Sgt Ordway, June 18, 1806 Drewyer and Shannon Sent on ahead to go to the villages of the pel-oll-pellow nation they took one of the Short rifles in order to git a pilot if possible to go over the mount with us. There are no explanations for these omissions. Most saw hard use and abuse, with minor parts being replaced as needed and thus may not be marked to the gun. Dearborn and Lewis probably discussed this interchangeability idea, leading to Dearborns instructions to Perkin to make whatever he needed. When he died in 1800, Whelan was appointed to the office. It gets somewhat easier when we recognize that the 18th century British military establishment used only THREE calibre balls Musket (approximately .693/14 balls to the pound), Carbine (approximately .650/17 balls to the pound), and Pistol (approximately .610/21 balls to the pound). Their report also described the nearly two John Shields, the man who fixed everything, including Lewiss airgun, returned to the Missouri to roam with Daniel Boone, a reputed relative. 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. Also, ALL 1803 and some early 1804 rifles carry Joseph Perkins inspector cartouche IP in a circle. The U.S. Army's acknowledges that there were 300 of the 1792 or 1794 contract rifles at the arsenal at that time. Lewiss expedition was undoubtedly the most difficult test trial that a newly designed weapon could undergo. Some believe that the contract rifles Lewis had modified for the expedition
The War Department expended $9520.49 in 1799 on new arms manufacturing yet manufacturing of muskets did not get well under way until 1801. 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. C. Gunsmiths
. (41) De Witt Bailey, Ph. Original replacements are often not marked. The .520 calibre ball would ride on the lands and fouling would build only in the grooves only, giving the rifleman more shots between cleanings. 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. Edward Flanagan, who wrote a paper on the 1792 and 1807 contract rifles, believes that the weapons were marked by the U.S. government, a lesson learned from gun thefts during the Revolutionary War. Just before the battle 2,256 members of the of the Kentucky militia showed up, many without arms, so 1,173 were provided with arms from arsenal stores in New Orleans. 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. Periods where Lewis made no entries are September 19 to November 11 of 1803, May 14, 1804 to April 7, 1805 (almost an entire year) and August 26, 1805 to January 1, 1806.(23). There is the possibility that a few rifles may exist with an 1807 lock but none have surfaced as of this writing. To complete our calibre study, we measured as many original short rifle military bullet molds that we could locate in collections and in all instances they measured .520. too much to the right or left, so that he may correct his fire accordingly. To date, no short rifle from the Expedition has been specifically identified and no attributed specimens have ever surfaced, but this all changed in 2005 when Serial Number 15, 1803 dated Harpers Ferry rifle found its way into our shop for examination.
Harpers Ferry Model 1803 - Wikipedia Pedersoli's Shop website offers the sale of muzzle-loading pistols and rifles and related accessories, of historic cartridge rifles and modern rifles with lever loading system. ((24)(19) From personal experience (working for the government), the same practice of delayed production reporting to meet budgeting constraints continues today within government production facilities. Napoleon reestablished peace with us in 1799. [3] He points to a "US" stamp on the barrel of a weapon known to have been a contract rifle. climate, plants and animals, and the customs and languages of The standard service charge was 100 grains (in a rolled cartridge), allowing for 10 in the pan and 90 in the barrel. Next is a center thimble placed two inches forward of any known military contract rifles. This leads to the conclusion that the arsenal had
only one rifle in stock the 1792 / 1794 model. These were divided into smaller sections (called divisions, sub-divisions, twenty platoons and forty sections) for field maneuvers. This has been an error that has persisted since books were written on this subject. Breech markings on SN 15 rifle. It is also of note that they were not required to use the maximum charge and that a reduced load would often perform better. Serial number 708 is the lowest 1804 dated gun we could confirm, so anything under that number COULD be an 1803 manufactured gun.
LEWIS AND CLARK SHORT RIFLE - Great War Militaria Joseph Perkin, superintendent of the Harpers Ferry Arsenal, Henry Dearborn, Secretary of War, and Meriwether Lewis are the principal players in this story.
Pipes were hard soldered to the rib before assembly so they would not release from the rib during the barrel mounting process. 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.. As it progresses it will become obvious as to which lock plate dates belong which guns by serial number blocks. 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). According
This was a literal blank check to use all resources to make Lewiss arms in time for the upcoming expedition. 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. Could it have been one of the rifles that were shortened and given to the Indians? This rifle will be discussed in greater detail in Chapter III and in the footnotes . cit., Vol 1, Pgs. They now gave away the second shorten rifle cut down by Shields. This is the subject of this section, to talk about riflemen and their special weapons. The arms race was very much alive at that time and our fear of having to face British troops armed with a superior rifle forced the U.S. Army to come up with one equal to or better rifle than theirs. Caliber 52. About 5/8 has been removed from the muzzle of the barrel (perhaps it too had split). Many people believe that without these two special arms it may not have succeeded. Such lists are both incomplete and inaccurate; they omit arms from years when existing specimens show that they were made; and they exaggerate the number made there during certain years by incautiously jumbling Model 1800 rifles, Snipper rifles, Wallpieces, Whale guns, and barrels only which were furnished both to contractors and to militia companies, all in one list. 30. The principal means of loading when ranging as individuals was with loose powder and ball. How inspections were done before this time is unknown as well as any markings that may have been applied during the process. [3], A second contract rifle has been identified, the 1807 Contract Rifle, which has different specifications than the weapons of 1792 and 1794. The results were undeniable the bore has a 1 in 56 twist with .530 lands and .15 deep grooves. Another remarkable letter exists from Secretary Dearborn to Superintendent Perkin dated May 25, 1803. 1060 rifles were in stores by 1797, 923 were still there in April of 1801, 911 in 1802. You cannot put a .010 patch on a .530 calibre ball (meaning .54 caliber bore) and get it down the bore of any original rifle. Whelan seems to be associated with Schuylkill arsenal where some of the 1792/4 contract guns were sent. Use and wear quickly changes this. He was also aware of not only their influence that the fine-grained European rifle powder played in its design, but also the fact that Lewis and Clark documented the performance of this radically new short rifle in their journals. May 2006, Vol 32, No.2, written my Jim Merritt from our research. 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 he should weigh his powder, and note the difference of effect with a greater or less quantity of powder, and how far the quantity of powder affects the shot.. Surprisingly we found that this rifle had been known since 1996 but, due to its relic condition, had never been properly examined in detail. It is also possible that contract rifles of 1794 were modified at the arsenal at Harper's Ferry, by shortening the barrels and reboring and rerifling them to .54 caliber. 10 & Pg. There was only one individual working within the gun procurement circles at that time to whom the IW mark may could have belonged Israel Whelan. But some say that a one third of the weight of the ball is not too much; experience shows that to shoot at 250 to 300 yards, one fourth or a fifth is enough. If I can recover some better photos of the stock will add them. All other rifles produced had brass front blades. It was these fiascos from private contractors that sent rifle production back to the arsenals. No rifles left Harpers Ferry without at least SOME of the requested alterations. 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. the Falls of the Ohio River, near Louisville, Kentucky. If it did not meet expectations, another weapon was built until a satisfactory pattern weapon emerged from which production could begin. The expedition became an epic tale of hardship, perseverance and survival that still draws great interest after 200 years. (9) Tony Hunter, The Wilderness Fighters: Part Four, (Muzzleloader Magazine, JULY/AUG 2005), Pgs. (48). Although crude woodcuts of the period, they are of interest in the fact that they seem to be purposely depicting the short barrels of the M1800 rifle.(49). A full 90 grain would easily reach the 2,000 FPS mentioned by Sawyer. The most notable and significant difference in the Serial Number 15 rifle is the STRAIGHT upper ramrod thimble, indicating production prior to Dearborns December changes. The fact that President Jefferson thought mastodons might still roam these regions tells us just how little we knew of this vast wilderness and its people.
Lewis and Clark Rifle Kit? - American Longrifles Americans along the Mississippi, especially the new State of Kentucky, were furious and the United States overtly began preparations for war (saber rattling) over this issue in early 1803. In 1798 Perkin was appointed to set up the new government arsenal at Harpers Ferry. the first had a Cock screw broken which was replaced by a duplicate which had been prepared for the Locks at Harpers, Ferry; the Second repared with a new Lock, the old one becoming unfit for use.(25). This may have been a state level arsenal repair to extend barrel life, however, we have examined some late model rifles that show no use but have a bushed touchhole. from Congress for an amazing endeavor. These former members of the Expedition started the mountain man tradition to follow. Joseph Perkin inspected ALL 1803 dated rifles and some of the early 1804 production, then James Stubblefield took over final inspection to the end of all production in 1819. It is believed that many of these rifles were (49) James Kendall Hosmer, ed., Gasss Journal of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, (Mansfield Centre: Lone Wolf Press, 1999, Reprint of 1904 edition of Gasss Journal), Pgs. It was obvious that we were copying a British style weapon when designing the new M1800 rifles. 1054 (U) 1805 lock/ See Olson article, American Rifleman. Surprisingly we found that this rifle had been known since 1996 but, due to its relic condition, had never been properly examined in detail. Another feature we believe unique to the first 15 rifles was the placement of the second pipe which is closer to the front pipe than those of military production rifles. Shooting a copy of this rifle has proven this correct, giving well over 30 shots between cleaning. All of the above are estimated 1803 production SN ranges based upon the earliest serial number of a confirmed 1804 dated rifle (as done with each year block). In this manner they were able to produce the much-needed rifles in the remarkably short time allotted. The Barrels of the rifles should not exceed two feet nine inches in length and should be calculated for carrying a ball of one thirtieth of a pound weight the barrels should be round from muzzle to within 10 inches of the Britch and not of an unnecessary thickness especially in the round part the stock should not extend further than the tail pipe, from thence to within 3 of the muzzle, an iron rib should be substituted for that part of the stock the ramrod should be of Steel and sufficiently strong for forcing down the ball without binding. Both men made sure that all short rifles would be readily available, being the most effective means of defending themselves should they be attacked. We have taken much of this material from that book. of the Harpers Ferry Arsenal Joseph Perkin, and the 8 July 1803 letter
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. It was under these clouds of potential war that the short rifle was born. Henry Rifle Lee Repeating Rifle Marlin Lever Actions Military Longarms Pre-1816 Muskets 1st Model Brown Bess 2nd & 3rd Model Brown Bess Muskets Charleville Musket M1803 and M1814 Rifles M1816 Musket M1817 Common Rifle M1835 US Musket Austrian CW Rifle M1841 US Rifle (Mississippi Rifle) M1842 Springfield Musket M1851 US Cadet and M1847 US Musketoon The most likely candidate are 1792 contract rifles. 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. All military M1803 rifles used a solid rib for a better soft solder adhering surface. This is the first part of our study on two important weapons carried on the Lewis & Clark expedition, the second being the Airgun. The third observation is that an entirely new lightweight lock was specified for the rifle, meaning that no lock of that style had been previously used on military weapons. In addition, they practiced an Indian-file pace for movement when acting alone or detached from the main body, with the weapon carried in any suitable mode (they used no slings). If you should be of opinion that any improvements may be made on the above construction or any parts thereof, you will be pleased to inform me of such improvements as you may think useful. (17,19) Dating was important because weapons had a serviceable shelf life, which, when expired or obsolete, were usually turned over to State Militia Arsenals as part of their yearly arms allotments. Under pressure to deliver the guns, it is no wonder the final product varied considerably in caliber and barrel length. 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. 127-132. Shields Cut them off and they Shute tolerable well one which is very Short we exchanged with the Indian whoe we had given a longer gun to indue them to pilot us across the mountains.(34). 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. Ed Pugsley was an employee of Winchester and turned over much of his collection to the company.