bore sizes of original eastern frontier rifles

[Blizzard of '93]

Have seen several original smoothbores of large bore, but no rifles (only one .45), most were .36's. anyone know why this was? all the rifles are octagonal barrels, smoothies were round and fairly thin-wall.

 

[RedFeather]

What's the "Eastern Frontier"? Guess that depends upon the time period?

 

[Blizzard of '93]

Yes, when the 'frontier' was the Blue Ridge- Appalachain-Kentucky and so on. French-Indian war era, D. Boone era and later.

 

[Stophel]

The average rifle tended to be upper .50's - lower .60's in caliber of the pre-revolutionary war period.

 

[flintlockmdj]

Probably what you have been seeing is the later squirrel and small game rifles. The smaller bores would likely coincide with the introduction of self contained metalic cartridges so the muzzelloaders were stored and not worn out as there predecessors were. My 2d worth. :yakyak:

 

[nchawkeye]

The famous John Schreit rifle is about .60 caliber, its dated 1761...

The John Thomas' rifle is .47 caliber...He along with his rifle were captured in SC in 1781...

The Christian Oerter rifle #162 is dated 1775 and .44 caliber...

These 3 rifles have spent the last couple of hundred years in England, the final 2 captured during the Revolution.