I’m salvaging the family rifle circa 1830. Want to build a shootable copy. I’ve ID’d the builder and there are lots of puts and takes (TMI below) but I think the question is—does a front lock bolt push it toward flint and or, does a capbox mean percussion? I want to avoid the “it’s old, so it must be flint. Right now, it has a low quality percussion lock. Doesn’t fit the mortise and was installed with a stove bolt going the wrong way through the lock, so I know it’s a replacement. Been shot a lot as percussion—wood around the lock is eroded. Rifle is a collection of splinters- I can tape the gun together and post photos if I know what parts of the gun would help
TMI
Rifle has dimensions like Buchele’s golden age rifle, but a little slimmer. 36” barrel 13/16 straight octagon. Very misshapen bottom “flats”. Maybe shop forged.
~ 36 cal. Mortise is looks a drop-in for an L&R late English. Drum is pretty deep into the breech plugs. Not a lot of threads holding things together.
Builder was probably Abe Williams or his apprentices S Post or G.W. Craft. Kauffmann shows a pic of a couple of those guns which look a lot like mine. Both are percussion, but are probably newer than mine. Williams made flint guns for quite a while after percussion was adopted. All of them worked within a couple of miles of the family farm. Rural Southwestern PA. My grandfather was born in 1895 and grew up in a log cabin
The stock has a filled hole for a front lock bolt. Side plate is a simple sheet brass escutcheon for the rear bolt only
The thing that has me guessing is that my rifle has a capbox like the Craft and Post guns in Kauffman Kauffman pic of the Williams rifle shows an ornate West Virginia style patch box on a percussion gun. So maybe Williams put in whatever the customer wanted?