Also you may run a damp patch on a cleaning jag. You should hear air rush out the nipple. There should be no feel of compressed air as you run the patched jag to the breech.
If it were mine I would give it to my mother-in-law to test fire. What ever the outcome, I win!
No idea, these are the only markings.What caliber is it?
If you have a tape measure, ruler or something similar you can measure the distance from the smallest flat (curved?) area to the one on the opposite side. It looks like there are 6 rifling grooves so measuring the distance should be fairly easy.
If the distance is close to being 3/8 of an inch the bore is probably a .36 caliber. If it is close to 7/16 of an inch it is probably a .45. If it is 1/2 inch it is a .50 caliber.
Let us know what you find.
As a side note, my book on American firearms makers says,
"Stevens, A.C. 1855-1873, Made percussion match and target rifles at Hudson, New York." Not much new information for you except maybe the date period the gun was probably made.
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