Again, it is very important to recognize that Lewiss rifles had absolutely nothing to do with the upcoming 1803 military contract. Our ongoing study turned up a quantity of rifles that were unquestionably made in 1803 and bear some unique characteristics to prove that point. The expedition became an epic tale of hardship, perseverance and survival that still draws great interest after 200 years. US Contract Rifles 1792 & 1807 1800 US Short Rifle (Lewis and Clark Rifle) (935) 1803 - 1819 Harpers Ferry Rifles (500 A) (500 B) (500 C) History, Facts and Descriptions of 1803 Harpers Ferry Rifles 1814 Common Rifle (516 A) 1817 Common Rifle (516 B) US Common Rifle Cleaning Set (537) The explanation may be very simple. The first rifle designed exclusively for the US Army was made at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, site of the infamous John Brown raid. How inspections were done before this time is unknown as well as any markings that may have been applied during the process. Lewis and Clark maintained a detailed journal of western geography, What was expected of these men and their training with rifles is worthy of quoting from the original 1812 dated manual: He must be taught to fire at a target without a rest, for if he accustoms himself to fire without a support, he will rarely fire true without one; but as this method will be rendered easy by practice, he should begin by firing at fifty yards distance, and increase it by degrees to 100, 150, 200 and 300 yards. modified 1792 / 1794 rifles, not the M1803 ones. [4] The Army refers to modern speculation that the changes Lewis had made to the contract rifles (adding sling swivels, shortening the barrel further to 33-36 inches and reboring them to a larger caliber),[4] led to the design of the US Model 1803, created six months later.[4]. The remaining 460 rifles of the first contract remained in store in Schuylkill Arsenal in Philadelphia and eventually augmented by those from the second contract. Some believe that the contract rifles Lewis had modified for the expedition It will match the other assembly numbers found on the stock and barrel. It would just load easier and probably had little effect upon accuracy. the majority were issued through Harpers Ferry. Top is SN 909, bottom is SN 1 of our rifles built on SN 15 rifle pattern. The more detailed information we can gather on 1803-06 rifles will help immensely. Unfortunately, serial numbers were not used on the 1814-1819 production, but rifle assembly numbers will still be present. Since they had almost 4 months, it would have been an easy task even with interchangeable locks.(20). In addition, for this mark to be applied, the weapon passed some sort of inspection process by an arsenal inspector. This created a big problem if a soldier lost his mold the rifle became useless unless a companion had a similar caliber. he should weigh his powder, and note the difference of effect with a greater or less quantity of powder, and how far the quantity of powder affects the shot.. 42" rifled barrel bored 40 balls to the pound (about .490"), stock to be made from well seasoned maple, catch spring release to be high so as to be accessible to the thumb. Under Major General Anthony Wayne, it was comprised of 5,120 officers and men composed of four sub legions, each of which contained four rifle companies, requiring 1,312 rifles to arm the 82 riflemen in the 16 rifle companies. Harpers Ferry Model 1803 - Wikipedia The only logical explanation is that it was put on by someone after the gun was made and stored at an arsenal. The use, or lack of use, of certain terminology in descriptions was intentional, all being proper for his day. Using this as a crude standard, Lewiss 15 rifles would have required approximately 750 man-hours to produce, meaning they could have conservatively been completed in less than two weeks with materials available at the arsenal. All Harpers Ferry series rifles are .520 calibre (ball) with .530 bore. Both men were aware that not only was there no weapon in our arsenal in 1800 to meet the need, but, due to the limitations of interchangeability of gun parts in their day, the ONLY way this requirement could be met was to build 15 locks with very strict tolerances rules out the retrofitting of locks to a finished rifle. The amazing distances they were expected to shoot is also recorded .. it becomes necessary to aim lower than the level line when the objects are near and to aim higher when beyond a given distance. Bullet molds had to be supplied with each rifle, requiring the soldier to cast his own balls for his rifle and work up a proper powder charge with whatever powder was supplied at any given time. It is known that Peter Getz and Thomas Palmer inspected guns contracted by him. [1] The rifles were to be delivered in units of 100 as quickly as possible. This practice would not have been confined to just one arsenal. The Indians were probably just as pleased to get the shorter weapons since they were lighter and handier to use when hunting from horseback. This pipe could not be changed for reasons explained in the text. The size of the mark is not mentioned, nor the total number of shots fired, but most likely it represented a man sized target (for which military rifles were designed), or about an 18 circle, which, in 1803 was very respectable shooting with round balls and thus noteworthy in the journals. This highly skilled work force was in place when Lewis arrived on the scene in March of 1803. Muskets and Rifles - Discover Lewis & Clark This all gets confusing when using British and French documents for research and reference. Joseph Perkin, superintendent of the Harpers Ferry Arsenal, Henry Dearborn, Secretary of War, and Meriwether Lewis are the principal players in this story. Spain had not given their permission to cross into their territories beyond the Rockies, so to insure the safety of the party, the world at large was left to believe that the expedition would be only the planned 8 to 12 men as approved by Congress. From the 18 May 1803 requisition receipt Lewis received from the arsenal, United States 1792 contract rifles are Pennsylvania-Kentucky rifles with a 42-inch long octagonal barrel in .49 caliber, with a patch box built into the buttstock. (50) On August 6, 1805, Lewiss air rifle had the sights knocked off by an accident with the canoes rolling over. Clark resigned his commission six months after Lewis arrived (1796).(10). It was there that he became fast friends with his new commander during their short time together. It was converted to percussion and bored smooth for continued use. This is certainly