This fowling piece or fowler from c. 1760s-1770s has "B-HOMER" on the English style lock. Benjamin Homer (1731-1776) and his son Benjamin Perrott Homer (born 1761) were merchants in Boston per Smith and Bitter in "Historic Pistols: The American Martial Flintlock, 1760-1845." They note: "A number of New England and upstate New York fowlers are known with B. Homer imported locks." These long smoothbore hunting guns were popular in the northern colonies during the late colonial era and into the American Revolutionary War and doubled as service weapons for many militiamen. Some where shortened and modified to take bayonets. This gun has had the stock cut back at the muzzle and an interesting long forend cap that is pinned through the barrel loop added, The barrel has a low rounded brass blade front sight and a groove cut at the breech for a rear sight. The furniture is brass, and the buttplate finial is a very attractive stepped spire design. The wrist escutcheon is silver and has the initials "BG" in ornate script. The stock has a nicely shaped "club butt" profile reminiscent of earlier Dutch guns.