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Old April 15, 2005, 09:28 AM   #2
Mike Irwin
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Join Date: April 13, 2000
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 41,374
Most Pennsylvania Long Rifles were in the .40 to .50 caliber range.

Exact calibers were often variable, as each gun was hand made, as were the bullet molds that went along with them.

Accompanying accessories would have included devices for carrying and measuring powder (horn, metal or wood flask, etc.), a knife for trimming patch material, patches, grease, flints (caps likely wouldn't be regularly seen this early), and assorted other small items, as well as a bag for carrying all of that.

Any oil or grease would have been used, as available. Remember, these were the days before oil wells. My guess, though, is that beeswax would have been a common metal protectant. Rubbed onto the metal while it was warm, and then buffed off, it probably would have offered pretty decent protection.

Lots of Pennsylvania Long Rifles were stocked with maple. It's a hard, dense wood with straight grain. Walnut, I don't know how common that was at the time, but I suspect that the trees were used more for their fruit and furniture than they were for stocking guns.
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