What were common calibers (in the way that we understand them today) Were they generally North of .50 or South of .50, or right in the middle?
"36 to the pound" works out to .50-.52 cal.
As a lot of people have said, definitely north of .50 for the most part. I happen to know that my ancestor Daniel Boone's rifle was probably about .68 cal. He used a Pennsylvania Long Rifle, so it can be assumed that most civilian rifles were around there as well. But, as for civilian firelocks, most of them weren't really "models" as we consider them today. Most guns, and their calibers, were dependent on the whims of the gunsmith. The caliber depended on what sized mandrel they used. Size, length, pattern, all varied greatly from gun to gun. Military muskets were the only ones that were consistent, and there's a lot of info out there (Charlevilles were .69 cal, Brown Bess was .75 etc.)What were common calibers (in the way that we understand them today) Were they generally North of .50 or South of .50, or right in the middle?
A grave site was recently disturbed in the PA - Ohio area, can’t remember exactly, and a slightly flattened ball of approx. 50 cal. was found under the bones. The researchers found other burials near by and dated them to around the F& I war period.I think .52-.53 is the safe bet for the most common rifle ball used for killing man in the Rev War. Contemporary accounts seem to advocate for this, as well as .52 caliber being adopted by the military in rifles and carbines, to be phased out mid 1850s by .58. Even so, several Cavalry carbines held on to .52 into the early cartridge era.
It's interesting, but historic accounts of battles against Indians in Ohio and Tennessee talk about battlefield pickup rifles with combatants continuing to shoot, which assumes a greater commonality of ammo than you'd think.
I believe Hessian and British riflemen used larger caliber rifles, .54 or thereabouts.
I believe the average American 'rifle' averaged in the low .40's when made. Iron is soft and many of those guns were refreshened multiple times increasing the caliber each time. Many original gun shop invoices list refreshing barrels.
Robby
I think that’s more of a local thing and time related. SMR made in the 1830s that’s probably true. Ohio and Michigan the same. Jagars tended to be larger in Europe in the 1700 time frame. Guns as big as .58 up to .75 not uncommon.I believe the average American 'rifle' averaged in the low .40's when made. Iron is soft and many of those guns were refreshened multiple times increasing the caliber each time. Many original gun shop invoices list refreshing barrels.
Robby
I have freshened barrels too and have forged old iron, I consider it soft.I’ve freshed a lot of original barrels. Iron is not soft. It’s hard work using sharp cutters to fresh an iron barrel. If anyone doubts this I can send you a piece of iron horseshoe and you can saw and file it and compare to modern mild steel. The softness of wrought iron is an old wives tale.
It’s not a simple thing to go from .40s to .50s. One caliber (.48 to .49) is a day’s work. If increased as much as suggested the barrel would need to be re- breeched as well. When really shot out it was common practice to cut off some of the breech and muzzle. Any barrel not shortened is quite unlikely to have been increased 3 or 4 calibers over its working life.
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