- Messages
- 23,293
- Reactions
- 111,611
For the purposes of this thread I am talking about the more common firearms used in the areas west of the Missouri river from the years about 1800 - 1860.
The firearm was a popular and important article of trade.
Basically rifles , smooth bores and pistols were used
( There article done...
)
Or for the long read version...
( Sorry so long , tried to keep it short )
The firearms used came in flintlock , percussion and in the 1860's breech loaders were more frequently seen at times.
Flintlocks were used for the longest time....I have seen flintlock Trade Guns with dates as late as the 1870's and 1880's.
One of the more common myths as to why the flintlock was favored is because :
"If you ran out of caps your percussion gun was useless and , you can get a rock from the ground and make your flintlock work."
I say myth because , if you had a percussion gun...you could be resupplied with caps from the supply train or fur trade post and one probably had a good supply of caps on their person.
Getting back to flintlocks...you can't just use any old rock to make a spark...
Flint of course works the best.... Chert , Obsidian , various "quartzite" rocks and pyrite will work ...but ya gotta know what they look like and where to find them.
Flints were shipped out by tons...a whole guild and apprentice system was based around flint knapping in England and France.
I would say that the flintlock was used for so long because :
It worked...
It was less expensive than a percussion gun or breech loader...
Also there were no UPS or FED EX back in the day to ship the latest and greatest items out to a remote post...
Flintlocks were a known quality to many...
Percussion guns start showing up in accounts and ledgers from the mid 1830's onward.
Nat. Wyeth tells of "percussioning" some rifles while in the field , in 1834
Antone Clement was pictured with a percussion pistol in his belt , by A.J. Miller in 1837.
Percussion guns were popular and used from the late 1830's through the 1880's.
Percussion caps were regularly supplied to traders , trappers and fur trade posts.
Breech loaders are mentioned from the late 1850's onward...
But again more expensive and with less frequency than muzzle loaders.
( Excluding the buffalo hide trade of the late 1870's - 80's )
As for the types of firearms used...
Rifles were of the "Trade Rifle" type or private purchase.
Trade Rifles , were rifles that were made for use in the fur trade , either by traders and trappers or for trade to the tribes.
These could come in either flintlock or percussion form as well as full or half stock....
All depending on time era or orders placed.
Also most were made to a particular pattern or style.
The two most common were the "Lancaster" and the "English" patterns.
By "Lancaster" I am talking of a plainer version of the American Long Rifle...made in Lancaster County Pa.
The English pattern rifles were based on popular English style sporting rifles.
Maple and walnut were common stock woods , brass was used for the trigger guards , patchboxes , and such...
Barrels ran from 32 - 42 inches in length....again depending on the order...most early rifles had longer barrels...but this is not a hard and fast rule.
Calibers were in the .47 - .58 caliber range. .47 / .53 being very common.
Makers of Trade Rifles include :
J. Henry
Jacob Dickert
Henry Leman
And many others....
A note on Trade Rifles / Guns...often the word "cheap" is seen in period accounts.
"Cheap" in the 1800's meant thrifty or inexpensive..Not poorly made , just plainer made.
The Indian knew a good product as well as having a good idea of what his goods were worth....and would very often pass on a product of inferior quality
Private purchase rifles were again flintlock , percussion or later of the breech loading type.
Rifles of this type are often referred to as "Sporting Rifles" or if made in the South as "Southern Rifles".
These rifles conformed to the styling of the day or region made...but perhaps not to all of the same pattern.
Many of the same makers of Trade Rifles and Guns , made firearms for private purchase.
A famous sporting rifle maker , were the Hawken Brothers out of St. Louis...
A discussion of them and their rifle in regards to the fur trade deserves its own thread.
A J. Henry Trade rifle circa 1800
A Henry Leman Trade Rifle circa late 1830's
A "Sporting Rifle" of the 1840's - 1850's
Two "Southern Rifles "
Smooth Bores...
Shotguns , fowlers , "Fusils" , Northwest Trade Guns / Trade Guns , surplus muskets , and "Smooth Rifles"...
All seen and listed in accounts and ledgers.
Gauges found are 28 , 20 , 16 , 12 and even .410ish....
Shotguns...
Generally speaking of the double barrel type , either flint or percussion or much later breech loading.
Fowler..
A single barrel shotgun , usually flint or percussion.
A Flintlock Fowler
"Fusil"...
Can mean many things depending on the writer.
It can be :
A light weight single barrel shotgun...
A light weight , fancy , private purchase musket ...
Or a term for a Northwest Trade Gun...
A Northwest Trade Gun was a smooth bore gun originally made for the Northwest Company and Hudson Bay Company .
It came in either flint or percussion and was adopted for use by almost all fur trade companies regardless of origin....
And was the most popular of firearms for trade.
A "Fusil"
Northwest Gun / Trade Gun...
See above.
A Side Plate of a Northwest Gun....the "Serpent" / "Dragon" was a "trademark" of this type of gun
Top firearm is a Northwest Trade Gun made by Parker Field , 1834 ( converted from flint )
Bottom firearm is a late Trade Rifle made by J. Henry
Surplus Muskets...
New or used older pattern military muskets given or traded to the tribes.
Smooth Rifles..
Look like rifles...with curved butt plates , front and rear sights...maybe even double set triggers....
But were made with smooth bores and were never rifled.
Calibers are generally .45 and up.
Pistols...
Flint , percussion or later breech loading...
Many were of the "Trade type" , plainer versions of popular civilian pistols or military models.
Rifled or smooth bore as well.
Calibers range from .40 - .75
Percussion and cartridge revolvers were seen from time to time...but again expensive.
Typical "pocket pistol" of the 1760's - 1800 era.
Well I hope that this thread was informative and not too boring...
Andy
The firearm was a popular and important article of trade.
Basically rifles , smooth bores and pistols were used
( There article done...
)Or for the long read version...
( Sorry so long , tried to keep it short )
The firearms used came in flintlock , percussion and in the 1860's breech loaders were more frequently seen at times.
Flintlocks were used for the longest time....I have seen flintlock Trade Guns with dates as late as the 1870's and 1880's.
One of the more common myths as to why the flintlock was favored is because :
"If you ran out of caps your percussion gun was useless and , you can get a rock from the ground and make your flintlock work."
I say myth because , if you had a percussion gun...you could be resupplied with caps from the supply train or fur trade post and one probably had a good supply of caps on their person.
Getting back to flintlocks...you can't just use any old rock to make a spark...
Flint of course works the best.... Chert , Obsidian , various "quartzite" rocks and pyrite will work ...but ya gotta know what they look like and where to find them.
Flints were shipped out by tons...a whole guild and apprentice system was based around flint knapping in England and France.
I would say that the flintlock was used for so long because :
It worked...
It was less expensive than a percussion gun or breech loader...
Also there were no UPS or FED EX back in the day to ship the latest and greatest items out to a remote post...
Flintlocks were a known quality to many...
Percussion guns start showing up in accounts and ledgers from the mid 1830's onward.
Nat. Wyeth tells of "percussioning" some rifles while in the field , in 1834
Antone Clement was pictured with a percussion pistol in his belt , by A.J. Miller in 1837.
Percussion guns were popular and used from the late 1830's through the 1880's.
Percussion caps were regularly supplied to traders , trappers and fur trade posts.
Breech loaders are mentioned from the late 1850's onward...
But again more expensive and with less frequency than muzzle loaders.
( Excluding the buffalo hide trade of the late 1870's - 80's )
As for the types of firearms used...
Rifles were of the "Trade Rifle" type or private purchase.
Trade Rifles , were rifles that were made for use in the fur trade , either by traders and trappers or for trade to the tribes.
These could come in either flintlock or percussion form as well as full or half stock....
All depending on time era or orders placed.
Also most were made to a particular pattern or style.
The two most common were the "Lancaster" and the "English" patterns.
By "Lancaster" I am talking of a plainer version of the American Long Rifle...made in Lancaster County Pa.
The English pattern rifles were based on popular English style sporting rifles.
Maple and walnut were common stock woods , brass was used for the trigger guards , patchboxes , and such...
Barrels ran from 32 - 42 inches in length....again depending on the order...most early rifles had longer barrels...but this is not a hard and fast rule.
Calibers were in the .47 - .58 caliber range. .47 / .53 being very common.
Makers of Trade Rifles include :
J. Henry
Jacob Dickert
Henry Leman
And many others....
A note on Trade Rifles / Guns...often the word "cheap" is seen in period accounts.
"Cheap" in the 1800's meant thrifty or inexpensive..Not poorly made , just plainer made.
The Indian knew a good product as well as having a good idea of what his goods were worth....and would very often pass on a product of inferior quality
Private purchase rifles were again flintlock , percussion or later of the breech loading type.
Rifles of this type are often referred to as "Sporting Rifles" or if made in the South as "Southern Rifles".
These rifles conformed to the styling of the day or region made...but perhaps not to all of the same pattern.
Many of the same makers of Trade Rifles and Guns , made firearms for private purchase.
A famous sporting rifle maker , were the Hawken Brothers out of St. Louis...
A discussion of them and their rifle in regards to the fur trade deserves its own thread.
A J. Henry Trade rifle circa 1800
A Henry Leman Trade Rifle circa late 1830's
A "Sporting Rifle" of the 1840's - 1850's
Two "Southern Rifles "
Smooth Bores...
Shotguns , fowlers , "Fusils" , Northwest Trade Guns / Trade Guns , surplus muskets , and "Smooth Rifles"...
All seen and listed in accounts and ledgers.
Gauges found are 28 , 20 , 16 , 12 and even .410ish....
Shotguns...
Generally speaking of the double barrel type , either flint or percussion or much later breech loading.
Fowler..
A single barrel shotgun , usually flint or percussion.
A Flintlock Fowler
"Fusil"...
Can mean many things depending on the writer.
It can be :
A light weight single barrel shotgun...
A light weight , fancy , private purchase musket ...
Or a term for a Northwest Trade Gun...
A Northwest Trade Gun was a smooth bore gun originally made for the Northwest Company and Hudson Bay Company .
It came in either flint or percussion and was adopted for use by almost all fur trade companies regardless of origin....
And was the most popular of firearms for trade.
A "Fusil"
Northwest Gun / Trade Gun...
See above.
A Side Plate of a Northwest Gun....the "Serpent" / "Dragon" was a "trademark" of this type of gun
Top firearm is a Northwest Trade Gun made by Parker Field , 1834 ( converted from flint )
Bottom firearm is a late Trade Rifle made by J. Henry
Surplus Muskets...
New or used older pattern military muskets given or traded to the tribes.
Smooth Rifles..
Look like rifles...with curved butt plates , front and rear sights...maybe even double set triggers....
But were made with smooth bores and were never rifled.
Calibers are generally .45 and up.
Pistols...
Flint , percussion or later breech loading...
Many were of the "Trade type" , plainer versions of popular civilian pistols or military models.
Rifled or smooth bore as well.
Calibers range from .40 - .75
Percussion and cartridge revolvers were seen from time to time...but again expensive.
Typical "pocket pistol" of the 1760's - 1800 era.
Well I hope that this thread was informative and not too boring...
Andy
