THE PENNSYLVANIA/KENTUCKY LONG RIFLE

Contributed By

Janet Reece Smith

From The Saga of the Parsons Family by the Parsons Family Organization.

Circa 1725 the forerunner of the Kentucky long rifles was designed and built by German craftsman in Pennsylvania. Settlers to Kentucky brought their long rifle with them.

A good long rifle cost a rifleman a good years wages. The rule of thumb on the length of the barrel is that it would reach from the ground up to the chin of the customer, making reloading easier. The longer barrel made for better sighting. The Pennsylvania/Kentucky Long Rifle was the most accurate long range gun for several decades. In 1792 the barrel was shortened from 46 inches to 42 inches. Lewis and Clark shortened it further to 33-36 inches. When the model 1803 rifle went west, it became known as the Plains Rifle.

The long rifle was a prime factor in several Revolutionary War Battles, especially in the West. The sharpshooting reputation of the Kentuckians was common knowledge from the time of the Revolutionary War through World War II, and even as late as Viet Nam.

Col George Hanger, a Revolutionary War British officer, became very interested in the American rifle after he witnessed his bugler’s horse shot out from under him at a distance, which he measured several times himself, “a full 400 yards”. After then he learned all he could of the weapon. He writes, “I have many times asked the American Backwoodsman what was the most that their best marksman could do. They have constantly told me that an expert marksman, provided he can draw a good and true sight, can hit the head of a man at 200 yards.”

A typical rifle was .50 caliber and made of curly maple wood, full stocks, and sported a 42-46 inch barrel. A crested shaped buttplate, a cheekpin, and a patchbox were common and helpful in identifying a PA/KY long rifle. The patchbox, a hinge door cut into the stock is the distinguishing feature of the Kentucky Rifle. Most were made of brass and then decorative elements can often identify a gun’s maker or geographic origin. Valuable “golden eye” (1775-1845) Kentucky Rifles often have elaborate patchboxes and curved stocks.

From Firearms of Colonial America by M L Brown.