Daniel Boone's Rifle?

[Steel Horse Rider]

I just returned from a short cruise vacation and over the course of the week I completed reading the book Daniel Boone, The Life and Legend of an American Pioneer by John Mack Faragher. He covered a lot of detail about Boone's life but was short on information concerning his hardware. On the flight back from Florida I pondered the notion of building another flinter from a Pedersoli kit, even though I had convinced myself I had enough BP long guns after finishing my Brown Bess. Since Mr. Boone was from Pennsylvania I figure he probably used a Pennsylvania type long rifle when he was doing his long hunts and explorations into the region which would become Kentucky since there were no builders present in Kentucky at the time, but the book never mentions caliber. Do any of you have any reference material as to the caliber he carried? Since he shot everything from turkeys to buffalo I am guessing it had to be in the .50ish caliber range but I have not been able to find anything definite.

As an aside: Do any of you know the time frame of his explorations? I realized when I started the book that I really didn't have a good reference point of when Daniel Boone existed and was very surprised at all of the happenings in his lifetime. Whether you believe the legend, the naysayers, or his family he was truly an amazing person.

 

[Curator]

Boone owned several rifles over his life time. While he referred to "ol tick-licker" as his gun of choice, That may have referred to several rifles. Boone was a real character and had sold his "original" rifle(s) to several people in his old age. Some of the guns in various museums may have actually belonged to him for at least a short period of time. Keep in mind that he ended up on the Missouri frontier in 1820 pretty much destitute.

 

[Timtoolman]

I've heard (I'm in PA.) it was a .36 cal rifle just rumors from Pa. And it was anriflenmade here in Pa. As where a lot of "Kentucky" rifles at the time.

 

[whughett]

No information on the threads primary question, but as a result I just spent an hour with Wikipedia reading up on D. Boone.

One interesting tidbit. James Fenimore Coopers "Last of the Mohicans" was based on Boones own rescue of his daughter Jenima. The girl was taken by a Shawnee war party on July 14, 1776. Boone and a party of men rescued her after a two day chase.

No mention however of his firearms preference or otherwise.

Oh and Boone was 5'7" tall.

 

[TimSr]

I read several biographies on Boone when I was kid in school in the early 70's. What was interesting was differences between the real Boone, and the Fess Parker character.

As whughett mentioned the "big" man was 5' 7". (That may have been "tall" at the time.) He NEVER wore a coonskin hat. He served in the French and Indian war, the Revolution, and was rejected when he tried to serve in the war of 1812 because of his age. I think he was in his 60's, and well past the average lifespan at the time. I believe he was in his later 60's when he died. I think Curator is correct in him moving on to Missouri seeking "more elbow room" in his final years.

I believe timtoolman is right in that 'ol Ticklicker was a .36 caliber.

Aside from Jemima and Israel who were feature din the TV series, Boone's some James was tortured and killed by the Shawnees at age 14 or 16 when first settling Kentucky.

Many of the episodes were based (with a little creative license) on real events of his life.

 

[Steel Horse Rider]

Curator is correct in that he went through a number of rifles either from being captured by Indians, trading with the Indians for survival, or gifting them to other people. The book never mentions where he got his replacements though, but since he had a lot of family still living in Pennsylvania and he did travel back to Pennsylvania and Virginia even though he was trying to live in Kentucky. He did have some exposure to the Revolutionary War but no mention is made of what weapons he may have received for that time. He often went on "long hunts" where he would be gone for as long as 2 years, making it as far south as Florida and perhaps as far west as Oregon although the facts of the Oregon trip cannot be substantiated. He regularly killed bears, elk, deer, and buffalo as there were large populations of bear, elk, and buffalo in the Ohio River Valley and adjacent areas in the mid to late 1700's but they were rapidly killed off or pushed west as "civilization" moved out of the eastern seaboard. Although the book is based upon the life story of Mr. Boone it has a lot of information about the early frontiersmen and settlers between the
Appalachians and the Mississippi valley, including the dealings with the various tribes which inhabited the area. It was a hard time for all.

 

[4v50 Gary]

The NMLRA at Friendship, IN has a rifle that is supposed to be a replica of Ol Ticklicker, but as mentioned, no one really knows what Ol Ticklicker looked like and Boone did have several rifles during his lifetime.

 

[Noz]

You would think it would be 40 cal or below. Apparently the 50+ cal sizes did not become popular until folks started running into bison and grizzly bears.

 

[DD4lifeusmc]

Some info I was able to glean. this is just a generalization .
Back in the early 1600's Jaeger rifle was developed. Jaeger was originally a term used to describe a light infantry. Most of the soldiers had their own firearms, so little standardization.
These troops were basically recruited from "huntsmen" in the prussian and Hesse areas I believe Jaeger basically translates to Hunter, so the rifle would of been a "hunters rifle? But that is not confirmed.
The rifles were basically brought here by immigrants.
though there are other calibers .60 was common in the late 1600's to early / mid 1700's
In Europe they were commonly used by troops, and hunters, for boars, deer etc.
Now to Daniel, while he may have owned one.
The more popular type rifle of the time in the early colonies, was a slightly smaller sometimes lighter rifle the Kentucky long rifle.
Most game back there in those days were smaller and easier to kill.
Deer and coons, etc. Whatever they actually hunted in real life.
A common caliber for these was 36 and 40.
Many chose these, as they could carry more shot and powder with less weight than the .60 jaeger.
And of course a smaller barrel used less steel to make, lighter shorter, less wood for the stock, more maneuverable in the woods, and carrying all day.
So much of Daniel Boone's history is folklore, it is very difficult to separate fact from fiction, especially in his younger years, before he entered into various military venues.
And yes uptil the late 18th century, most men were around 5'7" tall. but in most cases they were more stocky and muscled, as daily work and chores were much harder, and also they didn't have the nutrition we have today.
Men in general started growing more vertically in the 20th century, because of the lighter work chores, better nutrition etc.

My apologies if I muddied the issue more .

 

[Timtoolman]

Actually back then there were bison and wolves and supposedly a occasional Grizzlies, elk in Pa. I'd think Daniel Boone hunted them with the "Pennsylvania .36 rifle before moving to Kentucky.

 

[Timtoolman]

Weren't the European rifles smooth bores back then ? I'd say the .36 he would have supposedly used would kill more animal and people effienctly . Maybe I'm wrong

 

[4v50 Gary]

Many Germanic states had jagers as did those of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Even Poland and Russia had jagers modeled after those of the Germans. As to rifles, it all depended on how much the sovereign wanted to spend and those of Prussia were very austere. Geo. Shumway has the most informative book out there, but we're still waiting for a scholarly work to appear from Germany (ala Dieter Storz's books on the various Mausers).

 

[JN01]

George Shumway's "Rifles of Colonial America" (2 volumes) is one of the best references for early American longrifles, most of which were made in Pennsylvania.

During Boone's Kentucky heyday, rifles averaged between .48-.53 caliber. The smaller caliber guns weren't really used all that much until later (after 1800 or so) when the area became much more populous and most of the big game was gone.

Boone also employed smoothbores, (I believe there are references to him using one at Blue Licks when his son Israel was killed) which were very popular on the frontier. A great reference for those is "Flintlock Fowlers: The First Guns Made in America" by Tom Grinslade.

Both the Shumway and Grinslade books should be available at your local library through the inter-library loan program and are well worth perusing- they are chocked full of photos.

 

[Timtoolman]

He needed nunchucks

 

[Jim K]

The myth about European (primarily German) hunting rifles or "Jäger rifles" (Jäger is German for "hunter") is that they were heavy, awkward, inaccurate, and fired too large a ball. But I have handled those guns and the facts are that they handle well, and the one I had a chance to fire was quite accurate. The barrels are short, but the guns are well balanced. (In fact, they remind me of another short, large bore rifle, the Remington 600 in .350.)

But remember that the hunters who used those rifles (and they were rifled, not smooth bore) left their homes for a day or two of hunting; they had no need to carry a large supply of balls or powder, or other supplies, so weight was not a problem.

On the American frontier, on the other hand, pioneers like Boone were far ranging, and often away from civilization for weeks or months. They could live off the land to some extent, but powder and balls had to be brought with them. That meant a balance had to be struck between an adequate supply of ammunition and its weight. The result was that few rifles were made over about .40 caliber, with .36 or even .32 not being unknown.

But those nasty laws of physics intervened. To get adequate killing power, whether the target is a deer or a "Native American" who doesn't want to be "civilized", the bullet has to have either mass or velocity. That meant that a lighter bullet had to go faster, which meant that the barrel had to be longer. So the long barrel had nothing to do with balance, or some desire to impress - it had to do with getting enough muzzle energy to do the job. The short barrel of the "jäger rifle" would not be good enough with light bullets.

So there was good reason for the light weight and barrel length of the "Kentucky" rifle. In the early days, all those rifles came from the shops of the German gun makers in Pennsylvania. They were called "Kentucky" rifles from where they were used, not where they were made, in the same way as the big English-made double rifles are called "African" guns. In fairly recent years, the tendency has been to use the name "Pennsylvania rifle", which makes Pennsylvanians feel better but really doesn't matter much.

Edited to add: Daniel Boone was born 22 Oct. (Old System), 1734 in Exeter Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania Colony. He died in Missouri on 26 Sept., 1820, so he had a fairly long and adventurous life. And that rolling block Remington at the gun show was not his, no matter what the seller claimed.

Jim

 

[Crawdad1]

Kentucky was a Cherokee or possibly Choctaw or Shawnee word for 'Dark and Brooding" or "Dark and Bloody" ground. I think this is kind of impossible as he had a long life and lots of different rifles. Some say he also used an English built sporting rifle possible a Joseph Manton.

 

[Crawdad1]

Remember also that in older literature the term 'caliber' was not used as much as the term, 'balls to the pound" was used or "29 balls to the pound" would make it a 50ish caliber rifle. You have to be careful when reading those old journals.

 

[Crawdad1]

But if I were to guess I would think it was a pretty plain jane looking or 'Schimmel' rifle. Something like this but with a more 'Berks County' school look to it, possibly, But who knows it could have been a Lehigh.

http://www.allenmartinrifles.net/gallery-of-guns/schimmel-rifle-lehigh-valley/

 

[david58]

Keep in mind that much of Boone's early hunting took place when rifles were still rather uncommon. A fowling piece was a very practical, and very common firearm, and not necessarily inaccurate when loaded with a ball, and very deadly when using buck and ball.

Caliber was seen to decrease as time went on, due in part to the dwindling numbers of large game and the subjugation of the native. When hunting buffalo, or fighting a human enemy, caliber was important and larger calibers ruled the day. Look at the later rifles, post-Revolution and into the 1800's, and the calibers utilized were progressively smaller. But then with the move west of the Mississippi the rifles that went with the early folks there were 50+ caliber, again both for big game and fighting Indians.

I would be careful when correlating small caliber with barrel length. Except for the Jaegers and their derivatives, not necessarily a rifle found in large numbers and popular amongst immigrants who brought them or who were familiar with them, most long arms of the day had long barrels, some seemingly ridiculously long. Balance, accuracy, and the art of making a firelock dictated those longer barrels, and there was that customer demand thing, too.

No real telling what rifle Dan'l carried. And he would have had several, because they did wear out as they got used hard. The rifle would likely have not been decorated up a bunch (at least his early ones), but after 1800 he may well have had a brass-inlay-covered eyesore - but I like to think of him with a long Lancaster or York style rifle, in about 58 caliber, carved and with a pretty brass butt trap. But that's me, since I like that kind.

Someone referenced Schumway's books - they are wonderful references and allow you to see the kinds of long arms carried by our predecessors. Fowlers, smooth rifles (not an oxymoron, really quite popular), plain and fancy rifles. I once got to fondle a rifle made by Christian Hawken (father of the gunsmith of St Louis fame), a true work of art but an every day gun. It did have carving and an inlaid patchbox, since a gunsmith had pride and plain didn't advertise his skill. I digress....The art of building the rifle was almost as important as its practicality, to the 'smith, and I like to think that Boone had a purty one.

 

[xXxplosive]

I recall there was an article and pics some years back in Muzzleblast Magazine on Daniel Boones rifle......sorry I don't have the Vol. number.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Jim mentioned that there were complaints that the Jagers were heavy and awkward. They were a bit more stout, but that made them sturdy. Personally I don't think they were award or heavy and per Wallace Gusler (Gunsmith of Colonial Williamsburg), thirty to thirty-three inch barrels were about optimal for muzzle loading rifles. The only real benefit of the longer barrel is the longer sight radius.

The evolution of arms is rather interesting. We started with the short, stout jager which then evolved into the long, graceful American long rifle. As the frontier moved west and men were mounted on horseback, shorter, heavier and bigger bore rifles like the Plains Rifle came back into the fold. While less ornate than the jager, in practice wei've gone full circle!

 

[JN01]

On the American frontier, on the other hand, pioneers like Boone were far ranging, and often away from civilization for weeks or months. They could live off the land to some extent, but powder and balls had to be brought with them. That meant a balance had to be struck between an adequate supply of ammunition and its weight. The result was that few rifles were made over about .40 caliber, with .36 or even .32 not being unknown.

Not so. If you review examples of rifles produced prior to 1790 or so and used on the frontier, small bores are the exception rather than the rule. A 50ish caliber rifle was a compromise over the earlier Jaegers (which were more often 60 caliber or larger) and smooth bores using much larger single projectiles. Use of small bores in the east developed in the early 19th Century as warfare against the natives was pretty much over and larger game populations were pretty well wiped out making larger calibers unnecessary.

Interestingly, either Merriweather Lewis or William Clark took a .36 caliber rifle on their expedition to the Pacific Northwest and killed a grizzly bear with it- with multiple shots. He did not repeat the task as it was woefully inadequate for the job.

 

[JN01]

At the time they were originally produced, they were generally referred to as rifles or rifle guns. The term "Kentucky rifle" was not popularized until a famous poem "The Hunters of Kentucky" about the Battle of New Orleans in 1813 referred to them as such.

The term "Pennsylvania rifle" is a more modern invention as it was thought to be a more accurate descriptive seeing how most of the 18th Century gun builders worked in that state.

Someone mentioned that rifles of the period were not described by caliber but by number of balls to the pound. Here is a breakdown by caliber:

32 caliber: (.310) 048g—approx 146 balls/pound
36 caliber: (.360) 071g—-approx 98 balls/pound
40 caliber: (.395) 092g—-approx 76 balls/pound
45 caliber: (.445) 133g—-approx 52 balls/pound
50 caliber: (.498) 180g—-approx 38 balls/pound
54 caliber: (.535) 220g—-approx 32 balls/pound
58 caliber: (.560) 280g—-approx 25 balls/pound
62 caliber: (.610) 341g—-approx 20 balls/pound
69 caliber: (.678) 468g—-approx 15 balls/pound
75 caliber: (.715) 545g—-approx 13 balls/pound

Also, there were no real standardized sizes, when you bought a rifle, the maker also supplied a bullet mold which produced a ball that would fit the bore properly. There are period accounts of frontiersmen shaving down balls to make a looser fit in the bore so that they could be easily slammed down the bore (without a patch) for a fast combat reload.

 

[Steel Horse Rider]

This has been great information for me so far, so thanks to all that have posted! I ran across this website in my searching: http://www.americanlongrifles.org/american-longrifle-kentucky-rifle-story.htm so I figured I would put it out for comment also. Right now I am leaning towards a .45 caliber Pennsylvania style rifle as I already have made a .45 caliber Kentucky pistol kit. They would make a good pair even though the pistol is cap gun, not a flinter.

 

[Crawdad1]

"The argument goes that there were not enough white longhunters to account for all the rifles we know were made and most frontier settlers did not have guns of any type."

This page was last updated on 04/01/05.

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I disagree with that statement there, seems to me even though my library is limited as to why he said that? Seems to me most families had at least one fowler even going back to the matchlock fowler or the club butt fowlers.