Old Flintlock Rifle Parts Found

[TarponStalker]

First of all. I’m sorry for the quality of these photos. These parts are inside a shadow box that was built for me so I’d have to take it apart to get better pics. I’ve been wanting to send these for some time. Hopefully I haven’t done it already years ago and forgot. HaHa.

My grandfather found the remains if this rifle while working in a swamp. It appears to be loaded and cocked. (Who knows). Maybe he was reloading when he fell. He also found a partial skull near the gun.
This was in the early 50s. The thoughts were it may have part of the Seminole wars even though they had started using percussion guns by the 1830s.
The barrel is very rusty. Has the flash hole and tang. Looks like a smooth bore.
I’ve tried to figure out what type of gun it is. The lock looks a bit like a Charleville musket with the hole in the hammer and sling swivel in front of the trigger guard.
I love that the flint is still intact in the jaws.
He tried many years ago to donate it to the state but they weren’t interested I guess. I still have his letters to them and a newspaper article about his find. Again this was 75 years ago.
I just thought y’all would find this interesting. We can only imagine what happened to the owner whether it be Seminole or white man.
Does anyone have any ideas on this gun?
Again I’m sorry about the photo quality.

 

[BoomStick]

1840 Springfield? Brass pan, sling mount in trigger guard...
https://emuseum.nyhistory.org/objec...t;jsessionid=27A485AD5F7E65DD9222284D64494FC8or maybe 1816/1822...
https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_414608

 

[TarponStalker]

1840 Springfield? Brass pan, sling mount in trigger guard...
https://emuseum.nyhistory.org/objec...t;jsessionid=27A485AD5F7E65DD9222284D64494FC8or maybe 1816/1822...
https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_414608

I didn’t notice the brass pan until you mentioned it.
I looked at the link you sent. There’s also an 1816 Springfield that looks similar

 

[64Springer]

That'll buff right out.

 

[Dusty_Traveler]

That's dang cool!

 

[2 shots]

very cool find but...wheres the skull piece?

 

[Sam squanch]

Cool! A co - workers father was on a road crew in Mississippi in the 1950’s. They were widening a road. The bulldozer unearthed an iron cauldron of pistols and revolvers. All he could say is they were very old, as the county supervisor snatched them all up as fast as he could…..

 

[Edm]

Very cool. Help us solve a question... is the flint glued to the leather?

 

[64Springer]

Very cool. Help us solve a question... is the flint glued to the leather?

Looks like someone left their browning solution on longer than recommended.

 

[TarponStalker]

Very cool. Help us solve a question... is the flint glued to the leather?

Nope. It’s lead. Lol. Joking of course. whatever he did he did it well. It’s stayed in there for a day or two.

 

[TarponStalker]

very cool find but...wheres the skull piece?

I don’t know. I assume the skull is still in the swamp. I wish I was old enough to have asked questions from my grandfather. I missed out on a lot of history. It’s gone now.

 

[TarponStalker]

The owner must not have been a member on here. Look how dull his flint is.

 

[ColonialRifleSmith]

First of all. I’m sorry for the quality of these photos. These parts are inside a shadow box that was built for me so I’d have to take it apart to get better pics. I’ve been wanting to send these for some time. Hopefully I haven’t done it already years ago and forgot. HaHa.

My grandfather found the remains if this rifle while working in a swamp. It appears to be loaded and cocked. (Who knows). Maybe he was reloading when he fell. He also found a partial skull near the gun.
This was in the early 50s. The thoughts were it may have part of the Seminole wars even though they had started using percussion guns by the 1830s.
The barrel is very rusty. Has the flash hole and tang. Looks like a smooth bore.
I’ve tried to figure out what type of gun it is. The lock looks a bit like a Charleville musket with the hole in the hammer and sling swivel in front of the trigger guard.
I love that the flint is still intact in the jaws.
He tried many years ago to donate it to the state but they weren’t interested I guess. I still have his letters to them and a newspaper article about his find. Again this was 75 years ago.
I just thought y’all would find this interesting. We can only imagine what happened to the owner whether it be Seminole or white man.
Does anyone have any ideas on this gun?
Again I’m sorry about the photo quality.

This has to be one of the most awesome stories I've ever heard. I would say it's a Charleville Musket. Shame you don't have the skull piece. It could be DNA tested for ethnicity. Semper Fi.

 

[Varga]

That's awesome. I would make a mounted display for it. Too cool to not let folks see it.

 

[Tenring]

The lock looks early Harpers ferry almost military style doesn’t it. But i am sure I’m wrong there are a lot of experienced guys here that know there onions for sure.

 

[2 shots]

not french with that trigger guard. with that brass pan i would say model 1816.

 

[Notchy Bob]

What a great find! Thanks for sharing!

Can you say approximately where the swamp was, or at least what part of the state? It may be possible to correlate the location with a documented battle or skirmish.

The Seminole Wars Foundation might be interested in what you have there.

Notchy Bob

 

[Sam squanch]

Hard to say WHO it was, or how long they were there. May have died in combat in the Seminole wars, or died from a snake bite out hunting in 1890.

 

[TDM]

Awesome piece of history.

 

[BCWILL]

That’s really cool