I'm pretty sure it's a trigger guard but if so how old is it?

[gene the machine]

I found this in a corn field along with some other good old stuff but am pretty sure this is a trigger guard but I'm hoping that someone of our detecting experts might help me to determine the age of it. You can see a 3 on the bottom towards the front. As you can see there is some sort of a grove that I don't know what that is for. Thanks all.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Your broken-off brass triggerguard is from a 1700s-to-early-1800s Flintlock musket (or very-early rifle, such as Kentucky rifle). I am not an expert on firearms parts from that time period, but some other folks here are. One or more of them will probably be able to give you a more-specific identification of your find.

The "groove" you mentioned appears to a broken-open hole which held an iron loop for the musket/rifle's sling. Here's a photo showing the same thing on a British Model-P1853 Enfield rifle's triggerguard. Also, another photo showing some late-1700s British "Brown Bess" muskets with the sling attached.

 

[steelheadwill]

Here's a page w some good images of the main brown Bess variants furniture, I have the front section of tg from 1730 longland, it snapped clean at the hole, only reason I posted it was its phallic shape, one more knowledgeable pointed out what it was
Bess