Navy Arms Mule ear - Barrel ID?

[Griz44Mag]

On a whim and because it was really cheap, and because I did not have one, I bought a mule ear carbine. The seller said it was a Navy Arms, the lock is stamped as such also. But no labeling on the barrel indicates as such.
The barrel is stamped 45 cal, but when I got it I could not get anything larger than a 40 cal jag down it. It was full of - well - manure.....
After soaks and progressively brushing I got all of the manure out of the barrel.
Surprisingly, the bore is in pretty decent condition, a lot better than the outside of the barrel. Off to the range, it shoots decent groups at 50 yards, but about 2 feet low.
Someone had glued a Thompson sight onto the barrel and it was WAY too tall.
Back home, a little torch heating and the offending sight fell off in the floor.
I am now waiting for a new Marbles Bullseye to arrive.
BUT - my question, the barrel appears to be stamped "Pedersoli" and made in ITALY. The stamp is partially obliterated and does not seem to have a date code. Could this be a replacement barrel? What is actually stamped on a real Navy Arms Barrel? Any help from the GURUS here?

I took the best picture I could with my phone. Any help here?
It is a perfect size for my soon to be range partner (Grandaughter #1) so I am getting it ready for her. It is short and very light.

 

[hawkeye2]

Navy Arms never built a muzzleloader so they had to have been made for them somewhere. Italy? Pedersoli? NA usually managed to get their name on the barrel sometimes to the exclusion of the manufacturer's. The inleting of the tang and breech area doesn't look like the barrel came on the gun though.

 

[Griz44Mag]

Navy Arms never built a muzzleloader so they had to have been made for them somewhere. Italy? Pedersoli? NA usually managed to get their name on the barrel sometimes to the exclusion of the manufacturer's. The inleting of the tang and breech area doesn't look like the barrel came on the gun though.

I have seen 4 or 5 of these for sale and every one of them had the tang deep like this. It seems to be needed to align the nipple, but the wood could have been rasped down to meet it. They are an ugly thing, maybe that's why I like it...??

 

[dd832]

I don't think your Navy Arms mule ear has a replaced barrel Griz. I have collected photos of the Navy Arms Country Boy mule ear for several years and I just looked through the photos & have found at least 2 different Navy Arms M.E. without markings on the top barrel flat. Most of the photos have "Navy Arms Co. Inc. Ridgefield N.J." stamped on them. Here's the 2 that don't show those markings -

Note the difference in the tang inletting also. I know that the Navy Arms mule ear was sold as a kit also, so maybe on the bottom mule ear somebody cleaned up the factory inletting. Here's a tag off an original shipping box that shows all the calibers and kit or finished options -

I also see that your mule ear has a lot of extra wood at the tang and at the barrel channel, where the wood is too high especially along the barrel channel. Looking through my photos it seems this is pretty standard. Normally the wood of the barrel channel should come up to the center of the side flat of the barrel or below the center of the flat. Some of the Navy Arms mule ears show barrel channel wood almost to the top of the side barrel flat.

Looks like you got a nice mule ear in the process anyway. Mike

 

[Griz44Mag]

DD832 -
Thank you for the information!
She's a little rough looking on the barrel but whatever the barrel was gunked up with all those years being stored, it protected the bore very nicely.
It functions perfectly and the lock is strong. It slams the caps with authority!
The stock is in very good condition except for a tail split in the heel. It will be an easy fix though, inject some glue and clamp it and you won't even be able to see it anymore.
I may just make it a refinish project for us and remove the extra wood and give it a fresh finish job. I will leave that up to her.

 

[Grenadier1758]

I took a look at my Navy Arms Mule Ear. It was a kit, so I was sort of able to overcome the sloppy factory inletting especially at the tang

.
The only markings are the Navy Arms address on the lock and the serial number and the caliber stamped on the barrel. I purchased the kit NIB in about 1980.

 

[Bad Karma]

On a whim and because it was really cheap, and because I did not have one, I bought a mule ear carbine. The seller said it was a Navy Arms, the lock is stamped as such also. But no labeling on the barrel indicates as such.
The barrel is stamped 45 cal, but when I got it I could not get anything larger than a 40 cal jag down it. It was full of - well - manure.....
After soaks and progressively brushing I got all of the manure out of the barrel.
Surprisingly, the bore is in pretty decent condition, a lot better than the outside of the barrel. Off to the range, it shoots decent groups at 50 yards, but about 2 feet low.
Someone had glued a Thompson sight onto the barrel and it was WAY too tall.
Back home, a little torch heating and the offending sight fell off in the floor.
I am now waiting for a new Marbles Bullseye to arrive.
BUT - my question, the barrel appears to be stamped "Pedersoli" and made in ITALY. The stamp is partially obliterated and does not seem to have a date code. Could this be a replacement barrel? What is actually stamped on a real Navy Arms Barrel? Any help from the GURUS here?

I took the best picture I could with my phone. Any help here?
It is a perfect size for my soon to be range partner (Grandaughter #1) so I am getting it ready for her. It is short and very light.
View attachment 20678

They were made by Pedersoli for Navy Arms. I believe Pedersoli still makes a similar rifle with the exception that it uses a conventional percussion lock. The Country boy is what they called it, if I recall correctly. Great little rifles for what they were.

 

[Bad Karma]

DD832 -
Thank you for the information!
She's a little rough looking on the barrel but whatever the barrel was gunked up with all those years being stored, it protected the bore very nicely.
It functions perfectly and the lock is strong. It slams the caps with authority!
The stock is in very good condition except for a tail split in the heel. It will be an easy fix though, inject some glue and clamp it and you won't even be able to see it anymore.
I may just make it a refinish project for us and remove the extra wood and give it a fresh finish job. I will leave that up to her.

I always thought the extra wood left where it was would deflect sparks and or debris from the cap upon ignition so I left it alone.

 

[Griz44Mag]

They were made by Pedersoli for Navy Arms. I believe Pedersoli still makes a similar rifle with the exception that it uses a conventional percussion lock. The Country boy is what they called it, if I recall correctly. Great little rifles for what they were.

Thank you for that information, I was a little perplexed with the Pedersoli label on the barrel. All the other pictures I have found and those on this thread show a different stamping than the lock on mine. So I guess that makes mine an earlier model since it has the Pedersoli stamp? I also do not show the address on the lock.

 

[Bad Karma]

Mine was a Navy Arms import and as far as I recall had no other markings. I know Pedersoli imported them separately from Navy Arms at one point. Just can’t remember when.

They still make a very similar rifle in a percussion or flint sidelock version.

https://www.davide-pedersoli.com/sc...ry-hunter-country-hunter-flintlock-model.html

 

[Dray Calhoun]

Sadly, the Mule Ear has a checkered history. I bought mine in ‘86 NIB for $75. They had a rash of production problems. Stock pin drilled through the bore, bent barrels, lousy hardening in the locks. Mine was one of the very good ones. But, the sear was brittle and the sear tip broke. I recut the sear and re-hardened it. I still have it and it is an absolute tack driver out to 50 yards. It’s a .36. I’ve used .358 HBWC as a minìe and gotten one hole groups at 50 yards. It’s taken many squirrels and rabbits. Still, about the only gun I have that’s uglier is my H&A underhammer. I shouldn’t say ugly, more like just odd.

 

[Bad Karma]

On a whim and because it was really cheap, and because I did not have one, I bought a mule ear carbine. The seller said it was a Navy Arms, the lock is stamped as such also. But no labeling on the barrel indicates as such.
The barrel is stamped 45 cal, but when I got it I could not get anything larger than a 40 cal jag down it. It was full of - well - manure.....
After soaks and progressively brushing I got all of the manure out of the barrel.
Surprisingly, the bore is in pretty decent condition, a lot better than the outside of the barrel. Off to the range, it shoots decent groups at 50 yards, but about 2 feet low.
Someone had glued a Thompson sight onto the barrel and it was WAY too tall.
Back home, a little torch heating and the offending sight fell off in the floor.
I am now waiting for a new Marbles Bullseye to arrive.
BUT - my question, the barrel appears to be stamped "Pedersoli" and made in ITALY. The stamp is partially obliterated and does not seem to have a date code. Could this be a replacement barrel? What is actually stamped on a real Navy Arms Barrel? Any help from the GURUS here?

I took the best picture I could with my phone. Any help here?
It is a perfect size for my soon to be range partner (Grandaughter #1) so I am getting it ready for her. It is short and very light.
View attachment 20678

I pulled up an old picture of some of the kids shooting those, a 45 and a 36. Both were marked Navy Arms and I bought the 45 from Navy Arms directly. They were made by Pedersoli and both had really nice wood.

 

[Bad Karma]

I don’t have any closeups of the rifles. So i I don’t know if they were marked Navy Arms or pedersoli or both!

I need to take a scan of one of the pictures. In it Josh is holding up his left ring finger which was caught under the side hammer as he was firing at a clay target. … a minor injury but a good reminder to watch them very closely. When the kids are shooting the adults need to focus only on them.

 

[Dray Calhoun]

Not trying to be a smart aleck, but you might have wanted to put a comma after “kids shooting”, I had to do a double take! LOL

 

[Bad Karma]

Not trying to be a smart aleck, but you might have wanted to put a comma after “kids shooting”, I had to do a double take! LOL

Well yes, if the kids are shooting the adults it would be wise to pay attention!

 

[Dray Calhoun]

I was just checking mine. 3 digit sn but no other markings on the barrel except for the caliber. The lock is just marked “Navy Arms etc.” no proof marks, nada. I seem to remember reading there was a run with USA made barrels, but don’t quote me on that, it was 35+ years ago.

 

[JCKelly]

35 years ago is about when Douglas stopped making their well-machined, accurate muzzle loading barrels.
D'ja ever wonder why?

 

[Rod Man]

Just Curious, what's a Navy Arms Mule Ear that's in fair shape worth now days? I might know where one is residing.

RM

 

[Pete G]

35 years ago is about when Douglas stopped making their well-machined, accurate muzzle loading barrels.
D'ja ever wonder why?

Lawyers

 

[Arrow139]

I was just checking mine. 3 digit sn but no other markings on the barrel except for the caliber. The lock is just marked “Navy Arms etc.” no proof marks, nada. I seem to remember reading there was a run with USA made barrels, but don’t quote me on that, it was 35+ years ago.

This sounds a lot like mine. I have a very low 4 digit serial number, with the first two digits "01xx". Mine is .36, with the deeply inlet barrel tang and trigger plate, high walnut wood sides on the barrel. I have assumed this is a kit built, as no name on the barrel, just the serial number and caliber marking. Lock is marked Navy Arms with their USA address. No import marking. Mine is a half-stock with pewter fore-end cap, and a crescent brass buttplate with top tang. Trigger is hung through a simple pin through the stock. Ramrod thimble in on a full-length under-barrel rib.