Gun Barrel ID (((SOLVED)))

[MDLand]

For you gun experts, I found this old gun barrel in the woods! very cool! Nearby there is an 18th century house. So Is this a shotgun barrel or musket barrel? Kind of resembles a Smithfield or Enfeild type from my quick google searching? I am lost, and if anyone has info it would be great! Also very closeby I found an 1853 3 cent coin, 1848 penny and a 1902 barber, old brass carriage pieces, part of a shoe buckle, some horse harness buckles, some spoons, and a leather saddle piece, Everything I dig here is old in this area, no modern junk. The length is a guess of 1 yard and it appears tapered slightly, (wider barrel at the trigger area) Looks like an aiming sight on the barrel. I did leave the barrel there because I was on a motorcycle but I will get it if its worth saving or more info is needed! Thanks!

 

[EmuDetector]

Hard to say with how cruded it is, I would definitely love to have that to clean up! Looks like it might be a primer fire with the clod on the mechanism end. I'll poke around online to see if I can ID it further.

 

[waltr]

1- it is a muzzle loader.
2- Looks like it used percussion caps not flint.
so a date around the mid 1800's

3- if that is a sight bracket then it is probably a rifle or musket not a shotgun.

4- the hook at the breach is for easy removal of the barrel for cleaning. The Hawken rifles had this feature but used a different design.
5- barrel looks round not Octagonal.

would be nice to see it cleaned up a bit. I would say it is worth taking home to clean up and ID.
Guess there were no other parts there, butt plate, trigger guard, etc.

found a photo with a match rear sight design.
https://collegehillarsenal.com/whitney-enfield-rifle-musket-fine

 

[MTtrashdigger]

I'm no expert, it looks like a percussion musket barrel but the breech hook design has me a bit baffled. Cleaned up, perhaps you could get an idea as to the rifle model. Cool find for sure

 

[Voriax]

I'm no expert, it looks like a percussion musket barrel but the breech hook design has me a bit baffled. Cleaned up, perhaps you could get an idea as to the rifle model. Cool find for sure

Looks like someone might have used this barrel in a very non traditional way...and that hook is likely not the original shape.


Voriax

 

[EmuDetector]

Looks like someone might have used this barrel in a very non traditional way...and that hook is likely not the original shape.


Voriax

Agreed, I've been searching for days on barrels and zero have a curve like that. The enfields are on track for a matching thickness, but none are bent to that degree.

OP has to go get this thing!

 

[waltr]

Yes, the breech hook got me too but I think I have a answer.

It was not originally a hook but extended straight back as a tang. Only later, after barrel was removed and laying around the Tang got bent into the shape we now see. This wouldn't be hard to do by banging the breech end into something hard.
It may have been used as a pry bar, or anything else since it would have been considered worthless in the later 1800's.

This then would make this barrel match some of the Enfield musket barrels (there were many variations of the Enfield).
Exact barrel length and details of the sights and percussion nipple would help to ID which Enfield.

 

[MDLand]

Thank you all for feedback in identifying this! I appreciate it! I agree, it seems to be an 1853 Enfield musket barrel. This is a picture I got off the web is almost exact!. I also agree that it may have been used as a pry of some sort seeing that the end is curved/bent. Also the barrel is slightly bent. None-the-less it is a very cool find and I will retrieve it later. It makes for some good story telling for friends and family about this cool relic I found! Found a musket, now I can erase it off my bucket list!
Thank you all again!