"Jas * Honaker For LP" followed by a flourish of floral scrollwork is on the top of the barrel. The silver initial plate on the wrist reads "J. H. Bentz", and the floral scroll engraved lock is marked "J. Stonesifer" and has a fish head hammer. All of these markings are in script. John Stonesifer III of Boonsboro, Maryland, produced rifles until 1860 when his son Christian Emory took his place and he switched to operating a general store. He was also the mayor of Boonsboro during the first part of the Civil War. His father was a gunsmith and clockmaker in Washington County during the American Revolution. Multiple Bentz lived in Maryland in the revolutionary and early national periods including Jacob Bentz who owned much of "Tasker's Chance" in Frederick County and John Bentz, a farmer who died in 1847. The Honaker family of gunmakers began with Hans Jacob Honaker who arrived in America in 1749 from Switzerland and died in 1795. His family lived in Virginia and his sons and grandsons continued the family gunmaking tradition well after his death. The marking on this rifle likely refers to James Honaker (born 1817) or James Benjamin Honaker (born 1824). The rifle has standard fixed blade and notch sights, double set triggers, and a full length curly maple stock with twenty engraved silver inlays including a patriotic eagle themed cheekpiece plate and raised relief carved scroll designs on the left side of the butt. The patch box is beautiful with detailed engraving patterns and is unlike those seen on other Honaker made rifles the writer has seen.

Very good. The barrel is a little loose and displays a mottled mixture of remnants of brown finish, brown patina, oxidation, and gray patina. There are some bright areas along the sides. The lock has a dark brown patina with minor oxidation and pitting. The hammer face it bent/chipped, and it has a period installed brass fitting instead of the domed retention screw. The brass is rather bright with areas of mellow aged patina and verdigris suggesting it has been cleaned. The silver has varying degrees of aging. The stock is fine as repaired and has some cracks around the lock, tight flame figure on the butt, lighter coloration on the rear of the forend from handling, crisp carving, and various minor dings and scratches. The action functions if the trigger is set first, but the hammer does not otherwise hold.