Indian Trade Guns

[David Snellen]

Gentlemen,
How likely do you think it was for white settlers to use Indian trade muskets?
Respectfully,
David

 

[cowpoke1955]

I think it would not be uncommon. Most people on the frontier were not rich. They had to have something to take small game, large game and be able to use it for self defense. A good fowler would do nicely, if you had the money for one. For the common man without much money, a trade musket would fill the bill. Just my thoughts.

 

[matt denison]

Price isn't the only factor. If a frontiersman wanted a shotgun his choices would be limited to what was available to him geographically. Trade guns were imported by the millions and were carried by any decent sized trade outfit on the frontier.

Matt

 

[Old Charlie]

In all the journals of the mountain men I have read, other than loading them with buck shot for night guard, they had nothing but disdain for the smooth bore trade gun. They seemed to think they were next to useless.
Old Charlie

 

[Carteret Kid]

I believe on the eastern fronteer say pre 1820 , the poorist whites would have used them or any other tool they could have gotten their hands on .The trade gun IS a very practical hunting weapon . Remember how poor alot of backwoods people were .
There appears there was a fringe zone on the fronteer where the White an NDN cultures overlaped . In This area or condition , people would mix elements of both cultures . People from each side often lived in the others communities or both communities at separate times.Picture on the edge where people use tools ,clothes practises from each other .

 

[David Snellen]

Gentlemen,
Thank you for your thoughts. Most of my reenacting is post 1820, but I wouldn't want to stand out like a man in a tux carrying a bow and arrow.
I have a Pedersoli Trade gun, which from what I have seen,(other than the fantasy dragon side plate, appears pretty close to an English trade gun. I like the smaller ball size and low comb over Besses.
David

 

[pichou]

Hello,

I would like to make a few comments if I may. Generally, we define the frontier as the leading edge of white settlement. Settlement and the fur trade did not go together. The fur trade took place well beyond settled areas, that is, after the end of the Montreal Trade Fair and the Albany trade.

Settlers bought their outfits before heading to the frontier, if they could. Traders took their outfits beyond the frontier before trading.

The main exception would be St. Louis before the American era, when Brit traders would take general merchandise there from Michilimackinac.

:v

 

[David Snellen]

Gentlemen,
I currently live in Missouri. In about 3 years , my family and I want to move to Tenn or north Al.
I generally do 1840-the War Between the States.
I do some early 1800s as well.
I like this Pedersoli Trade musket I purchased. It has a nice balance and (since my cash flow as a deputy is TIGHT)the price was fair.
Still, I don't want to look out of place.
David

 

[Mulebrain]

I will say, that I sure like the weight of the trade gun. When I got mine and picked it up I was amazed!

On a long haul, this would be the one!

I would suggest required reading, that goes into great detail in regards to the Trade Gun.

"Guns On The Early Frontiers" by Carl P Russel. A superb wealth of information!

 

[10 gauge]

This is just my opinion but a Trade Gun is basically an economical shotgun. Now who in thier right mind would go out into the frontier with out a shotgun. Running rabbits, running squirrels and flying birds are not the easiest thing to take with a rifle.

 

[pichou]

A NWTG is a cheap shotgun... but it has a few features that are unique to the Indian trade. Flat nailed buttplate, dragon sideplate, and the large loop iron triggerguard. The ribbed thimbles and no entry pipe are features too. NWTG's had large, military style locks as well, as opposed to the smaller lock of the everyday cheap Brit fowler.

:v

 

[Cosmoline]

One thing that strikes me reading up on the mountain men of the 20's and 30's is how wealthy many of them were. These were not poor back country folk, but elite hunters and trappers out to make a killing. They didn't go out into the wilds for a meat bag hunt, they were there to make as much money as possible as fast as possible. Their rifles were for killing prime game and anyone who tried to stop them from trapping. Their disdain for the humble trade gun makes sense in that context.

For a person living their lives on the edge of civilization trying to hack some kind of living out of the woods, a trade gun has a great deal of utility.

 

Gentlemen,
I currently live in Missouri. In about 3 years , my family and I want to move to Tenn or north Al.
I generally do 1840-the War Between the States.
I do some early 1800s as well.
I like this Pedersoli Trade musket I purchased. It has a nice balance and (since my cash flow as a deputy is TIGHT)the price was fair.
Still, I don't want to look out of place.
David

David,

In Hanson's book 'The Northwest Gun' on page 62 you'll see a Belgian NW gun marked '1854' on the lock. This gun was was owned and used by Samuel Allis, a teacher and missionary to the Pawnee in Nebraska.

Sean

 

[Sunkmanitu Tanka]

How does that Pedersoli Trade gun perform??

 

[Many Klatch]

I recently found "The Solitary Hunter" by John Palliser esq. dated 1856. In it he talks about hunting buffalo. On page 80 he talks about loading from the back of a running horse. He recommends a "light self-priming flint gun" which sounds a lot like a trade gun to me. He also carried his powder loose in his pocket so he could scoop it out with his hand and then spit the ball into the barrel. Not anything I'd care to try, but that was the hot setup for killing buffalo.

Sounds like English gentlemen were glad to use a flint trade gun as late as 1856 for certain types of hunting.

You can find the entire book digitally online at the Gottingen University web site.

Many Klatch