that area, and a continuous border is often a sign of a percussion plate.
2) cock appears to be a larger, older style than the flat tailed lock plate itself would have if it had been flint, with some variance in color from the lock plate, and a somewhat new looking mounting screw with what appears to be a modern flat bottom slot and no "buggers" in the slot.
3) Top jaw screw has a good V slot in head, but its flat tail, rather than pointed, seems a little out of place for an original lock where I would expect a tapered end.. and the top jaw itself appears to have a very sharp, clean edge around it, more like a new addition than an old, used top jaw.
The lock, to me, has little bearing on the quality of this rifle, which really displays some nice details and great architecture. I would probably take a little closer look at the wood grain. From what I can see, it looks like a red stained maple, rather than cherry. Cherry gets its beauty from the black mineral lines between its annular rings, which give it a beautiful swirl pattern when slash cut with the black against the orange/red. When you look at the good photo of the top of the wrist and tang, all the annular ring lines look white, as would be expected in maple, rather than black/dark as would be expected if cherry. I may be totally wrong on this, but I lean toward a red stained maple stock. Regardless, it is a very graceful, attractive stock... almost too good to be from Tennessee! Shelby Gallien
