For many years after the arrival of the early colonists, imported weapons were used in America almost exclusively. On the Continent, especially among the Germans, Swiss and French, much attention had been given to the production of arms of precision and greater progress had been made than in England. The Puritan settlers in Ncw England remained satis fied with their matchlock and flintlock smooth bore arms until the Revolutionary period. Their traditions and training were such that the use of deadly weapons, excepting in cases of defense from enemies and for the purpose of obtaining game in order to sustain life, was frowned on as a practice to he discouraged.
It is to the Teutonic settlers of Pennsyl vania that we must turn for the earliest ex amples of typical American weapons. Peter and Heinrich Leman established themselves near Lancaster, Pa., at the beginning of the 18th century and in 1732 were making rifled arms.
Naturally the first rifles produced were of the contemporary German model, short-barreled, ungainly pieces of large bore. They were flint lock, loading from the muzzle, a mallet being necessary in order to start the bullet into the deeply cut rifling, considerable pressure being afterward required in order to seat the bullet down upon the powder charge. The frontiers men appreciated the value of an arm that gave the accuracy of which these weapons were ca pable as compared with smooth-bore muskets.
But such laborious methods of loading were impracticable under conditions of Indian war fare and in the pursuit of dangerous game. So the linen or buckskin patch, impregnated with tallow, was devised to be wrapped about the bullet when loading. This seated readily and the rifles were found to shoot farther and truer than by the previous method. By lengthening the barrel greater accuracy as well as ease of sighting and steadier holding ensued. The barrel was usually from 40 to 45 inches in length, octagonal, and of a bore from 35 to 40 round balls to the pound. The stock was made of maple or walnut extending the full length of the barrel, the ramrod being carried in a slot underneath. A cheekpiece was fashioned near the breech, also a patch box, and the butt of the stock terminated in a crescent-shaped plate to be held against the upper arm instead of the shoulder. The locks were generally fitted with single or double set triggers. The stock was intentionally slender and light, the total weight of the rifles being about 10 pounds. Sights were very low on the barrel, consisting of an oval silver blade at the muzzle and at the breech a straight bar with a fine notch, frequently inlaid with a narrow vertical strip of silver. Though the range of these rifles was seldom effective beyond 200 yards, within that distance great precision as well as a flat curve of trajectory was secured, the proportion of the weight of the bullet to the powder charge being about three to one.
In the Far West a change in model was made in order to adapt the rifle to the conditions of buffalo hunting and use on horseback. A rifle of this type made in Missouri in 1820 has a 34-inch octagonal barrel with a maple stock extending half way to the muzzle. The bore is slightly over one-half inch in diameter, and a charge of about 90 grains of powder was used. This arm has double set triggers and weighs about 10% pounds.
In the South the standard rifle was of rela tively small bore. Bullets of about 70 to 80 to the pound were found to be sufficient for still hunting the small game of the section, such as wild turkeys and squirrels. Though larger calibres were to be found to a certain extent, the Kentucky smallbore rifle attained a widespread reputation.
The sport of target or turkey shooting from an artificial rest at distances up to 40 rods developed a type of rifle which while very accu rate was useless for field purposes, weighing from 20 to 40 pounds. A bore of from .40 to .60 calibre was customary with an elongated projectile and telescope sights were frequently applied. Carlos Clark of Windsor, Vt., in 1836 adopted the false muzzle for the purpose of preventing wear on the rifling when loading, and it was generally used with this style of arm.
The first military weapon employed by the United States government was the Charleville musket, the national arm of France, which was brought to this country in large quantities dur ing the Revolutionary War through the influ ence of Marquis de Lafayette. The French model of 1763 served as an example for Amer ican private manufacturers who were en couraged by the government. These muskets were heavy smooth-bore flintlocks taking an ounce ball and fitted with bayonets. In 1795 the government armory at Springfield, Mass., was established and the manufacture of muskets by the government was begun during that year. The Charleville musket as improved in 1797 continued to be the standard type of military weapon. The Harper's Ferry armory was es tablished in 1796, but the fabrication of arms was not begun until 1801. In 1804 rifles were produced there in small quantities. A rifle re sembling the sporting model of the period was brought out at this armory in 1814. It had a half-octagon barrel, short forestock, no bayo net and a curved butt plate, and was adapted to a one-half ounce ball. The Hall rifle issued in 1818 was the first breechloading rifle to be manufactured by the government. It was origi nally a flintlock, but was later changed to a per cussion lock arm. In 1822 the muzzleloading principle was still retained in the musket and rifle of that date, issued as a new model. The musket and rifle of the model of 1842 were the first service weapons to be originally made with percussion locks.