Comments:
It appears to me that the atypia in this gun suggests that it is a composite. The owner believes the indian head was put on the cheek stock instead of the forearm because of the forearm rest. It is not true that many, ( most, ? all others) of the Indian Heads were engraved into the forearm rest or forearm. A very strange side plate for an American gun.
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This rifle leaves me with some questions. The post (above) leaves me with more. I can place the rifle without further comment as an unknown if there is no objection as I detect no attempt at deceit.
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I don't have any idea, but since the Indian head is in an atypical location, only tacked to the surface and not inlet, I might suspect it was added later. I would also guess that the silver looking nails were also an add on. The atypical side plate with only one lock bolt might be an indication of a later time period restock?
The rifle still has merit. If posted to the Library as "unknown" someone, other than the Committee, might be able to shed some light on this rifle.
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An interesting piece with some 'unusual features'. The architecture and styling resemble the Moll's work, but the '...features' appear to be added on later, perhaps on the owner's whim.
This is a rifle that the viewers would like to see, nonetheless and I think that it should be displayed up on the 'unknown' wall.
Based on XXXX's post in the Antique section, this is the "typical" atypical, period restock. The one bolt flintlock might be period correct, but I am more inclined to see it as an attempt to make a percussion more valuable in the last 50 years. As what I consider a period restock, it has merit. It's an interesting gun. As a gun that I have had in my hands on a prior occassion, I am inclined to think it was always a Bucks/Berks percussion, until profit motivated a conversion to flint.
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This rifle was for sale some time back but I passed, mainly because I just couldn't figure out just what it was.
It is a nice looking gun, although I'll agree that the indian, silver nails, etc are afterthoughts by someone other than the maker. I'll also agree as to likely originally percussion.
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I do not think this gun has been restocked, and would prefer not to see that comment used unless more specific reasons are given to support a restock. I think if we had better pictures of the lock, we would see that it's a "reworked" or poorly reconverted lock, and probably not original to the gun. As stated, the gun appears to have been an original percusison gun of average quality. The odd side plate, or lock bolt washer, may well be a later addition, used to cover a "wallered out" hole from an original smaller lock bolt washer. I would like to see better pictures of the wear plate underneath the grip area. It appears to be a later addition, probably to cover an opened up/worn through ramrod channel.
There is a small possibility that the Indian head was originally inlaid at the head of the guard's front extension, and was removed when the wear plate was later installed. Instead of trashing it, the owner might have nailed it on the butt to salvage it. This may not be the case, but I'd still like to see better photos of the wear plate at its base, and along its edges in the area where an Indian head inlay might have been, "just in case".... it almost looks as if I can see a small detail/disturbance in the wood on either side of the wear plate, just where it meets the guard extension, that might be filled inletting where the base of the Indian head might have been.
I think we know a little more about the origin of this rifle than just "unknown." It has several characteristic details relating it to the Lehigh Valley area of eastern PA. If we look past the oddball side plate, it's not a bad little rifle, just made on the basic side, and perhaps "enhanced" a little by later owners.
