The reason for not getting much of a response on this rifle is because these percussion era Appalachian rifles are all rather generic in appearance and generally do not have enough details to attribute them to a specific area... unless they have a couple unique details that allow an attribution.
The "back woods" Appalachian area where western North Carolina, northeastern Tennessee, and southeaster Kentucky converge is where most of these Appalachian rifles originated... but from which state? It's somewhat of a guessing game, even for those knowledgeable in Appalachian rifles... to the extent possible to be knowledgeable. Your rifle could be said to be from North Carolina based on its strongly hooked rear trigger and general stock architecture, but it could just as easily be attributed to southeastern Kentucky based on its lozenge-shaped tang with two screws and its front trigger with a tab behind it. Tennessee is the only state I'd be hesitant to attribute this rifle to, but then, it's hard to really know with these "universal" type Appalachian rifles.
At times, it's better to accept a wider attribution, i.e., an Appalachian Mountain rifle, rather than seek a more specific attribution that is more someone's personal opinion than actual fact.
Shelby Gallien
