1792 harpers ferry rifle

From our experience the ribs probably separated from the barrel during hard field use. This basic fact completely rules out the use 1792 rifles on the expedition. Also shown is probably the type of powder horn issued with the axe to his men. The Gumpf (Johan Christopher Gumpf 1760-1844) common long rifle pictured above meets all the criteria for an M1792 contract rifle and, with its added inspector cartouche is probably the closest example we will ever get to a true 1792/94 contract rifle. A note accompanying this find remarks that in every instance, the measurement was .002 smaller (making it a .519 ball for a 30 bore) than a gauge list reputed to have been adopted by the London Proofing Company in 1883 (which is used in many books today). It is interesting to note that the ball was to be loaded with ease. One explanation for this attitude could have been Frances desire to attach the sale of the port to the entire Louisiana Territory. After Lewis departed Harpers Ferry in July of 1803 with his 15 Model 1800 rifles, the arsenal began tooling up for full production of the military version. Since this bore size conflicted with Dearborns specifications of 30 balls to the pound (a smaller size than a .540 bore would require), we decided to gauge the bores of as many original short rifles as possible. An 1812 publication The Handbook for Riflemen by William Duane, second in command of the United States Regiment of Riflemen from 1808 to 1810, states A rifleman is never supposed to leave his rifle unloaded, and contrary to the rule of the infantry, who always carry their arms on the left shoulder, the rifleman carries his, unless he shifts it for rest, on his right side, either trailed or at the advance.(47). John Collins, who was flogged for being AWOL and stealing whiskey, returned West with William Ashleys 1823 expedition, being killed in a battle with the Arikaras that same year. Whitehouse used she when describing the air gun on August 30, 1804, and Lewis uses it again on August 7, 1805 ..my air gun was out of order and her sights had been removed by some accedent.. This indicates that when Lewis writes where she was manufactured, he is not referring to the lock, but rather the rifle itself. Could Harpers Ferry have made his 15 rifles in the time allotted? While preparing for the trip Meriwether Lewis stopped at Harper's Ferry to get more firearms from the government arsenal there. This will clarify why these rifles were totally unsuitable for Lewiss needs. (2) We had no rifles to arm this new unit. The .520 ball also meets Dearborns 30 balls to the pound requirement. Lock plate from SN 15 rifle. The rifleman must be acquainted with the nature of the sights, and the aim of the rifle; how to load with loose ball, to force it dexterously into the barrel, so that it shall lie close upon the powder without bruising the grains He must be taught to mark every shot fired at the target which it strikes it, and to observe whether it be too high or too low . 42" rifled barrel bored 40 balls to the pound (about .490"), stock to be made from well seasoned maple, catch spring release to be high so as to be accessible to the thumb. The new heptagonal .530 caliber bore of the 1803 rifle has wide flat lands with narrow grooves instead of the concave lands and grooves found in many of the second production (1815-1819) rifles. We had access to a large selection of rifles in various collections, many of which still had excellent bores. Our first Handbook for Riflemen, by William Duane, 1812. To farther test our findings, we also made a go no go gauge of .532 calibre (which would easily fit any .54 caliber rifle) and found that it would not enter the rifled bore (even if worn slightly) of any short rifles made from 1803 to 1819. US Contract Rifles 1792 & 1807 1800 US Short Rifle (Lewis and Clark Rifle) (935) 1803 - 1819 Harpers Ferry Rifles (500 A) (500 B) (500 C) History, Facts and Descriptions of 1803 Harpers Ferry Rifles 1814 Common Rifle (516 A) 1817 Common Rifle (516 B) US Common Rifle Cleaning Set (537) Sawyer says it best: From time to time attempts have been made by army officers and others to reproduce the Harpers Ferry records from fragmentary outside sources and compile tables of the arms made there in the first quarter of the 19th century. The process was similar to today, in which the government requests weaponry of certain specifications and then finds a manufacturer to build them. There was another good reason to increase the size of the party in secret. A second contract for the same weapon took place in 1794. Just how accurate were their Model 1800 rifles? However, we must remember that this letter has nothing to do with Lewiss rifles but rather the military rifle order, but the details contained within it gives us great insight into just how far the short rifle project had advanced by this date. After Harpers Ferry Arsenal was established in 1799, their first task was to make a new rifle on a standard pattern becoming the Model 1803 short rifle. The term loaded for bear came from the practice of double charging rifles. At the battle of Bemis Heights (Saratoga Campaign) in September of 1777, Maj. Gen. Horatio Gates reinforced Colonel Daniel Morgan riflemen with 250 sharpshooters from Major Dearborns light infantry units. 8,, Pg.302). (45) Robert J. Moore / Michael Haynes Lewis & Clarke/ Tailor Made, Trail Worn, Army Life, Clothing, & Weapons of the Corps of Discovery, (Farcountry Press, 2003), Pgs. Receiver is marked with the usual 4 line markings "J H Hall-H. Ferry-US 1831". Thus, the term short rifle, used by Dearborn in Harpers Ferry records and Lewiss journals, can only be viewed as the proper name for the Model 1800 rifles. Breech markings on SN 15 rifle. The Harper's Ferry Rifle With stocks of the 1792 Contract Rifle (see above) growing pretty thin, and the musket revealing the weaknesses in its maximum 75-yard range for aimed shots, the. This is a Don Stith kit build which represents a'1792 contract rifle', that was re-locked at a later date, and purportedly carried bt Lewis and Clark. Due to the lateness of the shipment these guns may have carried an inspector mark. We believe as time progressed (1814-1819 rifles), these small parts became interchangeable. from Congress for an amazing endeavor. It is important to note that we only bought the rights to legally acquire full ownership from the inhabitants of the territory. The Model 1805 Harpers Ferry Pistol: From Inception to Insignia With that threat over, the American rifle battalions were dropped in the May 4, 1800 Army reorganization. [1] The rifles were to be delivered in units of 100 as quickly as possible. cit., Pg. Lewis held Colter in high esteem, and he was well known among his peers as an honest and truthful man, adding credence to his encounter and story of survival. Much conjecture has also surrounded the possibility of slings being attached to Lewiss rifles. Rifles made after the DEC 1803 changes have a squared side profile barleycorn sight. These assembly numbers are found on almost every part of the gun and are important when checking the originality of any rifle. A condensed version of the short rifle story was published in We Proceeded On journal. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1792_contract_rifle&oldid=1093724859, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 18 June 2022, at 13:01. 26), for delivering 100 guns on the 1792 military contracts. See the special Chapter VIII for more information on these contract rifles. The most likely candidate are 1792 contract rifles. Windsor birst his gun near the muzzle a few days since; this Shields cut off and I exchanged it with the Cheif for the one we had given him for conducting us over the mountain. The style and placement of these markings varied considerably on the guns we inspected, from tiny detailed marks to big, crude scratches and cuts, so you must study them carefully. One thing to note on new rifles, all screw slots will point to the muzzle (horizontal with the rifle) when tightened, especially on the patch box. From reading Dearborn's letter, (40), Lewis now has in his hands, at the minimum, 108 pounds of best rifle powder, more than enough to retrace his footsteps again. (17) Many collectors contributed information on existing military contract short rifles in the 1803 & 1804 range. Workmanship varied considerably from poor to professional, however, each gun WILL give up its secrets if disassembled and studied in detail. The Harper's Ferry Model 1803 rifle was the first rifle made by an American armory. The individuality of the makers is amazing in all parts of the guns. It is a well- balanced and a fine example of the long rifle makers work.

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