April 11-13, 2023 Firearms and Militaria
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/12/2023
Rifles of similar form have been dated to the mid-16th century. Lock is hallmarked, but does not correspond to any touchmarks in Stockel nor any other this cataloguer has been able to locate. Octagonal barrel with deeply cut 7-groove rifling and several touchmarks at breech, including stylized M, N, and a starburst. Beaded muzzle, blade front sight, V notch rear sight with sunshade. Plain wheellock with "M/W" proof in a lozenge, with light decoration on frizzen spring. Sidebolts are decorated with insert stag escutcheons. Full length stock with simple line carving about the forearm ends with a stag nosecap, and is decorated with further pieces of stag on the cheekpiece, accentuated by light carving. Simple but effective thumpiece made of stag on right side of stock. Sliding patchbox cover with stag tip, compartment vacant. Iron furniture comprises swept trigger guard, plain trigger, and buttplate with indexing knob. Ramrod is frozen in channel, retained by a single ferrule and feeding into an unreinforced mouth. CONDITION: Metal is essentially a smooth chocolate patina throughout, with some flashes of dove grey throughout. Stock has marks throughout from handling and use, some deeper than others. One crack from fore of lock to front of trigger guard, probably from spring kicking. Bore has sharp rifling; no spanner to test mechanism. A good example.