unknowen smoothbore need help please

[Ike Godsey]

Howdy!!


My brother stopped by yesterday afternoon, and with the words „Merry Christmas!“ handling me a huge carbonbox. I opened the box and a gun came up. LOOOONNGG one too.
Pretty beat up stock in the muzzle section – Perkussion lock.

As we had tea, we talked abut this gun and he send me some pics, he took earlier this year and still had on his cell.

Here is my thinking: The lock is converted to percussion, cause of its „banana shape“.
The wide buttplate tells me it might be around 1750??
The gun is abot 1.5 meters long.
Smoothbore around 16mm diameter.

I do not have any other information on the gun, so I think I better ask a specialist, thats the reason I show it to you.
I really hope the specialts here on the board could tell me somsthing about it, maybe by looking at ist archtecture etc.?
Could you guys put eastimated date on it?

I know ist hard with those rather poor pics, but still….

I would be glad if you could help

 

[Feltwad]

Continental most likely German so it has not travelled far , converted from flint too percussion using the drum and nipple principle , the date is about right , check for proof marks most likely Belgium
Feltwad

 

[Rudyard]

Continental. German perhaps . A fowling piece the half stock may be a modification in its life like the conversion to percussion .The mounts appear sand blasted ? of rather overall gray look from the photo , any names or town ?. lock style is early 18th c put to cap 1820 or so .( Make sure its not loaded in case it is) . Does look a 'Sleeper' best way to find them , trust this helps.
Rudyard
P S it is a side plug but not a drum as such , normal Continental method I see Felt Wad beat me to the reply but he's right Ime sure we agree .He knows his fowling pieces R

 

[ppg1949]

Wonderful firearm. I guess most of us have an affinity for those old originals. BTW, I knew an Ike Godsey. He owned the general store on Walton’s Mountain near Rockfish, West Virginia back in the 30’s & 40’s. But I doubt you are related, lol. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

OK well I don't like the "look" of the steel on the lock. The rather uniform dull gray makes it seem that it may have been immersed in a rust removal solution. Well that doesn't change it's provenance..., just maybe value.

The lock is not converted. That raised portion beneath the snail is not the remnant of the pan.
There are no holes filled or otherwise that I can see that show where the screw for the frizzen nor for the frizzen spring were held, as well as the lever pin for the frizzen spring. I DO see the hole where the lever pin from the main spring rests, and the hole for the forward lock bolt.
A closeup of the lock may change my mind, as due to the uniform color of the lock plate, those holes might be there and very well filled. IF it is a conversion from flint then the lock was swapped out to, and very well done.

Not sure if it's Germanic, or French. The French were very enamored with all steel furniture.

LD