New to me

[Hinben54]

Hello all,

I recently acquired this piece for some research I did and have very little information on it. From what I was able to determine it looks like it was converted to percussion from flint and has a B. Homer lock. It has similarities to a Bess although when looking closer it seems very crude, especially the cast trigger guard. It has some age to it but I don’t know enough to tell how much or if any part is genuinely old.

The barrel has been cut down to 32.5”, is approximately .667 for bore size, and does not have a front sight nor a bayonet lug. The side plate is missing but is in the shape of an early Brown Bess. I cannot confirm if the Bess sideplate fits within the inlet area. The ramrod appears crude although it may be from years of abuse and possible repair? The buttplate looks similar to a long land Bess although I know little about them and the intricacies of the patterns.

Any help would be greatly appreciated as I am always wanting to learn. I do have some more pictures if more information is needed. Thank you for any information you can provide

Ben

[EGG17601]

B Homer lock makes me think maybe New England or Upstate NY.
Overall shape doesn't look at all Bess-like to me.

[rich pierce]

My first guess would a New England militia gun between 1790 and 1810. Hopefully others will chime in.

[smart dog]

Hi,
I think Rich's guess is right on.  The barrel may be from some privately made British carbine (not a Bess)  and the mounts and stock made in America.  The proof marks look to be London Gunmaker's Guild  not Tower. Perhaps Joe Puleo will chime in.

dave

[WKevinD]

My thoughts are that the barrel had been in another stock earlier in it's life based on the groove for the front lock nail. I also think the buttplate is a replacement as there appears to be wood repairs (well done) at the finial..
Rich had discussed building "a parts gun" which I believe this is. I agree with the feeling that this is a New England militia type build.

Kevin

[JV Puleo]

I agree with the NE militia musket thesis although I suspect it's on the early side, sometime between 1792 (when the first militia act was passed) and maybe 1800. I say that because it clearly used some parts from an earlier British musket (the trigger guard and side plate). According to Bailey & Nye, Baker Homer was a Staffordshire lockmaker. The date they give is 1792 but we can presume that is simply a reflection of a single directory listing. For the lock to be any earlier it would have to pre-date 1774 when arms shipments to America were embargoed. The embargo was not lifted until 1792 so I feel that a 1792 (or thereabout) is very reasonable.

Those "B Homer" locks were the subject of a lot of controversy about 30 years ago. There is an article on Homer in Man at Arms by the late Chuck Darling. I don't remember the issue but if you contact the MAA office and ask for "In search of B Homer" by Chuck Darling they can find either the article or a back issue.

[Hinben54]

Thank you all for the information. When I was attempting to research this I saw there was a Benjamin Homer listed as a gunmaker in Massachusetts from 1775-1806. Could this possibly be a lock of his or maybe a piece he could have assembled utilizing the pieces he had available at the time?  It’s really neat that this item could have this much of a story behind it. Thank you again!!

Ben

[EGG17601]

I of controversy about 30 years ago. There is an article on Homer in Man at Arms by the late Chuck Darling. I don't remember the issue but if you contact the MAA office and ask for "In search of B Homer" by Chuck Darling they can find either the article or a back issue.

This appears to be a follow-up piece to the one you are referring to:

chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://jamesdjulia.com/wp-content/uploads/images/auctions/369/prov/51999.PDF

If the Chrome extension doesn't work, you can Google "B Homer lock article." One of the results should be for James Julia titled May 02, 2014.