Archaeologist friend wondering if this is part of a gun

[STI]

I have a friend who is an archaeologist and she is wondering if something she found is part of a gun. Here is the info she gave me.

"So, I excavated this in Veracruz, Mexico. I dated it to the 1800s based on the other diagnostic artifacts (namely ceramics) that I found along with it."

"Perhaps one reason my mind went to gun was because there are always historic gun fragments being found in the town from where it was excavated- It was a hot bed for the Mexican Revolution. My neighbors there showed me something similar and other folks have shown me rusty rifles, too."

Any info would be greatly appreciated

[dotfortune]

Woah. Very cool. Hopefully someone here can shed some light on this piece.

To my completely untrained, psychology-major eye, it looks like the sideplate of some kind of flintlock mechanism.

[LONGRANGER777]

Yup...side plate...

[IrishJoe3]

Muzzle loader lockplate, my guess percussion. Shape and internals look VERY similiar to US Springfield or Enfield.

Google 1861 Springfield Lockplate 1853 Enfield lockplate

[IrishJoe3]

[Garv]

Good job!

[sealocan]

Here is a link, if they are unfamiliar with firearms, so they can visualize what part it probably will be.
In this picture, labeled as simply "the plate".

http://www.muzzleloaderbuilderssupply.com/img/catalog/lockparts.jpg

[STI]

You guys are awesome, thanks! I will give her the link to this thread.

[71MUSTY]

Damn, I was wondering where I left that.

[dotfortune]

You guys are awesome, thanks! I will give her the link to this thread.

Tell her to stay safe over there too. Can't imagine archaeology and excavation is too safe at the moment.

As an aside, love your handle and avatar - personally, I've held the '01 2.5RS, with an engine swap as my personal dream car! Nothing beats the GC body aesthetically, in my opinion.

[Emdawg]

Veracruz? Could be from a Mexican, American or French rifle left over from one of the many invasions of the city during the mid-1800s.

[kowalski]

That's awesome, wish I had her job.

[empirearms]

not what it is cracked up to be . . .

That's awesome, wish I had her job.

As a former professional archaeologist I would have to state that finds like this are exceedingly rare, and does not begin to make up for the tedious excavation work (with nothing more than a camel-hair brush) that archaeologists must put up with.

Indiana Jones isn't even close to how boring and mundane everyday life becomes when one is an archaeologist.

[Springfield45]

Hard to tell for sure but it appears to be a 1853 musket lock.

[pitfighter]

If I was an archeologist and didn't know what that was or how to identify it, I think it might be time to go back to school.

A one word word search on Google - "flintlock" would have done it, if a cursory examination of artifacts from nearly any pirate treasure, naval wreck, civil war/independence/Napoleonic battle, ever dug, didn't - even if you dig dinosaur bones or ceramics, you must have had to study near history at some stage.

Regardless, nice to find something fun and thank you for sharing the pic, sorry for the cynicism. I am interested in archeology, and especially Mexican 1800's stories.

If she is able to gently remove the rust from the inside center of the lock plate, there is sometimes a proof house mark - this could help determine date and nationality - (see the pic of the replica, with the crown proof.)