Many thanks for your comments, Pukka Bundook and Rick.
The maker of this rifle knew what he was doing. The absence of decorations indicates a military purpose. Despite this, it has an aestetic appeal which is further enhanced by the patina.
I’m more of a sword than gun collector, but think this rifle deserves to be kept. I probably had it now for closer to 30 years than the 20 previously stated. Will probably look to mount it on the wall.
Someone told me muskets are smooth bored and can’t have rifled barrels, so I guess this one is properly called a rifle. It’s octagonal in shape, and not hexagonal as stated on the original shop ticker. One strange thing is that it doesn’t have attachements for a sling to hang over the shoulder. Maybe it would have been carried in a holster or something else instead.
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