Musket stuff

[Swamp Bow]

For anything muzzleloading I'd like to recommend here:
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/index.php?
There is tons of info on the smoke poles and it's the equiv. of PA to ML.
No matter what you're looking for, someone will gladly point the way.
A friend of mine that I've lost contact with was really into the L&C thing. Made a few rifles to copy also.
Just be thick skinned when posting there. Not everyone agrees and gets along, but, they don't bite new comers,,,,, too often. 

Gary

Cool, I just took a quick look.  Book marked it.  I did see the American Politics section and just shuddered.  I think I'll stay out of that one if I want to keep my sanity.   Thanks

Swamp

[riarcher]

HA! Got it!
Guy's name is Richard,, goes by the handle "Swampy" on that site I mentioned.
Has a online site (not sellin anything) where he has pic's of the "Contract Rifle" that he built using what records he could find on L&C. (http://www.nimrodsplace.com/lewisandclark1.html)
I'm cetain he could help with any info you'd like.
Tell him Gary (riarcher) sent ya!. 
He&* of a nice guy. (just like me    )

[Grunt]

Fine work, you know your stuff. Lewis and Clark carried a 1803 Harpers Ferry 50 cal half stock flintlock. Your build looks like the transition rifle, half stock for horseback,  a forerunner of the Hawken.

I am looking for the documentation, but recently I read that the 1803 Harper's Ferry Rifles were delivered about 4 months after the Corps of Discovery shipped out. 

The gun they carried that really gets my interest piqued is the air rifle.  They were able to get multiple shots off before pumping up the reservoir.  Coooool.

I'll dig out my three volume set of Coue's edition of Lewis and Clarks journals and see if I remember right about the rifles. If I remember right they got the first rifles out of the armory.  Coulter and Drewer were the chief hunters and the only critter they had trouble with was grizzly or "white"bears. Drewer was a Frenchman and Drewer is his Americanized name.

[Grunt]

I looked into your question about the 1803 Model 1 Harpers Ferry rifle in The History of the Lewis and Clark Expedition edited by Elliott Coues 1893. The rifles they carried were definitely made by the Harpers Ferry arsenal in 1803 as were their tomahawks. The arms were budgeted at $81. The arsenal started making them in May 1803 and Lewis was still at Harpers Ferry waiting on his metal ribbed boat till the 8th of July. The U S Army expedition didn't leave St Louis area until May 1804. All the guns were the same because the journals describe the ease of changing out the locks and tumblers so they were issue weapons. Thomas Jefferson pretty much gave the expedition a big letter of credit and I can't imagine Jefferson sending them on their way without state of the art weapons. I haven't reread all three volumes but every time I pick up one I page through the finest American hunting story ever told. The indians were impressed with the air gun.

[Grunt]

Fine work, you know your stuff. Lewis and Clark carried a 1803 Harpers Ferry 50 cal half stock flintlock. Your build looks like the transition rifle, half stock for horseback,  a forerunner of the Hawken.

I am looking for the documentation, but recently I read that the 1803 Harper's Ferry Rifles were delivered about 4 months after the Corps of Discovery shipped out. 

The gun they carried that really gets my interest piqued is the air rifle.  They were able to get multiple shots off before pumping up the reservoir.  Coooool.

I just found out something. I was in Asheville NC today and as my custom I went to a used book store to brouse around. I found a book titled Lewis and Clark Across the Divide by the Missouri Historical Society and Smithsonian Books. The book is a companion catalog of items carried in the Lewis and Clark expedition collected from several museums. The large nice book was $8 so I bought it and as soon as I got home I looked up weapons.It seems as if my assumptions about the party carrying Harpers Ferry 1803 half stocks is wrong. The book states that time time frame is wrong for the HF 1803's to be used. It seems that the party got fifteen Model 1792's that were stored at the HF arsenal and had them fitted with new locks. They also had duplicate locks made to carry along with the reconditioned rifles. The Model 1792's were originally made by private gunmakers on contract with the US government. 
All this fits with my previous research, guns from HF and same locks and parts. Ya learn something new every day. Sure glad you brought this to my attention JW.
 By the way the book has all kinds of other way cool info about the LC party including published photos of original journals and lists of trade goods and such.   

[Eric Krewson]

If you really want a great read, pick up a copy of "Undaunted Courage" by Steven Ambrose. His research of the Lewis and Clark expedition is second to none. His book will keep your interest from the first to the last page, hard to put down.

[Hillbilly]

If you really want a great read, pick up a copy of "Undaunted Courage" by Steven Ambrose. His research of the Lewis and Clark expedition is second to none. His book will keep your interest from the first to the last page, hard to put down.

Just read it a couple weeks ago-really good book.