A few questions about fusils?

[JerryToth]

To any fusil enthusiasts out there....

I'm just about ready to build my second rifle. I'm looking for something to fit into the 1760's, which is when my local area in Southwestern Pennsylvania was being settled. My interest would be to portray an English (Colonist) early settler type personna. Up until now, I've been thinking towards a Transitional rifle. Somewhere I noticed a comment that the fusils may have been popular in this area, so maybe I should consider a fusil. I'm about 40 miles south of Pittsburgh, which was Fort Duquesne through the F&I war era. Local indians had been trading with the French for a long time, so I'm guessing that the fusils would have been traded to the local Indians by the French?

Anyone knowledgeable as to the appropriateness of the fusils in SouthWestern Pennsylvania in the 1750's/1760's please jump right in and educate me! Thanks in advance!

I also think that I read in the literature of one of the muzzleloader suppliers that the fusil de chasse ended up as a popular arm of the Rodger's Rangers? Of course we don't always believe the statements made by the current day vendors, but it seems possible that fusils taken from those Frenchmen or Indians defeated in battle may have been picked up and used by the English/Colonialists? Again, please educate me!

I'm wondering if a fusil might be a good choice for an early settler or early hunter type personna in my area. Plus, a fusil might be a powerful, and lighter weight choice for carrying around the local mountains. I do enjoy my day-scouts and my deer hunting! (A fusil would seem to be a lot lighter weight choice to carry all day!)

I'm eager to learn if we have any resident fusil enthusiasts!

Regards,

Ironsights Jerry.

 

[tg]

I do not have any documentation of non-French/indian use of Fusils in that area but the French imported thousands of these guns in various grades and forms from the late 17th thru the mid 18th century and they were very popular with the Natives, so much so that English Factors asked for guns that were like those made by the French, there were also French gun builders in the post F&I Penn area, I do not think it a stretch at all for frontier type personas to use French type guns...even in the southern colonies, the trick is finding a reasonably accurate replica if that is what floats yer boat, you will need to do some homework and basicly ignore whatever you see in most catalogs and websites. The Rifle Shoppe has the real McCoy but has a long waiting list, do not get too concerned about the type C, type D thing it does not realy denote a particular type of gun...Hamilton and Bouchard have a couple of fairly cheap books out that will shed some light on these guns if you want to know what the scoop on them is before buying some of the ...."creative" interpretations that are being offered.

 

you might also take a look at the "historical arms series No.36" The Fusil de Tulle In New France.
its not very big only 50 pages but has a wealth of history in it .
denner Co

also should do a google search for this info . tons of info on the tulle and and lesser fusils of the time

colonial archives vol 17, folo 28 ,seriesB

hope that helps you our some .
im in the prosses of building a Tulle fusil de Chasse my self ::

 

: Any of the English single barrels fusils or fowlers would also have been prevelent as well.
.

 

[frenchfusil]

I don't have any hardcore information on fusils (pronounced fuzze) in the PA area but remember that in the time period your talking about there where french and Indian raids and later Indian raids during Pontiac's rebellion. Which would have brought some fusils down that way. I would recommend picking up the before mentioned tulle fusils book, also get your hands on a copy of colonial frontier guns. A recommendation on a company for kits get a hold of Mold n' Gun they make the kits that track sells (just a warning about the barrels they sell the wedding bands are a little to far back for a french gun of the period) I'll dig through some stuff i have and see if I can find reffrence to captured fusils. Hope this helps

 

[frenchfusil]

Heres some refrences I've found for the PA/VA frontier, I'm sure more could be found but hopefully this will get you started

Extract of a Letter from Captain Waggoner, 1756
of the Virginia Regiment, commanding on the South Branch of Potowmack.
"Last week an Ensign Smith was coming from Sibley's Mill, with 12 Men, he was fired upon by a Party of Indians, which he, after a pretty smart Fire of 10 or 15 Minutes, put to Flight, and brought off 15 Matchcoats, 12 or 14 Pair of Moccasons, several Scalping Nnives, and 4 bery neat French Fuzzees, half mounted with Silver..."
(Pennsylvania Gazette, No. 1450, October 7, 1756)

ANNAPOLIS, July 8, 1756.
We have the following Account from the Westward, in a letter from Col. Cresap, of the first Instant, viz. "Yesterday about 11 o'Clock as myself and 13 more Men (10 of which were Red Caps, and 3 Pedlars, which last and one of the Red Caps were without Arms)... I immediately mustered up about 20 Men, and went to the Place of Action, where we found 2 Indians lying dead, together with the three Men before mentioned; we scalped the Indians, and found several Things belonging to them, such as Wampun, Silver Wrist-Bands, Ear-Rings, &c. a French Gun...
(Pennsylvania Gazette, No. 1438, July 14,1756)

PHILADELPHIA, February 5, 1756.
Extract of a Letter from Easton, January 30. "Last Friday a Party of Capt. John Van Etten's Men fell in with a party of Indians in Upper Smithfield, and killed and scalped two of them, and have good reason to believe they wounded four or five more mortally. They got a Booty of two Guns, one of which a Rifle, the other a smooth bore French Gun; a fine Pipe Hatchet, and three Match-coats. One of the slain Indians is thought to be the famous Captain Jacobs..."
(Pennsylvania Gazette, No. 1415, February 5,1756)

Hope this helps

 

[tg]

The mentioned books are a very good place to start, most suppliers choice of locks and barrel length leave much to be desired for an accurate French gun, The Davis Tulle lock can be cosmeticaly altered to be very close, some use the L&R trade lock but I have compared it to all the original pics I have seen and it is very flat at the bottom of the plate when compared to the originals, walnut stock and polished barrel, not browned would be in order, a bore of .58-.62, the style of furniture whether iron of brass would give a basic date to the gun...do not rely much on ANY of the writeups the various builders/suppliers have about the history/authenticity of their version of these guns...do the home work first then see who is in the ballpark. I saw one supplier claim that a fusil ordinare was the walnut stocked gun and a fusil fin was the fancy curly maple one...speaking of curly...whoo, whoo, whoo,whoo,whoo. nuck, nuck

 

A 12bore would have been good in a fowler or militia type smoothbore safety fowler,musket. A Bess or a parts fowler made with some Besss parts stocked here in the America.