Musket US -NWP with Wilkes lock

[Pawli]

my nephew in law aquired a musket allthought in bad condition
would like to know it's origen and some history. Thanks

[PetahW]

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Is "Wilkes" marked on the lockplate, or on the bbl ?

Unless you can discern & clearly picture some bbl and/or lockplate markings/stamps, your guess is as good as mine.

If you can measure the bore, it might also be of some help.

IIRC, "Wilkes" was an English (London) lock-maker, who most likely supplied gunlocks to whomever.

IMO, that piece looks like it was either assembled from parts, and/or cut down from a military issue, for use as a foraging gun (to shoot small game for food, during a military campaign).



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[Pawli]

Wilkes is on the lock, US is on the Barrel with NPW below the US and a Stamped
capitol P below the NPW. the Barrel has three thimble anchors still in place
it appears to be a short forarm originally and the barrel fit my small pinky finger
I would guess at least 50 cal. I don't have the gun any more I gave it back to
him.

[James K]

That gun is not a U.S. musket, it is a hunting shotgun made up by someone at some time, using an old musket barrel and a stock with a back action lock, probably taken from an old shotgun. It is very unlikely to have been used in that form by any military organization for any purpose. It may be old, and the parts even older, but its value is negligible. It might make an interesting wall hanger, with story to match ("My great great great grandfather shot Indians/British/Rebels with that thar gun, yessir!).

NWP is the stamp of Nahum W. Patch, listed as a Springfield Armory sub-inspector, who inspected (among other guns) Model 1816 contract muskets, which is likely where the barrel came from. The maker of the original musket would have been marked on the long-gone original lockplate. U.S. muskets never used back action locks.

Jim

[Pawli]

Thanks I will send your info to him and I already told him to make a wallhanger out of it, the story's up to the imagination!
thanks
Pawli