Old flint lock

[Ifishsum]

A co-worker just brought in an old flint lock smooth bore and was hoping someone might know something about it. The top of the barrel is marked "Stoeger Arms Corporation" and "Made in Belgium". There are proof marks on the left side of the breech, it has a fairly plain looking stock, 2 barrel bands and a steel ram rod. I don't have a caliper here, but the bore appears to be in the .60 range. I'll try to put up a pic later. About all the info I can find using google-fu is that these were sold in the 40's and 50's mostly for decoration.

With the proof marks, would it be a safe assumption that it can be fired with a sane charge of black powder and a patched ball? He told me I'm welcome to fire it if I want to (and I do want to )

Any idea what it might be worth if I were to make him an offer for it?

 

[mykeal]

With the proof marks, assuming you can verify that the marks are indeed proof marks, one can say that the gun was safe to use AT ONE TIME. That may no longer be the case. Inspection by a competent gunsmith is highly advised before firing it, unless you know how to inspect for pitting, bore distortion, etc.

Worth is probably not much, but you'd need an appraiser to get anything definitive. I'll wait for the picture to hazard a guess, but so far your description doesn't suggest anything of great worth.

 

[Ifishsum]

Here's pictures of the full rifle, the lock and the proof marks. I had a chance to mic the bore and it would seem to be about .54 caliber (plus a patch). Any info appreciated.

 

[Hawg]

The makeshift lock alone tells me I don't want to shoot it and I'll shoot stuff that scares the crap out of a lot of people.

 

[4V50 Gary]

I've got a similar gun. It's a backaction lock that was originally meant to be percussion fired. They changed out the hammer and added a Michael-Mouse "thing" to hold a frizzen and frizzen spring. End result is one of the ugliest guns ever made. That's why it was meant for the African market.