Tell me more! I was given this today

[Gary Morgan]

Just US Springfield Armory.

You could always try contacting the Springfield Armory and asking if they know anything (It's currently a National Historic Site in Massachusetts). It's in kind of a sketchy neighborhood (I used to teach at the high school across the street), but if you want to do a road trip there, I'm game.

 

[Story]

That's rather interesting. It seems a rather large mechanism on the breech end for a muzzle loader. Wonder if the plunger looking device is a breech lock? It looks like the mechanism should swing open to the right. Perhaps it's rusted shut.

View attachment 441104

What looks like a plunger to you is *most likely* the firing pin.
The hammer (probably made for a drum-conversion) is flat (not curved inwards) so it'll never come in contact - and therefore, it's incapable of firing as-is.
@NH Civil War Gal - the thumbpiece on the left is how you open it.
Pull the hammer back to half-cock (if it holds), then rotate (as per the red arrow) from left to right.

Here's what an unmolested French one looks like https://www.militaryrifles.com/france/tabatiere

 

[Story]

Addendum - the French conversions seem to be all brass, while the Belgians used an iron action (google "Belgian Zulu shotgun" to see what I mean). Think of these conversions as the European version of the Springfield Trapdoors (just not as good, they were chambered for some pretty lame cartridges).

So technically, your friend is kinda-sort correct in that these were post-war conversions of pre-war weapons (and the French percussion rifles *did* make it over here). So nod and thank him.

Looks like the (possibly Springfield Trapdoor) stock and lock could be salvaged.

 

[M.V. Bridges]

What looks like a plunger to you is *most likely* the firing pin.
The hammer (probably made for a drum-conversion) is flat (not curved inwards) so it'll never come in contact - and therefore, it's incapable of firing as-is.
@NH Civil War Gal - the thumbpiece on the left is how you open it.
Pull the hammer back to half-cock (if it holds), then rotate (as per the red arrow) from left to right.

Here's what an unmolested French one looks like https://www.militaryrifles.com/france/tabatiere

I kinda figured it might be a firing pin, but as the hammer is obviously not aligned to it I thought it just might have been a sort of breech lock, especially if it was designed to use a rim fired cartridge. Not being able to handle it to see makes it a bit problematic absent any in depth experience in musket conversions. But you have solved her puzzle, Bravo!

 

[Stone in the wall]

This has been my year for artifacts! I'll say that! I can't believe this either!

It's always been said "The best things in life are free." Such a great mystery rifle and conversation piece to hang above your fire place.

 

[Stone in the wall]

Did Springfield make lock plates with no date stamps? Was the Eagle always stamped?

 

[Cornpone and Molasses]

That's rather interesting. It seems a rather large mechanism on the breech end for a muzzle loader. Wonder if the plunger looking device is a breech lock? It looks like the mechanism should swing open to the right. Perhaps it's rusted shut.

View attachment 441104

Yeah I was thinking the same. Possibly the plunger knob twists to open the breech and it's perhaps frozen?

 

[NH Civil War Gal]

I had time again to play with this and take more pictures.

I cannot get this hinge to budge at all.

If I press up on this to try to get it to open, the whole works tries to lift off the stock.

 

[bobinwmass]

You could always try contacting the Springfield Armory and asking if they know anything (It's currently a National Historic Site in Massachusetts). It's in kind of a sketchy neighborhood (I used to teach at the high school across the street), but if you want to do a road trip there, I'm game.

I used to live across the river from Springfield and visited the Armory many times. Cool place to visit. I now live about 20 miles away but if any members on the area want to meet there, I'd be willing to join. I think it would rather nice for local members to get together once in a while.

 

[M.V. Bridges]

I had time again to play with this and take more pictures.

I cannot get this hinge to budge at all.

View attachment 441271

View attachment 441272

View attachment 441273

If I press up on this to try to get it to open, the whole works tries to lift off the stock.

View attachment 441274

May be rusted shut. Hammer time?

I had time again to play with this and take more pictures.

I cannot get this hinge to budge at all.

View attachment 441271

View attachment 441272

View attachment 441273

If I press up on this to try to get it to open, the whole works tries to lift off the stock.

View attachment 441274

 

[NH Civil War Gal]

As a follow-up to my original post - I took the gun with me to Maryland this past week. I met up with @Stone in the wall and he took me to a gunsmith, who he trusted. This fellow took it all apart and we got the truth. The winner of all the comments goes to @JOHN42768. He hit the nail on the head. It is made of up various parts and needs a new firing pin to be built, etc.

It is American stock - walnut, he took the butt plate off to see if there was anything else to find behind it, but no. He opened the breech with a mallet and exclaimed that "people had done bad things to this a long time ago."

What I have is a late 1800s black powder shot gun and it would need to be entirely rebuilt to use soft brass black powder shot gun shells. Since I'm not going to shoot black powder (I have done it) with this, I have a wall hanger BUT the mystery has been solved!

It never did go through the Civil War, BUT one of the front plates probably did - the Springfield Amory 1861 plate.

 

[Stone in the wall]

Although it's not a civil war rifle, you have been blessed with what is most likely a vintage, one of a kind firearm.

 

[lupaglupa]

I'm just waiting for your next great find @NH Civil War Gal - any more barns to clean?