Likely forend cap

[scratcher]

I have what I think is a forend cap for an early gun but I want some confirmation from everyone. I think it is lead- is this common? It appears handmade because it isn't perfectly symmetrical. As you can see it appears to have part of the ramrod still present. At first I didn't think the ramrod or infill was wood because it was so hard. Now that it is dried out a little I can dent it with my fingernail, but still seems extra hard for wood. Has anyone heard of this hardening happening for old wood found in water? It was submerged along the edge of a river. The wood was so hard that I couldn't scratch it with a small sharp edged rock that I picked up. The fact that the ramrod is still there (if that is what it is) is intriguing to me and makes me wonder if the rest of the gun is nearby. Does anyone else find that significant? Am I on the right track or is this something else?

 

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[truckinbutch]

I think you are right on track except for the metal id . Silver , german silver , and brass , as well as steel , were used as hardware . Lead could have been used as an emergency repair . I'd be looking for the rest of the rifle .

 

[scratcher]

I think you are right on track except for the metal id . Silver , german silver , and brass , as well as steel , were used as hardware . Lead could have been used as an emergency repair . I'd be looking for the rest of the rifle .

Thanks for the reply TButch, I'm glad you agree. I really think it is lead, though. The other thing that made me wonder if it might be something else, is I didn't think it was common for the ramrod to actually go through the cap. Does anyone know if it was commonly done that way on any specific gun type? Thanks

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

The other thing that made me wonder if it might be something else, is I didn't think it was common for the ramrod to actually go through the cap. Does anyone know if it was commonly done that way on any specific gun type? Thanks

I dont have my Mountain Rifle with me but my ramrod goes through the nosecap and its pewter or a lead based metal. . It looks like this. Ill try to find a better pic. Mine also has 2 screw holes in it. Maybe yours is home made.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Has anyone heard of this hardening happening for old wood found in water? It was submerged along the edge of a river. The wood was so hard that I couldn't scratch it with a small sharp edged rock that I picked up. The fact that the ramrod is still there (if that is what it is) is intriguing to me and makes me wonder if the rest of the gun is nearby. Does anyone else find that significant? Am I on the right track or is this something else?

Yes I have found rock hard wood underwater. The stock rotted away but for some reason this small part was preserved..

 

[Monty]

The ramrod was made of a particularly hard wood such as hickory so it wouldn't break. Sometimes they were fire hardened to make them stronger. That could be why a part of it remained? Monty

 

[scratcher]

Kind of off the subject here, I wonder if the wood was somehow preserved by the lead (if that is what it is). Isn't there sometimes arsenic in lead alloys? I know arsenic was used as a wood preservative, and I think lead itself has preservative qualities. I wonder if it could have leached into the wood.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

I know rusted iron can preserve wood. I have an old post here in What Is It about a hard piece of shipwreck wood I found that was preserved next to iron.

 

[truckinbutch]

I think you are right on track except for the metal id . Silver , german silver , and brass , as well as steel , were used as hardware . Lead could have been used as an emergency repair . I'd be looking for the rest of the rifle .

Thanks for the reply TButch, I'm glad you agree. I really think it is lead, though. The other thing that made me wonder if it might be something else, is I didn't think it was common for the ramrod to actually go through the cap. Does anyone know if it was commonly done that way on any specific gun type? Thanks

After I posted I looked at your pics again .That nose cap could have been cast in place in the field as an emergency repair . Any good rifle builder would have made a much better internal wood to metal fit than what your pictures show . I sure hope you find the rest of that rifle