Civil War era Gun Stock FOUND

[Michigan Badger]

Here's an old muzzle loading gun stock I just picked up and plan to make it into something.

Question: What was it as for make, cal., etc. Anybody want to give it a try?

Measurements:

Piece is 26 inches long and begins to curl toward barrel.

Breach opening (part where hammer goes) 5 3/4 inches.

Trigger guard 7 1/2 inches.

What do you think?

Thanks,

M. Badger

 

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[SHERMANVILLE ILLINOIS]

MB,

how did you come by it?

Could it be a replica from a kit?

have a good un..........

 

[Michigan Badger]

I got it from a guy who found it hidden someplace down south. I don't think it's a repro. It looks like it was the victim of too much powder. I can see where it blew-up. At some time somebody put some puddy in the cracks. After the barrel split the hardware was stripped.

It's been stored away for years and I have no idea why they didn't just pitch it out. Maybe it had some special family meaning or history? We'll never know.

Anyway, I most likely will clean it up best I can without wrecking the aged patina. I may make it into a lamp for the hunting cabin.

 

[Monty]

There were several different types of rifles used by both sides during the Civil War. Without seeing a pic it would be very hard to give an opinion.I don't think it is possible to put too much powder in one of those rifles to blow it up. (I have seen tests run to determine if an overload could blow one up. Instead of blowing up, the unburned powder just was blown out of the barrel.). What often happened in the heat of battle is that the soldier would load a double charge and the obstruction of the second load would cause the gun to burst at the breech. I doesn't take much to blow up a gun with an obstructed barrel. Monty