Model 1817 common rifle

Last updated

Deringer M1817 rifle
Type Muzzle-loading rifle
Place of origin United States
Service history
Used by United States
Wars Seminole Wars, American Civil War
Production history
DesignerM.T. Wickham and Harpers Ferry Armory
Designed1817
Produced1817–1842
No. built38,200 [1]
Specifications
Mass9.3 lb (4.2 kg)
Barrel  length36 in (910 mm)

Cartridge .54 ball, black powder, paper
Caliber 0.54 in (14 mm)
Action Flintlock/percussion lock (conversion)
Rate of fire 2–3 per minute
Feed system Muzzle-loaded

The M1817 common rifle (also known as Deringer M1817 rifle) was a flintlock muzzle-loaded weapon issued due to the Dept. of Ordnance's order of 1814, produced by Henry Deringer and used from the 1820s to 1840s at the American frontier. Unlike the half octagon barreled M1814 common rifle that preceded it, it had a barrel that was round for most of its length. The 36-inch barrel was rifled for .54 caliber bullets. [1] [2] For rifling it had seven grooves. Like the M1814 common rifle, it had a large oval patch box in the stock, however the stock dropped steeper than on the M1814 common rifle. [2]

Contents

After producing the M1814 common rifle through contractors, the military decided to do the same with the M1817 rifle. The Harper's Ferry Arsenal produced a pattern weapon, which was then taken to gunsmiths to be copied. [2] The rifle was built by Henry Deringer of Philadelphia (13,000 made), Nathan Starr & Co. of Middleton, Conn. (10,200 made), Simeon North of Middleton, Conn. (7,200 made), R. Johnson of Middleton, Conn. (5,000 made), R. & J. D. Johnson of Middleton, Conn. (3,000 made). [1]

Over time the rifles became obsolete, but they still saw service during the American Civil War, originally flintlocks, most were converted to percussion cap for their firing mechanism. [1] They saw service in the west, as far as California, where there were still M1817 rifles in the Bencia, California arsenal in the 1860s. [1] [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flintlock</span> Firearm with flint-striking ignition

Flintlock is a general term for any firearm that uses a flint-striking ignition mechanism, the first of which appeared in Western Europe in the early 16th century. The term may also apply to a particular form of the mechanism itself, also known as the true flintlock, that was introduced in the early 17th century, and gradually replaced earlier firearm-ignition technologies, such as the matchlock, the wheellock, and the earlier flintlock mechanisms such as the snaplock and snaphaunce.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charleville musket</span> French musket

The Charleville musket was a .69 caliber standard French infantry musket used in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was made in 1717 and was last produced during the 1840s. However, it still saw limited use in conflicts through the mid-19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long rifle</span> Muzzle-loaded long gun

The long rifle, also known as the Kentucky rifle, Pennsylvania rifle, or American long rifle, is a muzzle-loading firearm used for hunting and warfare. It was one of the first commonly-used rifles. The American rifle was characterized by a very long barrel of relatively small caliber, uncommon in European rifles of the period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Deringer</span> American gunsmith

Henry Deringer was an American gunsmith. He is best known for inventing and giving his name to the derringer pistol.

Christian Sharps was the inventor of the Sharps rifle, the first commercially successful breech-loading rifle and the Sharps Four Barrel Pistol, and Sharps Breech-Loading Pistol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M1819 Hall rifle</span> Rifle

The M1819 Hall rifle was a single-shot breech-loading rifle designed by John Hancock Hall, patented on May 21, 1811, and adopted by the U.S. Army in 1819. It was preceded by the Harpers Ferry M1803. It used a pivoting chamber breech design and was made with either flintlock or percussion cap ignition systems. The years of production were from the 1820s to the 1840s at the Harpers Ferry Arsenal. This was the first breech-loading rifle to be adopted in large numbers by any nation's army, but not the first breech-loading military rifle – the Ferguson rifle was used briefly by the British Army in the American Revolutionary War. The Hall rifle remained overshadowed by common muskets and muzzleloading rifles which were still prevalent until the Civil War. The early flintlocks were mostly converted to percussion ignition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Model 1816 Musket</span> Musket

The Springfield Model 1816 was a .69 caliber flintlock musket manufactured in the United States during the early 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Springfield Model 1840 flintlock musket</span> Musket

The Springfield Model 1840 was a flintlock musket manufactured by the United States during the mid-19th century. The .69 caliber musket had a 42-inch (107 cm) barrel, an overall length of 58 inches (147 cm), and a weight of 9.8 pounds (4.4 kg). More than 30,000 were produced by the Springfield and Harpers Ferry armories and two independent contractors between 1840 and 1846.

The Springfield Model 1812 Musket is a .69 caliber, flintlock musket manufactured by the Springfield Armory.

The Springfield Model 1795 was a .69 caliber flintlock musket manufactured in the late 18th and early 19th centuries in the United States.

The M1841 Mississippi rifle is a muzzle-loading percussion rifle used in the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richmond rifle</span> Rifled musket

The Richmond rifle was a rifled musket produced by the Richmond Armory in Richmond, Virginia, for use by the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.

During the American Civil War, an assortment of small arms found their way onto the battlefield. Though the muzzleloader percussion cap rifled musket was the most numerous weapon, being standard issue for the Union and Confederate armies, many other firearms, ranging from the single-shot breech-loading Sharps and Burnside rifles to the Spencer and the Henry rifles - two of the world's first repeating rifles - were issued by the hundreds of thousands, mostly by the Union. The Civil War brought many advances in firearms technology, most notably the widespread use of rifled barrels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pistoleer</span> Mounted soldier who uses a pistol

A pistoleer is a mounted soldier trained to use a pistol, or more generally anyone armed with such a weapon. It is derived from pistolier, a French word for an expert marksman.

The Harper's Ferry M1803 rifle was the first standard rifle, made by an American armory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Multiple-barrel firearm</span> Type of firearm with more than one barrel

A multiple-barrel firearm is any type of firearm with more than one gun barrel, usually to increase the rate of fire or hit probability and to reduce barrel erosion or overheating.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Springfield Model 1855</span> Rifled musket

The Springfield Model 1855 was a rifled musket widely used in the American Civil War. It exploited the advantages of the new conical Minié ball, which could be deadly at over 1,000 yards (910 m). It was a standard infantry weapon for Union and Confederates alike, until the Springfield Model 1861 supplanted it, obviating the use of the insufficiently weather resistant Maynard tape primer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1792 contract rifle</span> Muzzle-loading rifle

The 1792 contract rifle is not a specific model of gun, rather it is a modern way to categorize a collection of rifles bought by the United States government in that year. United States 1792 contract rifles are Pennsylvania-Kentucky rifles with a 42-inch long octagonal barrel in .49 caliber, with a patch box built into the buttstock. What distinguishes them from civilian rifles is that they were bought by the government under military contract.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Model 1814 common rifle</span> Muzzle-loading rifle

The U.S. M1814 rifle was designed by Robert T. Wickham. The manufacturing was contracted out to Henry Deringer and R. Johnson to make rifles for use by the military.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Robert P. Broadwater. "A most uncommon rifle, the model 1817 U.S. flintlock". Military Trader/Vehicles. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 The Rifle Shoppe, Inc. "1817 Common Rifle (516 B)" . Retrieved December 20, 2011.

Bibliography