.48 caliber. 41.5" pinned octagonal barrel. SN: NSN. Blued barrel, German silver and iron mountings, full-length hardwood stock. Single screw commercial percussion lock is lightly engraved and marked "JOSEPH GOULCHER" in a ribbon and equipped with double set triggers. Barrel measures 1" across the flats at the muzzle with a replaced drum bolster and nipple and is singed "B.D. Gill" in script. Rifle mounted with a nicely engraved open work German silver four-piece patchbox with an urn finial and nicely engraved toe plate with patchbox release. Period of use added German silver saddle plate is engraved by a lesser hand and shows moderate wear. Crescent iron buttplate, scroll style iron triggerguard, iron nose cap. Rifle with dovetailed fixed notch rear sight and German silver dovetailed blade front sight. Iron thimbles retain an old wood ramrod. An old note in the patchbox says that the rifle is named "Big Bertha" and was the favorite rifle of Charles M Borger. It was purchased from a Joe Bucheit of Old Appleton, MO around 1957. B.D. Gill was a Pennsylvania gunmaker who worked at the end of the flintlock era and into the percussion period circa the 1840s. He is best known for making a rifle that was decorated with crossed arrows and a tomahawk that was given by Kit Carson to a Taos Indian in 1848. A very nicely made heavier barrel full stock rifle with lovely German silver furniture.