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1776 tower rifle history

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StarnesRowan

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Hey everyone I am joining a british light infantry reenacting unit but I dont want to carry the rin of the mill brown bess. Iam a rifleman when I do whig millita and I want to carry that over the lines. I know the 1776 tower rifle was issued to every light infantry unit in America and no one eles carrys one. what history or any info can you give me on this rifle
 
My Unit is a Grenadier Company of the First Regiment of Foote. We carried smoothbored muskets. There are a few reasons for this. One is that we wanted to be able to bring people into the reenacting hobby as easily as possible. As hard as it is to obtain Long Land Pattern Muskets that are acceptable to the F&I time period, finding rifles is even more difficult. There were very few rifle units during either the F&I or the AWI.

I am reading a book ( Fusiliers: The Saga of a British Redcoat Regiment in the American Revolution: Urban, Mark: 9780802716477: Amazon.com: Books ) on the 23rd Royal Welch Fusiliers. They were a unit that served in the colonies during the AWI from Lexington to Yorktown. Their Light Infantry is mentioned quite a bit in the book. The important topics were the development of light infantry tactics. More mobility and flexibility in their rules of engagement. No mention was made of the use of rifle tactics.

@StarnesRowan, have you asked the members of the unit you are planning to join about your plans to carry a rifle as part of their unit. What firearm do the members of that light infantry unit do members carry?
 
My Unit is a Grenadier Company of the First Regiment of Foote. We carried smoothbored muskets. There are a few reasons for this. One is that we wanted to be able to bring people into the reenacting hobby as easily as possible. As hard as it is to obtain Long Land Pattern Muskets that are acceptable to the F&I time period, finding rifles is even more difficult. There were very few rifle units during either the F&I or the AWI.

I am reading a book ( Fusiliers: The Saga of a British Redcoat Regiment in the American Revolution: Urban, Mark: 9780802716477: Amazon.com: Books ) on the 23rd Royal Welch Fusiliers. They were a unit that served in the colonies during the AWI from Lexington to Yorktown. Their Light Infantry is mentioned quite a bit in the book. The important topics were the development of light infantry tactics. More mobility and flexibility in their rules of engagement. No mention was made of the use of rifle tactics.

@StarnesRowan, have you asked the members of the unit you are planning to join about your plans to carry a rifle as part of their unit. What firearm do the members of that light infantry unit do members carry?


I am a charter member of the 16th light infantry but strictly we will do the southern campaign. as for weapons the majority carry the first modle bess the reason I want to carry the rifle is that it us not represented in the hobby. we know by 1779 all light infantry units in the Americas had at the least 2 1776 tower rifles


on another note I have foud that around 3 of the 1200 made were jagers thad had been changed around a bit
 
Hi,
You need a copy of Bailey's "Small Arms of the British Forces in America". A few light infantry soldiers were issued the pattern 1776 rifle along with German made rifles. Also the Queen's Rangers, a loyalist unit, were issued a few of the rifles as well. They were good guns but the swivel ramrod was disliked a lot, and some were rushed through production and not well finished.

dave
 

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