Quality Military Replica

[Dphar]

Have shot percussion for years and I'm looking for a flinter--first one. My interest is in a military replica of good quality. Period of interest would range from French and Indian War up to 1812. American, British, French. No specific caliber required. I'm a left-hander.
Let's keep it fair, above-board and not personal.This forum is super, thanks.

Caution, informed opinion follows.
People outside the military did not have a reason for a military arm for general use. If they only did militia musters it made little difference and the musket was actually useful. But if they needed a firearm for subsistence, such as frontier use, the military arms cost too much to shoot due to bore size.
The smaller bore firearms were common.
While I have not found any "official" information a poster on one of the sites, perhaps frontierfolk, reported that a dig at the site of the Battle of Blue Licks produced no musket caliber balls. This indicates the use of rifles and smaller bored fowlers.
A smaller bore gun, 50 and above, would do anything that a musket bore weapon would in this context and cost far, far less to shoot.
There were other factors as well, such as being suspected of desertion if traveling where thye musket bearer was not known, but economy is the primary in my opinion.

Dan

 

[paulvallandigham]

Dan's commments bear note. On the coast, around cities like Boston, you do find muskets supplied, or purchased from Great Britain in the hands of the local militia. The lines were particularly "fuzzy" between militia, and British troops in earlier wars.

However, after the French and Indian war, when so much fighting occurred West of the big cites, like New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Charleston, the people who move West, into the mountains, and over them, in violation of the Treaty that ended the war, Tended to have and use NON-military arms. This was the beginning of the American Arms making industry, and calibers were smaller for the reasons Dan states. Getting 32 shots per pound vs. 16 shots per pound were particularly important when roads didn't exist to allow wagons to bring supplies to you. Carrying lead even on horseback, and sufficient powder to keep you supplied when on a " Long Hunt", was a major problem, particularly in the Central part of the mountains. The finding of the cumberland Gap, and making the subsequent Cumberland trail allowed both goods and settlers to move more freely into the new territories. But, they had been proceeded by many years by long hunters, like Boone, and battles with the Indians took place over a period of more than 30 years before it became reasonably safe to live there. There were lead mines discovered in Western Pennsylvania, along with coal, but most lead for shot had to be transported by wagon over the Appalachians for many years. Powder also was mainly imported, so that powder for the western settlers was expensive, and never in good supply.

Both these constrains spawned the development and use of smaller bored guns, both muskets and rifles.