Southern Mountain Rifle timeframe

[Swampman]

That's why I had this one built. It has a .50 caliber .38" Rice barrel, and a Chamber's Late Ketland lock. It was built by Ken Guy of Signal Mountain, TN.
http://s7.photobucket.com/albums/y298/Packdog1/Mathew Gillespie/?sc=1

 

[tg]

I suspect those and many other types werecarried west and used quite late in the western movement, there are French fusild from the early 1700 that were converted to caplock, I believe that the west from the cap lock period on was a smorgasborg of guns many being ML's, my family stll used a couple of eatstern built caplocks in the 1930's in the homesteads in the Oregon coastal Mts.

 

[SimonKenton]

You may recall that Shadrack in Dead Man's Walk carried a fairly fancy Lancaster with a long heavy barrel. It seemed to me watching that series that a backwoodsman from Appalachia would have been more likely to carry a rougher looking but equally serviceable southern mountain rifle of some type. Possible for the 1830s?

-Ray

 

[tg]

I would think so, the basic rule is to carry something earlier than your time, most had guns and likely took what they had, a lot of flinters may have been converted in the '40's and '50's to cap,one of those areas that a lot of record keeping was not done compared to other things.

 

[SimonKenton]

So for a grizzled old coot to be carrying a plain VA, NC or TN rifle that shot plum center but didn't win beauty contests would be about right I guess. The story was set in the early 1830's as I recall but I could be wrong.

-Ray

 

[Grizzled Roberts]

In 1780 General Thomas Sumter ordered 100 rifles from the Gillespie boys, these for his Militia.
So we know the Gillespies were putting out rifles
back then. There is no idea of what these rifles looked like or even if any were delivered to Sumter.

 

[Grizzled Roberts]

It would have been hard to explain a 1962 British Police Call Box at the Alamo! :bow:

 

[SimonKenton]

The SURE could've used one! AND a hundred breechloaders and a couple of big bore mortars with explosive shells packed with musket balls but that's another story. :wink:

-Ray

 

[tg]

"
The SURE could've used one!'

The Doctor would have made short work of Santa Anna