Leman Trade Rifle—what cartridge?

Smokey Plainsman said:

Hey!

It would’ve been almost exclusively roundballs. The ammunition would have been loose powder carried in a powder horn or metal flask, cast lead round balls, and patching material of some sort (usually cloth). Patches could have been pre-cut or cut at the muzzle.

As trade guns, these were meant to go to natives or whites of lesser means or those in need of a simple inexpensive gun. These weren’t standardized military weapons, so the method in which they were loaded and the accouterments carried for them could vary widely between users, but the above would have been true for most.

Hope this helps!!

-Smokey

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StoryWriter85 said:

That helps a lot, thank you!

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Grenadier1758 said:

Is this Leman Trade Rifle a flint lock or percussion lock rifle?

@StoryWriter85, in the time period when the Leman Trade Rifle was being used, the load would have been the charge of loose powder and a patched round ball. For our modern use, we will still use loose (measured by a volume measure) black powder, and a 100% cotton cloth wrapped lead ball. I will only recommend that you use real black powder, such as GOEX, Schuetzen, WANO or Swiss. The substitute powders such as Pyrodex have a high ignition temperature and are not suitable for use in a flint lock firearm.

In the era of the muzzle loading firearm, cartridges were a paper tube willed with loose powder and a round lead ball. The paper provided the patching, and cartridges were almost always an exclusive item used by the military for smooth bored muskets. You will be best served as you start out by using the loose powder and a lubricated patch wrapped around a soft round lead ball.

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Grenadier1758 said:

@StoryWriter85, the Trade Rifles were used for hunting primarily and protection. Very seldom would a Trade Rifle have been used by a military unit. Military units and militias were most often issued a military bored musket or required a military bored musket.

We can get into long and very technical discussions about how trade guns were loaded, but for now as you learn, loose powder and a patched round ball is the recommended load.

I'm not sure of the availability of real black powder where you are, but Pyrodex can be used as a substitute for real black powder. Try to find the magnum percussion caps and a nipple designed for better compatibility with the higher ignition temperatures of the substitute powders.

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ChuckJonesWagon said:

https://americansocietyofarmscollec...2019/06/1984-B51-Henry-E-Leman-Riflemaker.pdf

Here's an interesting read on Henry Leman

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