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Wyosmith · January 13, 2020, 11:36 AM

As a full-time gunsmith who makes 95% of my living from the making of muzzleloaders, I have become well educated on the history and function of the old arms.

The #1 factor in the"growing" of the rifled barrel from the short "Jaeger" styles made and brought over by German and Swiss emigrants in the early to mid 1700s was the fact that the powders available in Europe were quite refined and very high quality, but those made in "the colonies" were somewhat crude and often fill of impurities. DuPont started the manufacture of American Powder to a sight standard in the USA in Delaware, but that was not until 1802. There were some makers of powder in the colonies that could produce very high quality, but only in small batches as compared to what was made in Europe.

Early gun makers in American found that by making a barrel longer, the less-than-perfect powders available in America had more time to burn and could give as high a velocity (sometimes higher) then what you could get with European rifles and powders, but the rifled barrels of between 42 to 50 inches long. The average length of a Jaeger type rifle barrel from the areas of what is now Germany and the Czech Republic was about 27" to 32" long.

With the added length also came the benefit of a longer sight radius which made precise shots easier. In Europe, rifles were not yet thought of as weapons of war as much as they were toys of the rich. Shooting matches and hunting were not something the average citizen could do in most places in Europe. (that has not changes much in most of Europe to this day)

In the frontier of American not hitting your target usually meant not eating, and it may mean not living.

So the Long-rifle was a development of need, not style. The style followed the need, not the other way around.

The fancy artwork that came later was simply the market competition of every free market. If I can make a prettier rifle then the guy down the street I may get more business because my skills are more evident. By the end of the American Revolution, gun making was a business that was becoming far more specialized. There were entire shops that specialized in long making or barrel making, and some that made mostly castings for butt plates and trigger guards, an in so doing the market for gun makers was opened up to a far larger degree because a maker could now buy major components and he himself could then specialize in the assembly of the rifle instead of also having to be a foundry-man, wood man, artist, black-smith, rifle-barrel maker and lock smith. Such were the skills of the Pre-Revolution American gun maker. He was most often the most educated and skilled man in an area because he "could do everything" -but make many rifle.

As the shops began to specialize even the old masters saw the opportunity to make more rifle using high quality American barrels and there was then competition from Europe and England for the better locks for the first time. No longer could the importers charge higher prices for locks then what could be purchased in the States, so healthy competition was established and in the days before labor unions, real capitalism was the norm. If lock A was the same quality as lock B and lock B was less expensive, smiths bought lock B.
Or of lack A was a higher quality lock then Lock B, but both cost the same, lock A sold and lock B didn't.
(that how it would still be today if not for bribes from large corporations and involvement of government officials who can be bought, with all items on the market)

As far as barrels go, by the era of the 1770s the American made rifle barrel had set a new standard of quality. There were many made in Europe as good, but may others were considered good enough is they could reliable hit a 4" circle at 30 paces every time. Plenty good enough for game brought to bay by dogs and shot from horseback at close range. The American barrel on the other hand was considered "good enough" when you could hit the head of a squirrel with it at 100 feet 100% of the time. So some European rifles were very accurate, but most American rifles were very accurate.

With the higher velocity afforded by the long barrel, they also had accuracy at longer distances too, and that proved to be noteworthy for a man on the frontier. In a very few battles of the Revolution it proved to be a very dangerous factor against the British, but it was not until the last battle of the war of 1812 that the world (starting with the British) really had to admit the rifled barrel was going to be the way of the future. The severe mauling and horrid defeat of the British in the Battle of New Orleans was so dramatic that they could no longer avoid the truth of the technology.

The Swiss German gunsmith was the one that brought the concept of rifling to the world but it was the American Rifleman that showed the world how effective it was, not just for hunting and target shooting, but for battle when needed.

January 13, 2020, 11:36 AM	#21
Wyosmith Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2010 Location: Shoshoni Wyoming Posts: 2,713	As a full-time gunsmith who makes 95% of my living from the making of muzzleloaders, I have become well educated on the history and function of the old arms. The #1 factor in the"growing" of the rifled barrel from the short "Jaeger" styles made and brought over by German and Swiss emigrants in the early to mid 1700s was the fact that the powders available in Europe were quite refined and very high quality, but those made in "the colonies" were somewhat crude and often fill of impurities. DuPont started the manufacture of American Powder to a sight standard in the USA in Delaware, but that was not until 1802. There were some makers of powder in the colonies that could produce very high quality, but only in small batches as compared to what was made in Europe. Early gun makers in American found that by making a barrel longer, the less-than-perfect powders available in America had more time to burn and could give as high a velocity (sometimes higher) then what you could get with European rifles and powders, but the rifled barrels of between 42 to 50 inches long. The average length of a Jaeger type rifle barrel from the areas of what is now Germany and the Czech Republic was about 27" to 32" long. With the added length also came the benefit of a longer sight radius which made precise shots easier. In Europe, rifles were not yet thought of as weapons of war as much as they were toys of the rich. Shooting matches and hunting were not something the average citizen could do in most places in Europe. (that has not changes much in most of Europe to this day) In the frontier of American not hitting your target usually meant not eating, and it may mean not living. So the Long-rifle was a development of need, not style. The style followed the need, not the other way around. The fancy artwork that came later was simply the market competition of every free market. If I can make a prettier rifle then the guy down the street I may get more business because my skills are more evident. By the end of the American Revolution, gun making was a business that was becoming far more specialized. There were entire shops that specialized in long making or barrel making, and some that made mostly castings for butt plates and trigger guards, an in so doing the market for gun makers was opened up to a far larger degree because a maker could now buy major components and he himself could then specialize in the assembly of the rifle instead of also having to be a foundry-man, wood man, artist, black-smith, rifle-barrel maker and lock smith. Such were the skills of the Pre-Revolution American gun maker. He was most often the most educated and skilled man in an area because he "could do everything" -but make many rifle. As the shops began to specialize even the old masters saw the opportunity to make more rifle using high quality American barrels and there was then competition from Europe and England for the better locks for the first time. No longer could the importers charge higher prices for locks then what could be purchased in the States, so healthy competition was established and in the days before labor unions, real capitalism was the norm. If lock A was the same quality as lock B and lock B was less expensive, smiths bought lock B. Or of lack A was a higher quality lock then Lock B, but both cost the same, lock A sold and lock B didn't. (that how it would still be today if not for bribes from large corporations and involvement of government officials who can be bought, with all items on the market) As far as barrels go, by the era of the 1770s the American made rifle barrel had set a new standard of quality. There were many made in Europe as good, but may others were considered good enough is they could reliable hit a 4" circle at 30 paces every time. Plenty good enough for game brought to bay by dogs and shot from horseback at close range. The American barrel on the other hand was considered "good enough" when you could hit the head of a squirrel with it at 100 feet 100% of the time. So some European rifles were very accurate, but most American rifles were very accurate. With the higher velocity afforded by the long barrel, they also had accuracy at longer distances too, and that proved to be noteworthy for a man on the frontier. In a very few battles of the Revolution it proved to be a very dangerous factor against the British, but it was not until the last battle of the war of 1812 that the world (starting with the British) really had to admit the rifled barrel was going to be the way of the future. The severe mauling and horrid defeat of the British in the Battle of New Orleans was so dramatic that they could no longer avoid the truth of the technology. The Swiss German gunsmith was the one that brought the concept of rifling to the world but it was the American Rifleman that showed the world how effective it was, not just for hunting and target shooting, but for battle when needed.