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I just bought this rifle, had to see what it was.  I don't have it in my posession, but there's good photo's of it in the link above.   It has U.S. Ordinance flaming bomb stamps, but is a blackpowder action.  I never have heard of a RB with these stamps.  What is it?

dave

Well, since nobody's bit on speculating on what this is, I'll go first with what I've though of mulling it over today.  The ordinance stamps are from the late WWI to WWII era if I remember right.  They were defintely not used pre-1900.  They were only applied to a very few rolling blocks.  Those were New York Contract rifles issued to the national guard in the 40's???.   

My initial thought to explain the markings was that this was one of the NYC actions, as the hammer on this is from a NYC rifle, but the trigger guard is not, and the breech block is not, and the tang markings are not, and the action is from a linear extractor, as it has the keeper screw.  However, the extractor looks like a NYC rotary extractor.  So obviously, the thing is parted together.  My thought is that this whole thing is parted together from available parts.  It still doesn't explain the ordinance stamps. 

I'll see how my guesses work out when the rifle arrives.  I may be able to tell more by looking at it more closely and taking it apart.  This rifle looks to have been in this configuration a long time.  The patina and wear looks like a long term complete rifle, not a recently assembled one.

I don't think anyone tried to fake something by the stampings, the price they asked didn't factor in anything except the basic rolling block parts value.

dave

Kenn,

Thanks for the additional info.  The captured rifles being stamped makes sense, I hadn't run into that information before.

dave

Got the rifle today.   

Kenn gets the prize for the best guess.  Parted together somewhat, but is a 43 spanish reformado.   Quick check with a caliper shows bore is bigger than the smaller .43 spanish, but not quite the spec'd .454 it should be.  Forestock has been with the barrel most of its life, don't know when it was put on.  I'd put my money on the captured rifle arsenal restamped for reissue, and later parts replacements.  Has a very good bore, not excellent, but quite shootable.   

Another faceless nobody in the rolling block crowd, except for the flaming bomb stamps.  Those are unusual in that they're not commonly seen.

dave