From the numbers above we now know that a large quantity of rifles were made in 1803. The butt plate is of two-piece construction indicating hand fabrication before a mold was made to cast them for full military rifle production. Documented cases of OCTAGON barrels bursting in any manner have yet to be encountered by the author. 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. [1] The rifles were to be delivered in units of 100 as quickly as possible. 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. 14 & 68. From September 12 to 15, 1862, Confederate forces under Gen. "Stonewall" Jackson besieged the 13,000-man garrison at Harpers Ferry resulting in the largest surrender of American troops until World War II.. How It Ended. The rifle was to have these specifications: 42" rifled barrel bored 40 balls to the pound (about .490") Since we could not personally examine all rifles on the list for originality, we listed them with a code as follows: C = Inspected & confirmed matching gun. 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. This also tells us that each person received and was responsible for his own rifle and carried it throughout the journey. 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. From the study of just Lewiss rifle (and other 1803 dated rifles we located) his records can conclusively be disputed. been issued to Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery. The steel ramrod, even when greasy from use, is heavy enough to push the ball down the bore if the proper combination of patch and ball used. At Harpers Ferry, Captain Meriwether Lewis obtained 15 rifles built under contract for the United States Army in 1792 and 1794. 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. cit., pg. It was caused by measuring across the muzzle of the rifle where it is swamped (tapered) to allowed a ball to be started into the muzzle with the thumb a characteristic found on our early long rifles but most adopted from British Pattern 76 rifle that was undoubtedly examined during the initial design phases of out M1800 rifle. The War Department expended $9520.49 in 1799 on new arms manufacturing yet manufacturing of muskets did not get well under way until 1801. This Old Gun: U.S. Model 1803 Rifle - An Official Journal Of The NRA It meant that one person used a pattern piece of some sort to make them interchangeable. It is important to note that all parts carry the same batch number which means the gun is a 100% correct assembly from the arsenal. (See Appendix II). It is a well- balanced and a fine example of the long rifle makers work. Dearborn makes no comment of interchangeability of locks for the military rifles, making this feature unique to Lewiss fifteen rifles. SN 94, (2)14 and 359 are pre-Dec 1803 military production, both with December,1803 requested upgrades (front band and sight change) except for the upper ramrod pipe. 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. Guns of the Grunt: 1813 :: Guns.com All I had to do was prove that Harpers Ferry COULD have made his guns within the allotted timeframe and that a lot of period records being used as gospel by writers for many years were wrong. It gave more bonding area for the soft solder. Our serial number research shows that all first production military contract rifles (4000) were completed by the end of 1806 (none have been recorded to date with an 1807 dated lock plate), for a total of 4015 and possibly 4 early (Ca. One thing to note is that barrel thicknesses varied considerably on the military rifles of all production after the prototypes. The Model 1805 Harpers Ferry Pistol: From Inception to Insignia 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. If we take a closer look at riflemen of the period, knowing Lewiss secret gathering of supplies for a larger exploring party than first projected, the journals themselves and the structural aspect of the rifle, this theory can be dispelled. U.S. Harpers Ferry Model 1842 Percussion Musket - NRA Museum (Brown, op. On February 28, 1803, President Thomas Jefferson won approval Our findings on the ball size were finally substantiated to our satisfaction by a book Colonial Frontier Guns, by T.M. Clarke added in his entry the additional comment that the guns were Complete in every respect. A letter from Samuel Hodgdon to Israel Whelan, dated October 14, 1800, requests him to purchase fifty pounds of thick & thin sheet brass for use at Harpers Ferry. 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. The ones I managed to find show up here and in Appendix I where we look at the difference in these 15 rifles and the military production. Caliber 52. The same technology of SDS powder that made these rifles possible was adopted for our first military short rifle. 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.. On January 13, 1792, General Hand wrote back and said "he received Lewiss careful preparation for the journey was incredible. 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. The Indians were probably just as pleased to get the shorter weapons since they were lighter and handier to use when hunting from horseback. The first rifles made at Harpers Ferry reflect the popular American design of the Pennsylvania and Kentucky rifles. In recent years historians have tried to link the M1792 contract rifles to the Lewis & Clark expedition, but it had absolutely no connection as explained in our main story. To understand just how special these men were, one must understand the training provided along with what was expected of them while using the new Model 1803 rifle. 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. MODEL 1819 HARPERS FERRY CONVERTED TO PERCUSSION RIFLE. It is a hammer poll type with a large US marking. At these pressures, just as in modern firearms, any obstruction in the muzzle, such as snow or mud, would have caused them to burst in that area. We hope the information in this article will enlighten all who admire and collect these first military rifles as well as assure they take their proper place in history for the role they played in a major event in early 19th century American history The Lewis and Clark Expedition. Without enough M1792 rifles in inventory to arm this new force, additional rifles were IMMEDIATELY needed. In 1807-1808, Colter explored over 500 miles of new country with only a rifle and a 30-pound pack, including the wonders of Yellowstone Park. (Hicks, op. All second contract guns were delivered by November of 1794. 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 Model 1816 was first standardized U.S. martial arm to be manufactured at both Harpers Ferry and Springfield. It is time to update the history of these rifles not reinvent it. Some believe that the contract rifles Lewis had modified for the expedition Again, every part examined and described herein displays matching assembly numbers, confirming that the rifle is an original arsenal assembly and unaltered since 1803. The arsenal had no part in the 1792/94 contract rifles and none were ever stored there. Judge Thomas Rodney, who met Lewis on his way West and accurately described Lewiss airgun, was appointed by Jefferson to settle all land disputes in the new Louisiana Territory, especially those holding previous legitimate land titles. It has always been said that a good shot is born, not made, and it has been proven through history that the average soldier cannot be turned into a proficient rifleman. 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. He confided in one of his associates that his primary reason for selling the entire territory was that the United States would encroach upon it and take it regardless of his desires to the contrary. 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. It was a tremendous job, but as time would tell, he proved himself capable of the task, which led to a position of great power and earned him the absolute trust and confidence of Secretary of War, Henry Dearborn. This was common practice in riflemens ranks, allowing each individual to learn his own rifles shooting characteristics. I included it to show that the lettering was all hand stamped on his 15 rifles. Any student of early military firearms of this period of history needs his two-volume set in their library. 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 M1792 & M1794 contract rifles were basically of an identical style, varying in barrel lengths, calibers, patch box styles, and possible inlays and carving, all being made by various gunsmiths in the York and Lancaster County areas in Pennsylvania. The ramrod pipe begins to gain a very distinctive upper pipe flair toward the end of the contract. If the lock, stock and barrel match, the rest is probably good since all were hand built and components are not interchangeable. Perhaps he inspected and marked all guns that came through his hands at Schuylkill Arsenal after 1797 until he became Purveyor of Public Stores in 1800. This single fact alone is enough to show the inaccuracy of the Bomford records since he shows no short rifles, pattern or otherwise, produced in 1803. It is important to note the spacing of the numbers that all start the same distance away from the US cartouche which in most cases would not allow another number to be inserted between the cartouche and the first number. Both armories also produced the Model 1842 percussion musket and Model 1855 percussion . The strength of the iron in the round section of the barrels was being stretched to the limits.