It will match the other assembly numbers found on the stock and barrel. The Model 1816 was first standardized U.S. martial arm to be manufactured at both Harpers Ferry and Springfield. 1803 Harper's Ferry Rifle kit - Muzzleloader Builder's Supply The War Ministry secretary, Timothy Pickering, suggested the French musket to start production with, such to use some of the parts stocked in the Springfield's warehouses since 1794 assigned as deposits and gunsmithing for the guns repairs. 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. Along the same thoughts, the term long rifle never appears in the journals, being inappropriate since in Lewiss day using that term would have specifically meant the M1792 rifle. GI#: 102236266. Harpers Ferry production capabilities in 1803 was more than enough to make his rifles in the allotted time. From the available evidence, it seems that Dearborn was so impressed It would not have changed the size of the ball. The original example was unearthed in Ohio on a camp site occupied by Waynes Legions. The strength of the iron in the round section of the barrels was being stretched to the limits. Each rifle was still an individually produced weapon with no interchangeability of parts. According to the journals, Windsors rifle had burst on the morning of June 16,1806. If we consider that the .525 ball weighs in at 219 grains, a charge of about 55 grains (1/4 the ball weight) would be enough for accurate shooting (man sized target) out to 300 yards. Owned by Leon Budginas of Salt Lake City, Utah, it traces its origin back 35 years to a St. Louis Antique shop, where ironically the expeditions surviving arms and equipment were sold at public auction upon their return. Lewis and Clark - U.S. Army Center of Military History After being given to states when obsolete, many were converted to percussion. One explanation for this attitude could have been Frances desire to attach the sale of the port to the entire Louisiana Territory. Dearborn undoubtedly had a new Model 1800 in his hands in order to make the above changes. Before their exploratory trip, the Lewis and Clark Expedition obtained rifles from the Harper's Ferry Arsenal. These arms enjoyed the longest production run in U.S. history, lasting until 1844, with nearly 700,000 muskets turned out during this period. All military M1803 rifles used a solid rib for a better soft solder adhering surface. The conclusion was that 1/3 of the entire lot of 1,779 rifles would burst if proved, so they were condemned. 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. But for the precaution taken in bringing on those extra locks and parts of locks, in addition to the ingenuity of John Shields, most of our guns would at this moment be entirely unfit for use; but fortunately for us I have it in my power here to record that they are all in good order.. For all powder charges, the following instructions were given Some hold that a quantity of powder equal to three times the full of the mould in which the ball is cast, is the proper charge; others four times the full of the mould; on this plan a ball of twenty to the pound would be fired with nearly a fourth the weight of the ball. It has also been generally agreed that a lot of imported (factory purchased) locks were used on these rifles to speed up the process. This theory has two origins. transcontinental water route to the Pacific Ocean through the Harpers Ferry was quite capable of building his 15 short rifles between March and July of 1803, as well as completing a substantial number of military contract rifles in the same year. It was from his post in Pittsburgh that he enlisted in Waynes Second Sub-Legion in May of 1795 and joined the Chosen Rifle Company of elite riflemen-sharpshooters commanded by William Clark. (10) Stephen E. Ambrose, Undaunted Courage, (Simon & Schuster, 1996), Pg. Our first Handbook for Riflemen, by William Duane, 1812. The same technology of SDS powder that made these rifles possible was adopted for our first military short rifle. Dearborn had experience with rifles in the American Revolution. (28)(((26), Clark writes of the same incident we Caused all the men of the party who had Short guns to carry them on the portage for fear of Some attempt on the part of the nativs to rob the party.(27). In many instances they were free from the normal camp and fatigue duties of the common soldier and were encouraged to practice with their rifles as often as possible. The grooves should not be cut too deep.(#2). Guns of Lewis and Clark - Buffalo Bill Center of the West One thing we noticed in our research was the differences between weapons when laid alongside each other. I included it to show that the lettering was all hand stamped on his 15 rifles. Great War Militaria 2019. But it wasn't until October 1803 that the first of (17) Many collectors contributed information on existing military contract short rifles in the 1803 & 1804 range. Tench Coxe took over Purveyor of Public Stores in 1803. 30. The name short rifle was applied to the new weapon immediately to separate from the common long rifle then in use (called the M1792 by collectors today). All have heptagonal flat-bottomed rifling, buckhorn rear sight, no stock ferrule, straight upper ramrod pipe, round bottom profile and hollow pipe rib. The results were undeniable the bore has a 1 in 56 twist with .530 lands and .15 deep grooves. When this arsenal was abandoned in 1798, he was given the task of setting up the new government arsenal at Harpers Ferry. A second contract rifle has been identified, the 1807 Contract Rifle, which has different specifications than the weapons of 1792 and 1794. At 200 yards we could keep all shots on a man size silhouette. The only logical explanation is that it was put on by someone after the gun was made and stored at an arsenal. PDF U.S. Model 1803 Prototype Rifle Colter spent one winter (1806-1807) with Forest Hancock and Joseph Dickson, who, having followed Lewis west in 1804, were at the Mandan village when Lewis returned in 1806. Frank A. Tait, "The U.S. Contract Rifle Pattern of 1792," MAN AT ARMS Magazine, Vol. (46) These two items put the slings into perspective all would be needed to fully equip the 15 additional men he would recruit at the various frontier posts carrying muskets with bayonets, a formidable weapon for defense. (5) IBID, Pg. James S. Stubblefield then took over final assembly inspection and carry his script V/JS final inspection cartouche. An 1810 inventory lists 3,113 short rifles and 188 long rifles fit for service on hand at Harpers Ferry. In the February 4th letter the tumbler on the lock was to have a fly (to keep it from catching on the half cock) and a 4-piece patch box with button release. (19) George D. Moller, American Military Shoulder Arms, Volume 2/ From the 1790s to the end of the Flintlock Period, (University Press of Colorado, 1993), Pg. What a story this rifle could tell! These gauges show that a 30-bore gun uses a .517 ball. Harpers Ferry Park needs to rethink the role this new rifle played in history and give it a deserving place in their museum, after all, there is a much bigger and better story to tell the public. This error came from measuring the bores of the rifle at the muzzle, not considering that the muzzle is swamped to allow insertion of the patched ball with the thumb. (51) John Colter returned to the West as a mountain man. A full 90 grain would easily reach the 2,000 FPS mentioned by Sawyer. During our research, we found no recorded instances of any octagon barrel ever bursting. The only place a front sling swivel could be mounted was through the fragile front rib, which, being hollow on the first 15 rifles (based upon serial number 15 rifle), makes it incapable of bearing the weight of the rifle without an extra barrel mounted loop for this purpose. 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. (See Appendix II). 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. A short review of the known facts can lead to no other conclusion: 1. TYPE IV Military rifle with 33 barrels made in 1814 to mid-1815 (before the 36 barrel request). Because the 1792's had already seen 8 to 10 years of hard frontier service and from a gunmakers point of veiw, to try and take 15 rifles by 17 different makers and make them all interchangable (33) Shields shortened this gun on July 1, 1806 as noted by Lewis. 9, Pg. It is believed that the Model 1792 Contract Rifle was quite possibly the rifle issued to the Lewis & Clark expedition from the Harper's Ferry Arsenal for the Expedition of Discovery. 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. 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. from Congress for an amazing endeavor. and Lewis' former Army colleague William Clark, the Corps would Lewis, U.S.A., Early U.S. Military Riflemen, (The American Rifleman, December,1958), Pg. We can learn a lot about our early riflemen from this manual. Harpers Ferry Model 1803 - The US Army's First Rifle The size of the mark is not mentioned, nor the total number of shots fired, but most likely it represented a man sized target (for which military rifles were designed), or about an 18 circle, which, in 1803 was very respectable shooting with round balls and thus noteworthy in the journals. Lewiss took 50 pounds of Best Rifle Powder from Harpers Ferry and purchased 176 pounds of English Cannister Powder from Beck & Harvey in Philadelphia, who made the best rifle powder in the world. Between March and May of 1803, based upon his convincing proof, Dearborn made the important decision that the newly designed Model 1800 short rifle being built for Lewiss expedition was also perfect for the U.S. Armys needs. The embarrassing rout of the First, supported by Kentucky militia, at the Battle of the Wabash led to the formation of the Legion of the United States and also coincided with some of the first. Without enough M1792 rifles in inventory to arm this new force, additional rifles were IMMEDIATELY needed. Right -1819 dated rifle, 36 barrel with 7 groove round bottom rifling with curved lands. Heating the brazing to change the pipe would have caused the solder (which melts at a lower temperature) to release the rib from the barrel. If we look at those preparations, we can easily see that he was equipping for a larger expedition than approved by Congress. Those who kept journals (each Sergeant was to keep one) recorded every day facts in the terminology of the day nothing more, nothing less. Considering the importance of an expedition authorized by President Jefferson along with Dearborns instructions to Perkin to make whatever Lewis needed without delay, his 17 production workers (some books indicate as many as 20) would have had ample time to manufacture his rifles with the raw materials available at the arsenal with only labor costs. Only the upper ramrod pipe, either already mounted on completed rifles or those in stock as completed sub-assemblies, could not have been changed as explained in the text. These glaring errors send up big red flags for his yearly production records too many to be ignored. Having lost his kit to the Indians several times, his Model 1800 rifle ended up in Indian hands early in his trapping career. their firearms and accessories: "1 Pair Pocket Pistols, 1 Pair We did and used it to prove the calibre of the ball. Thus, you rarely (if ever) see a sling on a long rifle. 1792-94 Contract Short Rifle O ther historians agree that Lewis would have taken fifteen of the contract rifles but believe that Lewis ordered modifications. What becomes immediately apparent is that Dearborn is describing an existing rifle, in hand, in order to have such a detailed description for Perkin. Serial number 708 is the lowest 1804 dated gun we could confirm, so anything under that number COULD be an 1803 manufactured gun. If any gun could talk, this would be the one that would tell some great stories. A second contract for the same weapon took place in 1794. All anyone needs to do, for their own satisfaction, is to professionally check it out for themselves. Serial number 318 has a flared pipe which means they simply used one of the newer sub-assemblies.
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