Espontoon?

[Soinkuhndog]

Been doing some reading on Lewis and Clark. One courious item mentioned is an espontoon -- Seems Lewis never left home without his.

Undaunted Courage by Ambrose: "...the espontoon had a crosswise attachment at shoulder height that served as a rifle rest."

I've found some reference materials and photos, but no mention of a rifle rest. Anyone out there carry one? Any research? Know of where I can purchase the blade?

 

[mmahlock]

check out this page.

Link

 

[boar]

Thats my kind of neck knife. Dilly

 

[Soinkuhndog]

I still don't see how one used it as a rifle rest.
Did "mountain men" also use a staff with some sort of rest at the top for long distant shots?

 

[JWP]

Thanks for posting the site Sir Michael - I've book marked it for future reference.

Wart

 

[Many Klatch]

Shooting off of a staff is tricky. It does help with steadying the gun, but the staff can move from one side to the other while you are aiming. It might almost make more sense to stick the blade of the spontoon into the ground and then use the anchored pole to aim off of.

Many Klatch

 

[Doc Arroyo]

Don't take everything Ambrose wrote as gospel either. I think the book is great, but the line about having to insert the flint before every shot really showed the author's level of gun knowledge.

Personally I think that Lewis used the espontoon as a sign of authority, and as a walking staff. Remember, he walked the shores most days, and collected the scientific samples.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Doc: I agree with you about Ambrose. He was a terrific writer, and popular historian, but his knowledge about firearms was very poor. If you tip that shaft at an angle to the barrel, either by moving the bottom of the stick forward, or to one side or the other, You can create a " V " at the junction where your hand and the staff meet to use to rest the forestock of your gun on. If you hold the shaft with your last three fingers, your thumb and index finger can wrap around the stock or barrel of your gun to give a secure hold.

Practice shooting by using a walking stick, and you will soon understand how useful such a stick can be for hunters anywhere. Of course, for those of us living east of the Mississippi, who hunt mainly Whitetail deer, we hunt the woods, and wooded river bottoms where there are plenty of trees to use to rest your gun for a shot.

 

[sprucefly]

I agree with you completely. I carry a walking stick while tree rat hunting and do just as you describe. I never could stand on my hind legs and "shoot like a man" and hit anything offhand. A walking stick provides a great rest when one can not move to a tree, etc.

 

[netoleon]

A "stick" will at least eliminate vertical movements, so you can concentrate on reducing horizonatal unsteadiness. It works !

I only know of one documented use of such a system in that time period. That is with the Austrian Grenz Infantrie ( Imperial Border Light Infantry ). In the early Napoleonic wars they carried an over/under, short Rifle/Musket called a Doppelstutz. Probably because it couldn't take a bayonet, they used a spontoon-like polearm with it. The shaft had an iron hook on one side to use as a rest. Apparently it was never particularly popular.

 

[Soinkuhndog]

I wondered why they had to insert the flint each time they wanted to shoot, too. Just goes to show that "facts" ain't always factual. A walking stick seems like a good start and something anyone trecking through the woods would probably have used.

Thanks.

 

[wulf]

That could be the early gun safety laws like the
gun locks of today.... :youcrazy: :bull: