is it southern ? w/pics

[jim m]

found this today in an antique store. no barrel just the stock. furniture is brass, double lever set triggers, barrel channel is 1" at breech,13/16 at waist and 7/8" toward muzzle. the stock has been cut off about a foot in front of entry thimble. width of forestock is 1" and butt is 1 1/8" wide. LOP is 13".  R.R channel is 5/16". a very slim rifle. oh yes the drop at heel is approximately 2 3/4"

[T.C.Albert]

It looks to me like it well could be...single lock bolt..oddish lock bolt washer...grease hole...odd wrist and comb...all look like southern traits...pointed tail lock, pinned trigger guard and standard cast brasses, not so much, but could be if assembled by a southern schooled maker from hardware type parts late in the game? 

Just my unqualified opinion...and Im no expert for sure...
T.Albert

[b bogart]

Don't have any idea, but I'll bet there's been several pounds of powder burned in that one!
Bruce

[woodsrunner]

Yes! Southern without any question! Wait 'till Dennis Glazener sees this! I have a suspicion that it may be a Gillespie based on several things. The buttplate is a little off, though. Oh well....I've eaten crow before

[mbriggs]

Please add a photograph of the barrel tang channel. It might well be from North Carolina. The barrel tang tells us a lot around here.

Michael

[Robert Wolfe]

Does it look to anyone else like this gun used to have a smaller side plate of the same shape? You can see the lines of something inside the inlet in the fourth picture. Perhaps the the larger side plate was put on when the lock nail hole was wallered out to accommodate a replacement lock.

[jim m]

Robert, yes there is an impression of a smaller side plate inside the bigger one. exactly the same shape just about 25% smaller. here is a pic of the tang area. on the butt plate on top at the foreward end there are two small grooves, and the top is faceted with 3 flats.

[jim m]

another thing that impressed me about this rifle is the fact that it is so dainty. just barely 1 1/8" wide at the butt. oh yes there is evidence it had at least 2 barrels as there are mutiple pin and lug locations.

[rich pierce]

It's a tough stock that outlasts a couple of barrels and locks!

[G-Man]

To me, it looks liek maybe southwestern Virginia or what is now West Virginia.  Not much to go on, just a gut feel based on the comb and guard shape. 

Guy

[Dennis Glazener]

Yes! Southern without any question! Wait 'till Dennis Glazener sees this! I have a suspicion that it may be a Gillespie based on several things. The buttplate is a little off, though. Oh well....I've eaten crow before Grin
   

Rich, I agree that its southern and like Michael Briggs said, it may well be NC.

Note the short fat wrist. I may be wrong but I think it was a flintlock. The 2 3/4" drop (fairly straight for a mountain rifle) is about the same as my Mathew Gillespie rifle and others that I have handled. The triggers don't look like Gillespie's but the pointed tang does. Some of the Gillespie's used diamond shaped side plates. I have seen one or two of their trigger guards similiar to that one. I would not be surprised if it was an unsigned Gillespie's made in the East Fork area but probably no way to ever know.

Can you tell if the trigger plate is pointed on the back end?

Dennis

[jim m]

trigger plate is square on back end and made of brass. the spring for the front trigger is u shaped and extends to and held down by the main spring. the pin that holds the set trigger also helps hold the spring for the front trigger in place. the set triggers still work but seem a little week, ah but so would we after a 150+ years.

[Rick Sheets]

I have a 15/16 straight, 36 inch barrel with the single-hole tapered tang of the same vintage as your stock. Let me know by private email if you need it.
Rick

[gibster]

Jim - I tend to agree that it may be North Carolina.  The bow of the guard is almost a teardrop shape (lots of slope from the front of the bow going back).  I have an Elias Albright from Alamance County that has a very similar shape to the bow.  I have also seen other Carolina rifles that have similar bows.   I doubt that this is strictly a Carolina trait, but there seems to be quite a few rifles that have this style bow on the guard.  Thoughts?
Gibster