Well, the topic lives on!
What about actual period evidence? Some/maybe most of the best-preserved colonial period longrifles are those captured by the British and taken back as souvenirs of war. This is obviously a small sampling. But these guns were preserved, for the most part (exceptions exist) as they were when captured. They did not receive another 20-60 years of field use. One of the Oerter rifles captured by England is bright in barrel and lock finish.
I re-rifled several original barrels that were browned, all right - above the wood. Below the wood they were not. Tarnished, yes. Browned - not. A clear line where the external surfaces got “browned” by exposure to elements for decades.
Few people come at a topic without a bias. I’ll make the wild guess that some of the most passionate supporters of “of course they were browned” have one or more black powder rifles with browned barrels and zero with barrels in the white.
In the end, some keep exploring and learning, and others are content with what they are certain of, often quoting what experts wrote 20, 30, 40, maybe 50 years ago.
What about actual period evidence? Some/maybe most of the best-preserved colonial period longrifles are those captured by the British and taken back as souvenirs of war. This is obviously a small sampling. But these guns were preserved, for the most part (exceptions exist) as they were when captured. They did not receive another 20-60 years of field use. One of the Oerter rifles captured by England is bright in barrel and lock finish.
I re-rifled several original barrels that were browned, all right - above the wood. Below the wood they were not. Tarnished, yes. Browned - not. A clear line where the external surfaces got “browned” by exposure to elements for decades.
Few people come at a topic without a bias. I’ll make the wild guess that some of the most passionate supporters of “of course they were browned” have one or more black powder rifles with browned barrels and zero with barrels in the white.
In the end, some keep exploring and learning, and others are content with what they are certain of, often quoting what experts wrote 20, 30, 40, maybe 50 years ago.
