Hunting rifle @ 1849

[Rick R]

Sharps 1849

https://www.rockislandauction.com/de...del-1849-rifle



Another interesting peek at that era

[frogleg]

I use a 1841 Harpersferry Rifle or it became called the Mississippi rifle originally 54 cal later bored to 58cal, mine is a replica in 58 and I use a .562 round ball with 60gr 3 fff Black and it hits hard at 75yrds (thats the best my eyes will do) I really like it.

[Rich/WIS]

I've taken deer with 45, 50 and 54 caliber ML's, so don't worry too much about caliber. Have had some really nice and historically correct rifles but my arthritis in my hands makes it painful to ram a round ball home. Still have an old TC Hawken (definitely not a Hawken) in 50 that I shoot and may yet take another deer with BP before the end. If I were to-buy a new one would definitely look at some of the longrifle styles from the Dixie catalog, probably in 50, or perhaps a Lyman trade rifle, which is very similar to the Leman trade rifles of the 1830-1860 era.

[pietro]

Just for the sake of this thread let’s say the first viable hunting cartridge became available in 1850.

If you were a young man of means planning a hunting trip to the American West in 1849 what type of rifle were you contemplating for your dream hunt?

IIRC, the very first self-contained metallic cartridge was a .22RF, introduced in 1856.

Some earlier guns used "cartridges" made of powder wrapped in a flammable paper, but required separate ignition.

Hunting trips in the 1849 East would usually entail the use of a smaller bore muzzleloading rifle (.32, .36, .40, .45 cal), due to the size of the game available there. (deer, black bear, etc)

Someone planning an 1849 hunting trip to the American West would have been well advised to acquire a larger bore (.50, .54, etc) Hawken rifle on the way West (in St.Louis), because the game there can be much larger/tougher than back East. (Grizzly Bear, Elk, Bison, etc).

Non-affluent hunters would have used whatever was at hand - the most common arm being their own smoothbore musket/shotgun that they already owned for foraging/subsistence hunting.


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[Mr_Sheesh]

If you read the Journals of Lewis and Clark you'd sure understand why THEY would want heavy rifles along with (They met "a few" grizzlies along the way...)

[Texas by God]

Why, I would visit the Remington family for their best grade large bore flintlock. And go to the LGS for a Colt Paterson .36 revolver.

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