Kentucky long rifle half stock?

[jrbaker90]

I was on armslist today looking at flintlocks and I saw a ky long rifle with a half stock say around the rev war or would it been later I'm just curious I never study half stock rifles I always liked the full stock but this one caught my eye because it had a half stock and a long barrel it looked good I jus don't know if it was historical accurate or not thanks

 

[Crawdad1]

An American built rifle that old with a half-stock? Hmmm, not the Revolutionary War Era, more likely up and around 1800 or later. Now a European built rifle, yes, but not an American. Not that old, I would bet against it.

 

[StrawHat]

Quite possibly it started as a full stocked rifle and the forend was damaged.

If you can provide a link, it will be easier to gauge a response.

By and large, half stock rifles are common to the late percussion period, 1840 and onward, although there are a few half stocked flintlocks from earlier times. The Harpers Ferry Model 1803 comes to mind.

 

[jrbaker90]

To me its looks wrong all over what throws me is he said it was converted to percussion

 

[4v50 Gary]

I'm of the opinion that half stocked rifles did not become popular until after the 1803 Harper's Ferry Rifle.

With the poured pewter nose, I'm inclined to think that the gun depicted was built with a half-stock. Need closeup of the lock. From that small image, it looks like it was originally a cap gun.

 

[Patocazador]

Back then guns were made by individuals who could make them any way they chose. It's possible but highly unlikely one would choose to be that different. It would have been like driving an Edsel. Your neighbors would laugh at you.

 

[Jim Watson]

It looks like a regular half stock percussion hunting rifle to me. Any time from the introduction of the percussion cap until well after the Civil War, although an expert with a look at the gun or better pictures could probably tie it down to a decade.

The picture is not good enough for me to tell whether the lock was converted from flint.

 

[jrbaker90]

Here another one sorry about the pic size I copied it for the ad he guy said it was a squire lock but it would have have a different lock then a flintlock I think its been pieced together I'm not looking to buy at all he wants 2000 which is outrageous in opinion only reason I was looking at it is because I am looking to build one and was just getting ides thanks

 

[Jim Watson]

Squire was a New York lockmaker furnishing parts to the trade. I found mention of a Squire & Co lock on a P&S Remington muzzleloader, a partnership said to have lasted only one year as Philo Remington moved on to take Ephaliet's place at Remington Arms in 1861.
There is no sign of conversion from flint to percussion.
The underrib and foreend tip argue against it having been cut down from full stock.

The seller's language is sloppy, to call something a "American Revolution Musket Kentucky Rifle Antique Percussion Flintlock Civil War Revolutionary" is mashing together maybe half a dozen different categories. Few if any of which apply. I guess it could have gone to the Civil War, but would have been a handicap to the user because it did not take standard Minie balls or a bayonet.

Worn, broken, and $2000?
No.
Style a reproduction after? Sure.

 

[Palehorseman]

To me, that looks too much like a plains rifle.

 

[Iggy]

Looks to me like what some refer to as a southern mountain rifle or poor boy.

 

[StrawHat]

With the hint of perch belly in the butt, I was going to suggest an Ohio rifle.

 

[Texas Moon]

There's an original half-stocked flint fowler in the Fort Bend County Museum in Richmond, TX.
It's a very elegant looking piece that supposedly was used by an early settler(circa 1810-20 era).
Light weight and I'd guess about 20 bore.
So they were around.