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This is most clearly a military rifle even to the bayonet lug. I am carrying out some enquiries on this but, at this stage, I incline towards one of the German States such as Hanover, Brunswick, Hesse Darmstadt, etc. Will report back in due course.

I have now consulted the Hans-Diter Gotz book on Rifles and Pistols of the German States 1800-70 and the nearest I can come up with is that this item appears to be a civilian or Volunteer version of the Saxon Jagerbuchse Model 1844 as modified in 1849 by the addition of the pillar to the breech (Thouvenin system) and the adoption of a pointed bullet. There appears to be a butt trap on the Issue Model but the same overall arrangements are present, i.e., Trigger Guard form, Octagonal barrel going to round at the fore-end cap, bayonet stud, sights, double set triggers. The service arm is stated to have a bore of 14.6mm and probably a barrel of 78cm. Information is scarce on this model and the author is not even able to show any illustration other than the line drawing from Schon so there is no picture of the side plate on the left or whether or not it has a cheek piece. Yours appears slightly larger in the bore and slightly shorter in the barrel. The sights on yours certainly indicate the use of the Tamisier pointed bullet normally used with the Thouvenin Breech

If you can read German I can photocopy the relevant page.

PommyB - we have more in common than you think - I was born in London, went to Melbourne in '48, was a Sgt in the CMF (Artillery), went to UK for the Coronation and never left (apart from commissioned service in the Far East with the RA). Now to your rifle, the terms Volunteer and Civilian can easily merge into one. A true Volunteer Rifle in the UK sense would conform closely to Service Pattern Arms although in the early Volunteer Period of 1859-61 the rifles were very much to the taste of the local commanders and common only in their choice of cartridge and their ability to mount a bayonet. Just what arrangements were in force in Saxony at that time I cannot say but I am certain this rifle was a private weapon for potential use by a quasi-military force of some type, Town Guard, Guild, Rifle Club, etc.

The relevant section from Gotz is attached.

J. Schon on The System of Modern Small Arms. Dresden 1855. - "In Saxony the Jaeger Rifles were also altered to this system in 1849 by giving the patent breech-pin a conical chamber, screwing a steel tige into the bottom, and attaching to the rammer a head countersunk to suit the shape of the ball. To save the bore the head was inlaid with a brass ring at its greatest diameter in the middle.
The length of the barrel was 29.54 inches without the breech pin, and its calibre 0.576 inch. The eight grooves had a depth of 0.027 inch, and a breadth of 0.073 inch, with three fourths of a turn in the length of the barrel, or an inclination of 88 degs 39 mins 44 secs. The depth of the chamber was 0.809 inch, its inferior diameter 0.465 inch, and its superior 0.576 inch. The steel tige was 1.52 inch long, and 0.28 inch in diameter. The ball was a cone, with a cylindrical base, having one broad groove to receive a greased woollen thread."

The Saxons went on to use the Tige system in their Infantry Rifles also, as did so many other of the Continental Powers and like them thereafter switched to the Minié as its benefits were recognised. Of course, you will realise that with the introduction of the Minié system, it was rapidly found that the new bullets worked perfectly well in the Tige Rifles after the Tige had been removed and so most of the Tige Rifles in service were modified. This made cleaning these rifle considerably easier.

In the British Service, the Tige or pillar was examined in 1850 and I was fortunate enough to acquire one of the four made for the Trial at Enfield back in around 1959 when I found it hanging on the wall of a Public House near Bisley and persuaded the landlord to let me have it for seven quid (best part of a week's wages then). This is the specimen illustrated in The British Soldiers' Firearm 1850-1866 by Christopher Roads. Fortunately, George Lovell (in charge in the period) realised that the idea was already out of date and proceeded directly to the Minié Pattern 1851 which did sterling service up to 1856 during the Crimean War prior to the introduction of the Pattern 1853. The Tige was used for the Enfield .577 Rifled Pistol because of its light bullet and small charge but was soon discontinued even in that.

PommyB and Freddo, you ask if I sometimes wish I had returned to Oz. Yes indeed, the thought has crossed my mind quite a few times but I have carved out a life here and a certain reputation which would not have been possible in Oz as, in those days, I was (to the best of my knowledge) the sole active muzzle loading shooter in the whole State of Victoria and even possibly the whole of Oz. There were collectors but not shooters and a pretty profound absence of any real knowledge. I know it is a very different story now but it is far too late for an old buffer like me to relocate and we live in reasonable comfort in a lovely part of Wales. We nearly did return to Oz in 1967 at the end of a work contract in the Far East but there were family reasons so it never happened. In any case I am not sure I would really want to see what has become of the relatively primitive Frontier type country of those days. My grandfather visited Melbourne during the years 1888-9 and I have the photos he took then and the place had hardly changed between then and my time sixty years later.