I have a type II M1855 Harpers Ferry rifle dated 1859. It's all iron, so late 1859 make...the shorter two band rifle. The gun is in great condition and all original except...the front barrrel band is troubling me. It is marked "S" while the rear one is the standard "U." I have never heard about or seen an "S"...has anyone else? The metal on the band does appear to be slightly different than all of the other on the gun, but certainly doesn't look like it was recently made.
Just as an aside for those that pay attention to this stuff, the gun has a rack mark stamped on it and it looks like a pronounced "T" is the wood of the base of the patch box on the inside. Thanks for any help you can give me!