Yeah, "schnabels" are great - very old, traditional way to finish a forend tip. Here are some other examples, some perhaps unexpected:
Kind of hard to see, but my oldest son's Model 70 Featherweight in 6.5 Swede sporting a schnabel on the factory stock, right from Winchester. Oh, and this is somewhere outside Rawlins, WY, in the mid '90's, and he's all of 12 years old:
An early 1950's Savage 99 in 300 Savage:
A Ruger # 1 in .458 Winchester Magnum with an Alexander Henry (the 19th century Scottish gun maker) style schnabel:
A first year manufacture 1885 Winchester Highwall in .40-70 Sharps Straight:
So, yeah, these were/are quite common, and add kind of a nice touch.
So, Fred, the Rolling Block is one rifle I have never owned. I think a nice example in .50-70 would be a great addition to my collection. It was, after all, one General George Armstrong Custer's personal preference. I may have to start looking for one...
As far as what I plan to hunt, it will be mule deer, black bear, and elk. Our seasons are such here in Washington that it will be luck of the draw as far as which I get to pursue first. It will, of course, be adequate for any of those.