An 1810 inventory lists 3,113 short rifles and 188 long rifles fit for service on hand at Harpers Ferry. (7) Official surviving correspondence relating to the short rifles is almost non-existent (at least to this date) other than the few letters from Henry Dearborn thus we are left with a puzzle with many missing pieces. Ordways journal entry specifies a short rifle to be traded for a guide, so both Lewiss and Clarks use of only the term rifle really meant a short rifle. Neither Lewis nor Jefferson could act openly upon this change of plans for the safety of the expedition, plus, by making it a military venture, additional funding could come from the War Department. Lewis and Clark. This rifle, with its tremendous muzzle velocity, would have also impressed the Indians as it was the finest, most technologically advanced rifle of its day. Build Track's 1792 Contract flintlock longrifle parts set, with 15/16 Th e Model 1800 rifle, using the SDS powder, met this requirement. From the 18 May 1803 requisition receipt Lewis received from the arsenal, If I can recover some better photos of the stock will add them. (44) A thorough inspection of this early Model 1800 rifle revealed that all assembly numbers matched, making it a very important gun for both the collector and the historian. We also have found, by serial number and 1803 dated locks, that as many as 700 rifles were made in that year. Late in the 1794 contract a US (later letters specified UNITED STATES) marking was requested but since none have ever surfaced with either marking visible on the exterior, it appears the rifles were completed before this could be implemented making it difficult today to identify these rifles. Tait made a strong case that Lewis must have picked up fif- teen rifles from the U.S. Contract of 1792 or 1794. (Above two photos) M1792 original riflemans axe (top) and reconstructed M1792 axe with original M1792 horn below as we believe were carried by Lewiss 15 riflemen. Most reconversions are easy to spot, but we have seen original rifles that have had the touchhole bushed (using hardened iron or brass) which will not erode. It is quite possible a 1 in 15 chance. This list, with its confirmed serial numbers and lock dates, produces a relatively good chart to judge the authenticity of any rifles made between 1803-1806. According to the journals, Windsors rifle had burst on the morning of June 16,1806. The use of interchangeable parts, a prerequisite for modern manufacturing, was perfected at Hall's Rifle Works at Harpers Ferry. It may have been removed to make brass jewelry of the day. As a footnote in history, it is interesting to note that on Zebulon Pikes second expedition of 1806-7, whom scholars agree carried the M1803 rifles, three rifles also burst, reinforcing the fact that Lewis and Clark carried a similar rifle with the same inherent weakness. He shows up on the Lancaster County tax lists for 1785-1840. Small parts (such as screws) may be unmarked on later guns, but most early ones are. The one thing found on this rifle that we have never seen on ANY long rifle is a cartouche on the upper left barrel flat near the breech where military markings of any type are always placed, especially an inspector cartouche in this case IW in a sunken half circle placed in the same manner as the later Model 1803 barrel markings upside down so it can be viewed from the top looking down on the barrel. It has also been generally agreed that a lot of imported (factory purchased) locks were used on these rifles to speed up the process. Both men were aware that not only was there no weapon in our arsenal in 1800 to meet the need, but, due to the limitations of interchangeability of gun parts in their day, the ONLY way this requirement could be met was to build 15 locks with very strict tolerances rules out the retrofitting of locks to a finished rifle. At that time it had no lock. cit./Table 1) Browns calculations were based upon the reconstructed Bomford records, whose total is correct, but we now know that his years of production are also incorrect. The backwoodsmen of the western frontier, place the ball in the palm of their left hand, and cupping the hand as much as possible, cover the ball with powder, and make that their charge, The ball should be just of that size to rest on the grooves, and require not much trouble to force it down, but yet to pass without being forced. Before the United States military used standardized weapons with interchangeable parts, it bought rifles that are difficult to distinguish from their civilian equivalent. As Purveyor of Public Stores during the Lewis and Clark expedition, Whelan played a major role in obtaining supplies for Lewis as noted throughout Lewiss documents. (5) IBID, Pg. By that time, Lewis and Clark were leaving On February 28, 1803, President Thomas Jefferson won approval Fifteen Harpers Ferry Model 1792 rifles are believed to have The principal means of loading when ranging as individuals was with loose powder and ball. Powder was too valuable on the frontier to waste. This is probably not a coincidence. cit., Vol 1, pg. Arsenal Superintendent Perkin was the ideal person to provide this interchangeability of locks due to his prior reputation for lock making at Rappahannock Forge in Virginia. climate, plants and animals, and the customs and languages of This article is dedicated to him and his intrepid party as well as the Native Americans who assisted him along the way, without whose help the outcome may have been quite different. This brass could only have been for the M1800 rifle project that takes two thicknesses. Englands addition of a rifle regiment to their Army in 1799, armed with a new rifle (Baker) was another factor that prompted us to look for a new rifle to replace the obsolete common long rifle in our inventory. 21 . It was the Model 1800 s tremendous muzzle energy that was the cause. This is certainly The process was similar to today, in which the government requests weaponry of certain specifications and then finds a manufacturer to build them. Each new writer simply took the word of a previous author without checking for themselves. A letter from Secretary Dearborn, written on Lewiss behalf and addressed to Arsenal Superintendent Perkin, dated March 14, 1803 states You will be pleased to make such arms & iron work, as requested by the Bearer Captain Meriwether Lewis and to have them completed with the least possible delay.(8). Above is a 10-shot group at 65 yards with Rifle SN 1, using 65 grains of SDS powder, 6 bulls-eye. NOTE ALL 1803 dated rifles were final inspected by Joseph Perkins (IP in circle on wood opposite the lock). *********************************************************************** 1804 dated rifles, 373 (U) Buffalo New York History Museum, 708 (C) (Lowest confirmed rifle), 909 (C) (highest confirmed 1804 rifle). At Harpers Ferry, Captain Meriwether Lewis obtained 15 rifles built under contract for the United States Army in 1792 and 1794. Under pressure to deliver the guns, it is no wonder the final product varied considerably in caliber and barrel length. John Shields, the man who fixed everything, including Lewiss airgun, returned to the Missouri to roam with Daniel Boone, a reputed relative. these 1803 rifles was finished. Just for a matter of information, U.S. arsenals were also using the French metric thread system on the short rifle screws simply because we copied a Charleville type musket in 1795. It was about this time we started giving talks on the short rifle and air gun as well as let a large audience shoot the air rifle at their National Convention. That his men had become expert shots is recorded in the journals as they held shooting contests with Indians along the way. The records at the arsenal are not exact on the matter, as it appears the first 1803 prototype was produced six months after Lewis departed Maryland. The Rifle Shoppe, Inc. - US Arms - US Contract Rifles This is a very good theory since only Lewis had any real opportunity to field test the rifles and make such suggestions. All military M1803 rifles used a solid rib for a better soft solder adhering surface. What was expected of these men and their training with rifles is worthy of quoting from the original 1812 dated manual: He must be taught to fire at a target without a rest, for if he accustoms himself to fire without a support, he will rarely fire true without one; but as this method will be rendered easy by practice, he should begin by firing at fifty yards distance, and increase it by degrees to 100, 150, 200 and 300 yards. As for the slings Lewis, assigned regimental paymaster to the First Infantry Regiment in 1800, had visited all the Western forts and garrisons and was so well acquainted with them and their men that in 1802 (after he became the Presidents personal Secretly in March of 1801) Jefferson appointed him to prepare a chart rating the 269 officers then in the Army. Our findings on the ball size were finally substantiated to our satisfaction by a book Colonial Frontier Guns, by T.M. This is more than just a casual letter expressing what might be a nice idea for a new rifle since he makes it a point to state that he has convincing proof of the new rifles advantages, meaning the rifle had passed the test stage. Note inspector marks IW on left barrel flat of Gumpf rifle in the same configuration of inspector marks on the M1803 rifles. According Land claims given to veterans of the Revolutionary War were in this new area, but the Indians were not ready to peacefully give up their ancient lands to encroachment. After the official adoption of the rifle and its new nomenclature, both long rifle and short rifle begin to appear in inventory records. One other important fact is that all remaining rifles were sold off at auction in St. Louis on September 23, 1806 so none were available of any type for the painting.(44). The men Lewis recruited in 1803 were hardened frontiersmen and as such would not have even considered the use of a sling, but there is another very good reason why they could not have used slings the short rifle is structurally incapable of mounting one. The lowest numbered 1803 dated military rifle examined and confirmed was SN 318, the highest number SN 844, but unconfirmed. United States 1792 contract rifles are Pennsylvania-Kentucky rifles with a 42-inch long octagonal barrel in .49 caliber, with a patch box built into the buttstock. Lewis and Clark Rifle Kit? - American Longrifles Pipes were hard soldered to the rib before assembly so they would not release from the rib during the barrel mounting process. Standard rifle powder (FFFg) of that day simply cannot produce the pressure needed to burst an octagon barrel, especially at the muzzle where the energy has expended. Private Willards mishap of letting his gun fall in while crossing Boyers river on a 25-foot log would not have occurred. Dearborn had experience with rifles in the American Revolution. These actions undoubtedly brought to conclusion the desired purchase of the entire Louisiana territory, to include New Orleans, in April,1803, averting a war which neither Spain nor France knew they could win. been issued to Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery. Bomford also shows rifles made in 1807 but from our research and collected data, not one rifle has been found with an 1807 dated lock date. 1807 was the year the Embargo Act was passed suspending foreign trade, so the government had to come up with its own brand of SDSfor the rifle powder. Many of the guns examined had unmatched locks. It is interesting to note that in 1802, 500 rifles were sent to the Mississippi territory (to William S. Hollings, U.S. consul in New Orleans) and may have been in the hands of riflemen at the Battle of New Orleans. The fiscal year 1804 was the same as the calendar year until 1838, so storekeeper production reporting of new weapons built in 1803 may simply be the result of Harpers Ferry exceeding their new production budget for the year 1803, forcing them to delay production reporting until fiscal year 1804. But it wasn't until October 1803 that the first of he prefers the short rifle Lewis had shown him "over the long ones U.S. Harpers Ferry Model 1842 Percussion Musket - NRA Museum As it progresses it will become obvious as to which lock plate dates belong which guns by serial number blocks. This sealed the fact that for all these years the caliber for 1803-1819 rifles listed in gun books is wrong. In fact, The most convincing evidence of the use of the new Model 1800 short rifle on the Voyage of Discovery comes from entries in the various journals kept on the expedition by Lewis, Clark, and his Sergeants. rifles were manufactured at Harpers Ferry and the rifles and extra parts were made all interchangeable. Next is a center thimble placed two inches forward of any known military contract rifles. If an itemized list of goods sold at auction in St. Louis (September 23, 1806) could be located, we would know how exactly how many rifles were sold, giving us the number kept by members. (43) Correspondence with and Documents provided by E.I DuPont Manuscripts & Archives Department/ July,2004. Usually, as common sense would dictate, only one pattern rifle was made at a time. Lewiss careful preparation for the journey was incredible. Dies had not yet been made to make the one-piece stamping. Asspecified by Knox the bore is .49 caliber, tumbler has a fly with set triggers, barrel length is 44-1/2 and barrel mounted with lateral keys. By establishing a time line of events in the development of the short rifle it becomes evident that they were produced in quantity in 1803, something that only could have been accomplished if the prototype stage had been completed and approved. (45), Among the invoice of items taken from the arsenal at Harpers Ferry with the 15 slings were 15 Cartouch box belts and 125 Musket flints. This is respectable shooting for a rifleman using the 1803 rifle. They were so special that Harpers Ferry built the militarys first sniper rifle in 1814 specifically for the best of these men as the force was increased. Hawken Fullstock Rifle, Pecatonica River Long Rifle Supply Only if a pattern lock, complete with pan and mounting holes, was furnished to a gunsmith prior to production (such as was obviously done with the 15 extra locks made for Lewiss rifles)could any degree of interchangeability become possible.(15). The remaining 460 rifles of the first contract remained in store in Schuylkill Arsenal in Philadelphia and eventually augmented by those from the second contract. ABOVE: The buckhorn style rear sight found on Lewiss 15 rifles and ALL pre-December, 1803 manufactured rifles. from Lewis to Jefferson, it appears that Lewis had the arsenal shorten The remaining unclaimed land would be acquired by treaties, negotiations and conflicts lasting well over 100 years. In 1792 there was a need for rifles, and a contract was drawn up with Lancaster, Pennsylvania, gunsmiths to deliver rifles. Since few people understand these rifles, their origins and how to identify them, we decided to cover them briefly. 1792/1794 Lewis and Clark Contract Rifle - Don Stith Another goal was to find the mythical North West passage, a water route to the Pacific. (13) Major James E. Hicks, U.S. Military Firearms/ 1776-1956, (James E. Hicks & Son, 1962), Pg. When that supply was exhausted, they went to the round-bottom rifling with 36 barrel for reasons also explained in the story. Build Track's 1792 Contract flintlock longrifle parts set, with 15/16 We can be grateful for his diligence and time expended on this subject. 1 turn in 56" twist, in .50 and .54 caliber. [4] The Army refers to modern speculation that the changes Lewis had made to the contract rifles (adding sling swivels, shortening the barrel further to 33-36 inches and reboring them to a larger caliber),[4] led to the design of the US Model 1803, created six months later.[4]. 441. Few people realize that significant gaps exist in the journals that Lewis started on August 30, 1803. It is both significant and fortunate that Perkin had some of the best gunsmiths and artisans available for Lewiss project, many of whom already were, or would become, noted gunsmiths in their own rights. Fevert de Saint Memin of Meriwether Lewis in fanciful frontier dress holding an artists conception of a long rifle with sling swivels.. As ridiculous as this print is in itself, it has no historical context nor any importance in regards to the expedition so it is not worthy of being included in the story except for the its effect upon the long rifle theory. 1803 dated rifles made before December of 1803 fall into this category. May,1985. Moller makes an interesting statement regarding storekeeper George Ingalls (Schuylkill Arsenal) 1810 records in his chapter on the 1807 contract rifles and is worth quoting in its entirety The dates that the rifles were entered in the storekeepers records usually summarized several earlier deliveries and should not be construed as the actual dates of deliveries. It rules out the Model 1803, which didn't enter production until the fall. This was enough to hold 208 pounds of the 226 special powder carried, with 18 pounds left for immediate use just about right to fill 15 horns for the start of the journey and to practice with the new rifles. (Phillip Schreier/ Winchester Model of 1895 .405 Win/American Rifleman, April 2007/ pg. TYPE III Military rifles produced after Dearborns December,1803 changes to include new style sight, stock reinforcing band and slightly flared upper pipe. of powder each and(contain) 8 of lead. U.S. Harpers Ferry Model 1792 Flintlock Rifle repro - NRA Museum What is important is that Dearborn was well enough informed of the benefits offered by the new rifling design to make note of it in his letter. Even ramrods were marked somewhere along its length. were the prototype for the M1803 rifle. Guns produced before Dearborns changes of December 1803 used these pipe. The Lewis and Clark short rifle Harpers Ferry short rifle SN 15, built in 1803 was used as a pattern for our rifle project once we verified its authenticity. The Mountain Man's Rifle - Frontier Partisans It could be done, according to the manual, with a cartridge or loose powder from a horn and ball. This pipe could not be changed for reasons explained in the text. Lewis knew that much time was going to be spent in canoes, and that the hunters would be shooting buffalo, elk, bears and other large game. Louisiana Purchase. *********************************************************************, Harpers Ferry rifle production capabilities. We hope this article will put to rest the mystery of what type of short rifle was carried on the expedition. 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 . Again, it is very important to recognize that Lewiss rifles had absolutely nothing to do with the upcoming 1803 military contract. For instance, Mollers total 1803-1807 rifle production of 4,013 was based upon Harpers Ferry storekeepers Samuel Annins records, but a footnote states that 4,015 rifle bullet molds and chargers were made, casting doubts on that figure. The ball size (calibre) used in ALL of the short rifle series is .520. A previous years work on the new Model 1800 rifle project would have been adequate to complete the prototype process with only the production phase halted. 1800) prototypes. Vol 2, Pg. In an arti- cle in a similar vein that Tait published in Man At Arms,4he stated that several hundred of the Contract rifles were known to have been stored at Harpers Ferry in 1803. From the available evidence, it seems that Dearborn was so impressed 26. Clark, July 2, 1806 We gave the Second gun to our guides agreeable to our promis..two of the rifles have unfortunately bursted near the muscle. At 100 yards, the odds were very much in favor of being struck by an American rifle ball whereas a British soldier, using the smoothbore musket, could shoot all day and probably not strike a man sized target at 100 yards, thus our riflemen were greatly feared. This has been a consistent error found in ALL gun books and writings relating to this weapon. The second observation worthy of note is the comment about the rifling being less liable to become fouled by firing. Even if Bomford is incorrect in his yearly production figures, the total production of 4015 (not including pattern rifle) would be unchanged. The manufacturing was contracted out to Henry Deringer and R. Johnson to make rifles for use by the military. (5) To begin to unravel the controversy surrounding the type of rifle carried on the Voyage of Discovery, we need to examine how the short rifles appeared on the scene. 98). 1803 Harper's Ferry Rifle Not available at this time Lewis and Clark carried Harper's Ferry style rifles on their journey to the Pacific Ocean and back. These consisted of the best marksmen in the regiment and were to be emulated by the others in the unit. 9. Set 50 minie' bullets 46.10 Reproduction and sale of historical muzzle-loading and breech-loading guns. Lewis and Clark maintained a detailed journal of western geography, About 5/8 has been removed from the muzzle of the barrel (perhaps it too had split). and Don Stith and represents a replica crafted on the features A thread discussing the contract guns. (1), Sawyers Model 1800 rifle theory was based upon the fact that on March 3, 1799, Congress passed an act authorizing the addition to the regular army of One Regiment and battalion rifles consisting of 1,840 privates, totaling 2052 men. modified 1792 / 1794 rifles, not the M1803 ones. Both entries show that the locks and their components were indeed interchangeable. Some were based upon actual events, but many were subjects of exaggerations. While preparing for the trip Meriwether Lewis stopped at Harper's Ferry to get more firearms from the government arsenal there.
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