Help Request Tennessee Mountain Rifle

[Jim70]

I have my great grandfather's rifle that I believe is a TN Mountain Rifle (or TN Poor Boy Rifle) but it has no markings and I was hoping to find a source for info.

He resided in Cambell County, East Tennessee.

It has a hexagon barrel and I believe is a .50 cal.

Any help on a source for gaining info would be most appreciated.

[rich pierce]

That has an octagon barrrel. Without a signature it’s going to be hard to place more specifically. Can you show us the buttstock on the cheekpiece side?

[bluenoser]

The three upper thimbles might be a clue.  Better pics would help.

[Cades Cove Fiddler]

  .. greetings, and welcome aboard, Jim,...!!! ... you are most fortunate to inherit your old family heirloom... so many of these old guns we love have lost their provenance... Campbell Co. being on the TN-KY border, this rifle has generic traits of border areas... appears to be all iron mounted, and black walnut stocked... please add close-up photos of the triggers, trigger-guard, buttplate, barrel tang, ramrod entry pipe, side-plate, lock area, cheek-rest, toe-plate, and nosecap...these can help in determining area made... if you are still located in Campbell Co., you must bring it to the Knoxville show next spring,..!!! .. also give some specs... barrel length, over all length, etc.,... regards,... Cades Cove Fiddler.....   

[AZshot]

I agree, and think it's an Appalachian mountains rifle too.  I'm also am impressed by it's condition.  Many eventually found their way into a barn, or into the hands of kids playing Daniel Boone, and are deteriorated.  Yours is in very good condition for it's age.  The triggerguard may provide the best identification, but it may be hard to pin down.  No pun.

[Tanselman]

Along with all the other details that may help identify the gun, or at least its most likely origin, the tang is an important detail on many of these mountain rifles, with a number of different styles used in different Appalachian areas  So, when you are getting all the other pictures of details on the rifle, please get a full/complete picture of the tang behind the breech end of the barrel.

Also, another easy question... is the nose cap out by the muzzle open on its outer end so some wood shows between the bottom of the barrel and the nose cap, or is it closed so no wood shows at all? This detail can also help us locate the gun better.

Neat rifle, and as mentioned above, it has survived in better shape than many backwoods Appalachian mountain guns. I'm a little jealous!

Shelby Gallien

[Jim70]

Thanks for all the info, everyone.
I'll get photos and specs together this evening and post tomorrow.

Thanks again.

[Jim70]

I started to take detailed photos of my rifle to discover I had loaned my digital camera out.
I'll be picking it up this weekend.

I did find what may possibly be a "mark" on this rifle, but I may also be looking at a blemish.  (As I said, my knowledge of antique guns is absolute zero).

I circled what may be a "mark or brand" in orange and took a couple of quick pics on my phone which, unfortunately has a terrible camera.

I will post better pics soon.

[bama]

Thant's a great family rifle. It is in exceptionaly good and from what I can see original condition. Please do not clean the wood or the barrel, maybe wipe it donw with a lighly oiled rag. Please do check to see if it is loaded, many of the old family rifles were left loaded. If you do not know how to do this, let us know and we will walk you through the procedure.

This is a nicely built rifle by someone who had build more than one. The butt plate appears to be one piece which is a bit unusal for these Mountain rifles but not unheard of. The butt plate is nicely done, as it has curled edges along the stock from the heel of the butt plate to the toe of the stock. The butt plate is pinned to the toe plate which many of these rifles were. If you can give us a picture of the toe plate  and the bottom of the trigger guard that shows the front and rear extensions. A picture of how the nose cap is attached to the stock would also help also a shot of the side plate.

The lock is a typical hardware store lock and the marking that you are seeing is I believe a little bit of the stamped in engraving that was common on locks of this type.

Again, this is a very nice rifle in untouched condition, please preserve it as such. If you could bring to one of the shows I know everyone would like to get a first hand look at it.

Congratulation on a very nice family rifle, Jim

[Hlbly]

The open end of the nose cap  looks like a Kellar, probably William Kellar.