The American longrifle began to evolve from the European forms during the second quarter of the 18th century along the Pennsylvania frontier, in and about Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  It emerged as an unique American creation following the French and Indian War.  Its golden age is generally accepted to be the period from the end of the American Revolution to the turn of the 19th century. The advent of percussion ignition, interchangeable parts, and an emerging American industrial complex during the first half of the 19th century pretty much made custom made flintlock rifles, and therefore the classic American longrifle, a thing of the past.  However, many fine percussion longrifles were produced well into the 19th century and the production of the American longrifle in this form never quite died out in the mountains of Appalachia.  With the Colonial Revival movement of the 1920's and 30's, there was a rebirth of interest in these guns leading to all our modern scholarship, the popularity of  muzzle loading shooting and the recreation of these guns by many people like myself.

No technological development occurs in a vacuum, and the American longrifle as a technological as well as an artistic development was no exception. It is generally accepted that the American longrifle evolved from the Jaeger rifle brought to the colonies by German gunsmiths in the early 1700’s and most certainly imported in some quantity along with English arms up until the American Revolution. The Jaeger was a short, stocky, usually large caliber,  flintlock rifle designed for hunting by the well to do in the fields and forests of Europe. At one time, some thought that rifling and a patched ball were innovations unique to the American longrifle. They weren’t. These things were known to European gunsmiths for at least two centuries before the American longrifle and were incorporated into the Jaeger.  Some also have the impression that the Jaeger was heavy and hard to handle.  They were not.  From personal experience, I know that Jaegers were surprisingly light and easy to handle.  In fact, I would much prefer to carry a Jaeger in the woods than a typical longrifle.  

According to Alexander, the real reason for the longer barreled American rifle, was that the Indians had become accustomed to the long barreled English trade guns and wanted rifles of similar form.  The German gunsmiths here, and possibly in Germany, supplied what their customers wanted.  There may have been more style than substance at work in the evolution of the American longrifle.  Imagine that!   

Another change that was made to the old Jaeger that most scholars consider unique to the American longrifle was the addition of a brass patch box. The Jaegers and the early longrifles had storage compartments in the butt of the gun with sliding carved wood covers. The argument is that these covers were easily lost and something a little more practical was required for the longhunter. Hence, the hinged brass patch box.  There was also a curious deletion from the Jaeger to the American longrifle.  The Jaeger almost always had sling swivels and an American Longrifle almost never had sling swivels.   For some reason,  the American longhunter, Indian or not,  preferred to carry his rifle in his hand.  We don't know why these changes were made and we are not as certain as we once were that these were actually American inovations.   

We have discussed how the Jaeger and possibly the English trade gun evolved into the American Longrifle, but just what is the classic American longrifle? That is really a pretty hard question to answer in a few paragraphs. Typically, and I emphasize the word "typically," it is a slender full stock flintlock rifle with a long barrel (generally around 40 inches or more) of about 50 caliber (or less as time went on) with a brass patch box. Like the Jaeger, the American longrifle was often decorated with silver and brass inlays, carvings, and engravings; first in the Barouqe style and then  in the Rococo style during its Golden Age. Keep in mind that this is a very general description of a style of rifle produced by hundreds, if not thousands, of gunsmiths in dozens of stylistic schools in many states from Pennsylvania south along the Appalachian Mountains  into Alabama and west to the Mississippi river. Obviously, there are bound to be many exceptions to my very general description.

To learn more, check out the list of related reading on the Books & Videos page. If you read no other books on the American longrifle, you need to read the Kentucky Rifle by John Dillin, Thoughts on the Kentucky Rifle in its Golden Age by Joe Kindig and Rifles of Colonial America, Volumes I & II by George Shumway. These are the books that formed the foundation of this essay as well as much of the scholarship on this subject over the last four decades. However, make sure you get one of the more recent editions of these books with annotations. The Kentucky Rifle was written in 1924 and there are a number of statements we now know to be erroneous.