That's disgraceful. It's as bad as those historical replicas from the heritage societies made from pot metal and can't be fired.
No big deal. Someone wisely dropped a couple of balls down the barrel and rammed them home, plugging things up past the vent hole for the flashpan or percussion cap- a circa 1836 rifle that remained in service afterward could be arranged for either type ignition- or maybe just a cloth wad dipped in grease or even mud, leaving the old tool quite safe in the hands of young 'uns, hopefully descendants, yet capable of being restored for use with fifteen minutes work with a ramroad and patch-puller worm, a coarse-threaded screw at worst. That leaves it suitable for public display, yet the knowledge that it could serve its owner and his cause still remains.
