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Flintlock Rifle R&D help

TurnabuckTurnabuck Member Posts: 132 ✭✭✭
edited April 2008 in Ask the Experts
Hey guys,

I'm new to the forum but I have been reading it since 3 am today.

I have been collecting guns for a few years but not the right way.

I broker deals with general merchandise and one by one I have built a large pile of gun related items without doing any R&D on them.

Recently I decided to start thinning out items so I can focus on one area of collecting.

Anyway, I have this Flintlock Rifle, at first glance I assumed it was a reproduction because it was so clean. A few days ago I threw it on the block with a couple other pieces.

I ran it with no reserve, and started it at one cent. I started to get questions on the piece mostly due to me not taking good pictures but because of my lack of intrest in black powder guns I ran it anyway

Being customer oriented, I began searching out answers for my potential client.

That was 2 days ago! It feels like I looked at every single one made, at auction, completed at auction and resting in a museum. If you look at the ad you can see the lack of information.

Now I am a bit more informed, I learned a great deal about the production of them which is what I seek anyway.

The gun is about 55" in length

The Stock is very clean almost as if it had been refinished but if it was they did a fantastic job. (I pulled a summer at a antique refinishing business)

The screws are all old and look to be original except one.

Originally I thought it would not fire, turns out I needed a bit of a harder squeeze. The action is as smooth as to be excpected.

The ram rod looks consistant with the age and seats well.

The butt plate, in my opinion seems out of place meaning a bit oversized on one side.(which made me think maybe a trade gun)

There is no sight which differs, from the ones I have been looking at.
where it is usually at the end of the barrel. (that was a flag to me)

The barrel measures 48"
Aprox. 24" from the tip it changes from round to octagon.
As best I can tell it seems to be bored not rifled.

The watermarks are as follows
an S with a star over it which I think is the inspector

then an ELG with a star under that inside of an oval which I think is indicates Belgium. There is no crown above it.

Then there is what looks like a scrolled EL

Then there is 13.8 not sure maybe caliber.

Lastly, on the right side there is a faded image of an eagle.

Any help would be appreciated, it has been sold but I still would like to learn soom more on this piece.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=96646037

Thank you in advance.

Comments

  • Spider7115Spider7115 Member Posts: 29,704 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    It looks like a modern homemade piece using a Belgian barrel and various parts including a reproduction Civil War-type "tulip-head" ramrod. You may have gotten a bit more as a wall-hanger but that's about the only collectibility it has.
  • rufe-snowrufe-snow Member Posts: 18,650 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    It looks like it was put together from either older original parts, or modern off the shelf repo parts. Amateur kitchen table handiwork, by your photos.

    Per the auction price you sold it for, this was the assessment of the folks bidding on the auction also.

    When I was still doing the auctions, I found out that most any kind of firearm ( operable or not ) would sell if it was priced under $100.
  • allen griggsallen griggs Member Posts: 35,692 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Yes I would call that a certified $74 wall hanger.
    They didn't even inlet the sideplate, pretty shoddy workmanship.
  • TurnabuckTurnabuck Member Posts: 132 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Thanks for the opinions.
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