What am I lookin' at here?

[SeamusMac]

Home gunsmith conversion of a Jenk's rifle to a muzzle loader? I don't have the rifle in-hand but there doesn't appear to be any way to open up the breech. It's approx 50 cal, 40" OAL and marked "N.P. Ames Springfield Mass. U.S.N. P 1845".

 

[green]

IIRC lift the back of the tang.

 

[Waba]

I believe they had ears at the front of the block and the breech opened up and back.
No ears on yours of course and the top of the block looks wrong. Too flat and no groove.
It would be interesting if it turned out to be a period conversion.

 

[mooncoon]

looks like a sidehammer percussion rifle to me but hard to tell from the photos. You need to post a good photo of the hammer / lock area ie looking at the breach end from the right side

cheers mooncoon

 

[diopter]

Taken the liberty of getting more detail from the pictures.

 

[tula]

It’s a Jenks carbine.

 

[tula]

They didn’t all have the ears at the foreword of the block or an exposed hole to load through. This ones the 1841 navy. They didn’t have ears, and the block covers the loading chamber.

 

[sail32]

Opens from the front by the nipple.

https://www.google.com/search?q=us+...=1920&client=firefox-b-d#imgrc=HsOHnGWBg8F-HM

https://www.forgottenweapons.com/the-svelte-jenks-navy-carbine-of-the-mexican-american-war/

 

[LeroyvdH]

Learned something today, cool.

 

[SeamusMac]

looks like a sidehammer percussion rifle to me but hard to tell from the photos. You need to post a good photo of the hammer / lock area ie looking at the breach end from the right side

cheers mooncoon

I'd like to have better pictures but none available to me from the current owner unfortunately and it's too far away for a look unless I intend to buy it.

They didn’t all have the ears at the foreword of the block or an exposed hole to load through. This ones the 1841 navy. They didn’t have ears, and the block covers the loading chamber.

I'm not sure I understand you entirely. You said they don't all have an exposed hole to load through but you also said the block covers the loading chamber, which is the same as the hole to load through is it not?

Opens from the front by the nipple.

https://www.google.com/search?q=us+...=1920&client=firefox-b-d#imgrc=HsOHnGWBg8F-HM

https://www.forgottenweapons.com/the-svelte-jenks-navy-carbine-of-the-mexican-american-war/

Any Jenk's I've been able to find a picture of online has an ear or a knob used to open the breech. This one doesn't appear to have anything of the sort and the addition of a ramrod makes me wonder if it even open at all.

 

[cdnrokon]

second on the Jenks Carbine prob 54 cal 24 1/2 barrel there is one for sale on Track of the Wolf site for $2899.00 USD