Why those flintlocks were so tall?!?!

[Andy54Hawken]

I'm gonna add another guess as to why round vs octagon. It's tough to make a nice uniform round cylinder without a lathe as opposed to draw filing flats with a simple file and a lot of patience. Lathe turning on the other hand would make for faster production given the proper equipment.

True.. Ease of manufacture could influence or dictate style...
Yet most* military arms of the time had round barrels or at the most were octagon only at the breech...so I am still leaning to style , price point and what sold well...

*The 1803 models of the "Harper's Ferry" rifle with its half round / half octagon barrel come to mind as an exception here...
The half round / half octagon barrel was also popular in many sporting firearms , both rifled and smooth bore during this period
Andy

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Ok, Andy didn't explain barrel length Whatta happen Brother?
Standard Barrel length was "2/3 Tall as a man" Or some times measured in Hands ( Like 8 hands or there abouts) which meant it was the ideal length to load with out bendin in the middle!
Though many savvy hunters, solders, and frontiersmen may shorten a barrel to a more handy or balanced length, it was generally done so as a field modification! Many a Sea born fightin man would take to sawin off a knot length ( About a foot) to increase his close quarters fighting swing!

I did not forget barrel length... I often mentioned in my posts above... that barrel length varied at many times and places...according to what sold well and the prevailing style.

I am not sure where this "standard barrel length was 2/3 as tall as a man"... Comes from...
What standard..? Whose standard...? At what time period...?

If Military , then the barrels were long , simply because the musket was a handle for the bayonet... Though those of the Naval pattern were often factory made with a shorter , than Infantry barrel...
Most Infantry barrels were in the "standard" range of 42-48 inches depending on the country of origin and time period...most Naval pattern barrels were in the 36-42 inch range as a "standard" again according to time and country.

If civilian , then the barrels were long or short at the wish of the maker or market.

If one looks at records of the fur trade you can see that Trade gun barrels were at a "standard" of 30 , 36, 42 or 46 inches for the most part , depending on when and where the gun was to be sold or traded.
As a very general rule...not one that is set in stone...the earlier the Trade Gun the longer the barrel...again as a general rule....

Again as to the why..? 'cause that is what the style was and sold well in a given area in a given time period.*
The fur trade was all about making money...and you can't make money if your product's don't sell.

I get than that my notions here are not for everyone , go against black powder firearm "Facts" / myth and that my simple answer of :
The barrels were long ( or short ) according to the style of the area , time era and what sold well...
Is not what many folks think of when asked that question.
Andy

* Yes you can find period references to barrel length and burnt or unburnt powder and there were and continue to be raging arguments about the ideal barrel length for a given caliber or powder charge...

 

[Ownerus]

...
Yet most* military arms of the time had round barrels or at the most were octagon only at the breech...so I am still leaning to style , price point and what sold well...

I would expect most military arms to have round barrels, especially into the industrial revolution because of greater quantity and access to the "latest" equipment. Less likely to be hand hewn cottage industry products. Even a bit of octagon at the breech could be more of a tooling feature for timing things like sights on top (when present), touch holes 90°to the right etc. than just style. Though style/convention no doubt played a part. Even today, the answer to "why" is often "because we've always done it that way".

 

[Bon Sauvage]

In a few instances some types of hunting demanded a long barrel. Early Dutch elephant hunters on the Cape come to mind.

They would hunt elephant from horseback. They would ride close to the elephant, discharge their firelocks, and ride away to reload. They reloaded by placing the butt of their weapon on the ground and reloading from the saddle. This required an extraordinarily long barrel to make it work.

By remaining in the saddle during the loading process they were ready for a fast getaway should the need arise.

 

[JCKelly]

Easier to hand-forge a reasonably accurate octagon than a round. Barrel profile. Try it.
Shorter barrels easier to handle in the woods. I recall as a teenager trying to hunt rabbits in southern Delaware with an old 54"-barreled flint fowler. Couldn't swing that barrel through the damn briars. Think I heard the rabbit laughing . . .
Short barrels were less effective at burning the lousy powder of the time.
Rogers' Rangers cut their 46" barrel Long Land pattern Brown Bess guns down to 36" during the French & Indian War. "INDIAN TRADE GUNS" p15-16, says guns shipped in the 18th century had 4", 3-1/2" and 3' barrels.