If I wanted a buffalo rifle.....

[Bullit]

I used to think I''d like to hunt Buffalo with my GPR. Then I saw a couple of Buffalo hunting videos with various firearms. They all kind of looked about as exciting as shooting a Volkswagon. To each his own, but took that off my list.

Nowadays, When I shoot a fly or a spider off the ceiling with my Bug-A-Salt, I pound my chest with it and say "Great hunter, yes?" Wife says "Yes".
I respond "That is all you need to know."

View attachment 262184

Love my bug assault. Stink bugs are pretty tough to kill. Remind me of cape buffs.

 

[Bullit]

So if I'm correct, most of the Pennsylvania flintlocks were 32's and 36's etc. That would be fine for eastern buffalo that were timber critters and you could literally sneak up on within 20 ft. and plug em. But out west they'd be a bit further off and they'd of been used to humans hunting them so they'd of kept their distance. Don't believe that the small caliber Pennsylvania style rifles would of been the best for that situation. Buffalo can suck up a lot of punishment. Buffalo and bears, i.e. big critters, are the reason the Hawken was born.

 

[Cayman like]

So if I'm correct, most of the Pennsylvania flintlocks were 32's and 36's etc. That would be fine for eastern buffalo that were timber critters and you could literally sneak up on within 20 ft. and plug em. But out west they'd be a bit further off and they'd of been used to humans hunting them so they'd of kept their distance. Don't believe that the small caliber Pennsylvania style rifles would of been the best for that situation. Buffalo can suck up a lot of punishment. Buffalo and bears, i.e. big critters, are the reason the Hawken was bor

 

[Cayman like]

The longrifles in the east were large caliber in the early days and went down ìn caliber as big game disappeared.

 

[nchawkeye]

So if I'm correct, most of the Pennsylvania flintlocks were 32's and 36's etc. That would be fine for eastern buffalo that were timber critters and you could literally sneak up on within 20 ft. and plug em. But out west they'd be a bit further off and they'd of been used to humans hunting them so they'd of kept their distance. Don't believe that the small caliber Pennsylvania style rifles would of been the best for that situation. Buffalo can suck up a lot of punishment. Buffalo and bears, i.e. big critters, are the reason the Hawken was born.

You are not correct...Average bore during the Revolution was about .52 caliber...It was later, once the eastern Seaboard was settled, closer to 1800-1820 that you started seeing bores down to .32-.40 caliber, after the deer, buffalo and Indians had been killed off...

Also....By the Revolution there were flintlock rifles being made in Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina as well...

 

[brazosland]

OP, I think your flint vs percussion timeline has some real issues, but yes lots were shot with flint for almost 200 years.

Shooting Buffaloe is not about hunting as much as it’s about making meat and all the other things that come from putting one on the ground.

Any gun of the period works just fine.

 

[Dave Vissotzky]

Interesting thoughts on the numbers of Remington Rolling block rifles Vs Sharps. I believe the majority of Remington RB’s went to overseas military contracts vs staying here in the US. Also need to count the converted civil war carbines and rifles as well as the ones sharps produced after 1867. Then there are the trapdoors and trapdoor conversions….Pretty sure most hunters used what ever was available.

 

[Nazgul58]

Love my bug assault. Stink bugs are pretty tough to kill. Remind me of cape buffs.

We have an old wooden building on the farm and we get very active wood bees in the spring. They drill those nice round holes in everything. I load a revolver with wads and rice and have a blast shooting them on the wing. Totally eco friendly loads and fun.

Don

 

[andy52]

We have an old wooden building on the farm and we get very active wood bees in the spring. They drill those nice round holes in everything. I load a revolver with wads and rice and have a blast shooting them on the wing. Totally eco friendly loads and fun.

Don

I use a Badminton racket for that but your right it's still fun.

 

[French Colonial]

OP, I think your flint vs percussion timeline has some real issues, but yes lots were shot with flint for almost 200 years.

Shooting Buffaloe is not about hunting as much as it’s about making meat and all the other things that come from putting one on the ground.

Any gun of the period works just fine.

It is my understanding that Percussion rifles did not show up in America until around 1830 and then in small numbers.

I would be interested to documentation to show better information.

 

[French Colonial]

I can agree in that it was unlikely they had Hawkin rifles as I think that those came later after their expedition. Lewis carried his own personal rifle a flintlock of .36 caliber. They had a assortment of other flintlock guns including military .69 smoothbores too. I doubt they hunted any buffalos on their trip.

Lewis and Clark also had a large bore air rifle with them too. .46 caliber. I surmise they used it for small game up to maybe deer size. It was a repeater too. It could fire up to 16 balls.

It was not unlikely, it flat did not happen.

Mr. Lewis ordered 15 "short" rifles from the Harpers Ferry arsenal along with 15 replacement locks that were to be their primary arms during the expedition, the debate whether these were 1803's or the prototypes for the 1803 rages on (personally after much reading I believe they were the prototype for the 1803).

Meriweather took his personal rifle along with the air rifle which was a novelty item, but like any military expedition the primary rifles were supplied.

 

[French Colonial]

Interesting thoughts on the numbers of Remington Rolling block rifles Vs Sharps. I believe the majority of Remington RB’s went to overseas military contracts vs staying here in the US. Also need to count the converted civil war carbines and rifles as well as the ones sharps produced after 1867. Then there are the trapdoors and trapdoor conversions….Pretty sure most hunters used what ever was available.

Lots of military rolling blocks did go overseas but Remington sporting rifles were cheaper, were easier to maintain and out sold the Sharps by more than double.

 

[Mike in FL]

Off topic a bit but I once purchased an unfired C. Sharps model 1875 in A FIXED CARTRIDGE, a caliber not produced then. $1500, no box. Tricked out with vernier tang sight and trimmed in German silver. Tried different bullet weights up to 500 grain. Their largest was 45/110. Anyway, after trying to find a load that worked, I gave up. Neither smokeless or black were accurate even at relatively short 100 yard distance. Bought it for an upcoming CO elk hunt and had a year to develop a load. No luck, ended up using a MODERN RIFLE Finally sold it, an act I've always regretted.
I say all that to say this: the ease of taking a buffalo makes it a crazy expensive hunt from which nothing I value is garnered. A man alone in modern times simply can't do it. Who among us can process or even move such a critter without lots of assistance.
Hey, I visited both C. Sharps and Shiloh Sharps production facilities. The show rooms alone are worth the trip. Did you know the two companies are almost across the street from each other?

 

[Juice Jaws]

In the early, early years the Indians killed them with spears, they didn't need no stinky buffalo gun.

 

[French Colonial]

Off topic a bit but I once purchased an unfired C. Sharps model 1875 in 45/120, a caliber not produced then. $1500, no box. Tricked out with vernier tang sight and trimmed in German silver. Tried different bullet weights up to 500 grain. Their largest was 45/110. Anyway, after trying to find a load that worked, I gave up. Neither smokeless or black were accurate even at relatively short 100 yard distance. Bought it for an upcoming CO elk hunt and had a year to develop a load. No luck, ended up using a .338M. Finally sold it, an act I've always regretted.
I say all that to say this: the ease of taking a buffalo makes it a crazy expensive hunt from which nothing I value is garnered. A man alone in modern times simply can't do it. Who among us can process or even move such a critter without lots of assistance.
Hey, I visited both C. Sharps and Shiloh Sharps production facilities. The show rooms alone are worth the trip. Did you know the two companies are almost across the street from each other?

" I say all that to say this: the ease of taking a buffalo makes it a crazy expensive hunt from which nothing I value is garnered"

If I knew of somewhere I could do a hunt like the one I did before (see previous post) Horses, dug outs, teepees, etc.

I would do it in a heartbeat.

 

[brazosland]

It is my understanding that Percussion rifles did not show up in America until around 1830 and then in small numbers.

I would be interested to documentation to show better information.

The ads for caps in St Louis newspapers first appeared in 1829. Getting them there was hard enough. The ads cost money. None of that would have occurred for a product for which there was no market.

So the market existed prior to 1830 and was large enough to make it worth pursuing.

 

[SOLANCO]

In the early, early years the Indians killed them with spears, they didn't need no stinky buffalo gun.

I thought they stampeded them over cliffs.

 

[Relic shooter]

Buffaloe Rifle options for mobile hunters;
This original .70 cal Jaeger weighs in at just over 7lbs. with original flip-up sights for excellent long range accuracy & has produced one shot big game kills beyond 150 yds.
Heavy 10-15 lb. rifles are great fun for bench shooting or hunting from a stand unless your built like Hulk Hogan.

 

[French Colonial]

The ads for caps in St Louis newspapers first appeared in 1829. Getting them there was hard enough. The ads cost money. None of that would have occurred for a product for which there was no market.

So the market existed prior to 1830 and was large enough to make it worth pursuing.

So.... from say 1825? until cartridge guns take over around 1865? 40 years

 

[sheriff john]

Visited a park called "Knocked In The Head Buffalo" something or other on our way to Alaska. Big cliff where Native Americans slaughtered bison for hundreds of years by driving them over a cliff and knocking the wounded ones in the head with rocks/axes/whatever. Interesting place.

Bones had stacked up at the site in huge piles. Long before "white folks" arrived. Whole villages took part in the slaughter, stampedes, and processing. Same spot - done for centuries.