This smoothbore rifle or "smooth rifle" is pictured and described in "Rifles of Colonial America Vol. II" by George Shumway as rifle no. 95 and was also discussed as part of his "Longrifles of Note" series in the February 1980 issue of Muzzle Blasts. Both sources attributed it as George Schroyer Sr.'s work c. 1775-1790. Both the book and the article list the caliber as smaller than .54, so the barrel may be "coned" at the muzzle and smaller caliber for most of its length. In Shumway's subsequent book "George Schreyer, Sr. & Jr., Gunmakers of Hanover, York County, Pennsylvania," he notes that several of the guns he featured in "RCA Vol II" "certainly were not all made by the same hand, and attribution to Schreyer does not now seem suitable. . ." He suggests some of these previously Schreyer attributed guns were the work of gunmakers from Reading, Pennsylvania, where Schreyer worked before he moved to Hanover, possibly including Wolfgang Hachen (Haga). The barrel has rifle style blade and notch sights and is not marked. The Germanic lock is also unmarked. It has a single trigger. The furniture is brass. The stock has attractive molding along the forend terminating in a raised relief floral fluer-de-lis style pattern at the ramrod entry pipe, additional fluer-de-lis at the barrel tang, shapely tear drop flats, scroll carving at the front of the comb/wrist, raised molding along the bottom of the butt, mix of beautiful incised and raised relief carving along the left side of the butt including a small crosshatch panel under the cheek rest and sweeping scrolls at the butt. While no longer believed to have been Schroyer's work, some of the carving is certainly consistent with his early work, and all of the carving is of extremely high quality and clearly done by a talented artisan. The wooden patch box lid has been carved with a matching fleur-de-lis design.

Very good as restored, including reconversion to flintlock configuration, a replacement patch box lid by Carl Pippert (per Shumway), and very discrete spliced repair above the nose of the lock. The barrel and lock have dark brown patina and mild oxidation. The brass furniture has deep aged patina. The stock has fine relief carving. Only the forend carving is hand-worn, but it remains distinct. There are several stable cracks in the stock along with some mild scrapes and dings, light flaking at the edges, and general relatively minor wear for its age. Mechanically fine (no half-cock). This is a very attractive 18th century American "smooth rifle" with exceptional carving that may have seen use in the American Revolution.