Family multimedia: American long rifles

204a. Uniquely American (American Long Rifles)

§ [ON SCREEN: AUDIO-ONLY ANIMATION.]

ACTOR'S VOICE: TOMBSTONE FOX—
You’re looking at examples of the first truly American art form. Soon after we won our independence, gunsmiths found a market building these American Long Rifles, also called Pennsylvania or Kentucky Long Rifles. They became the favorite firearms of many frontiersmen out West. In those days, of course, the West started around the Ohio River Valley.

§ [ON SCREEN: HOT-SPOT IMAGE OF CASE WITH THREE CHOICES—1. BECK RIFLE; 2. UPRIGHT RIFLE WITH TIGER-STRIPED MAPLE; 3. “SOUTHERN BELLE” PATCHBOX.]

ACTOR'S VOICE: TOMBSTONE FOX—
Take a look at the picture on your screen. * It shows this exhibit, with circles around three different American Long Rifles. * Touch one to learn more about what made it special.


204a-1. Beck rifle (hotspot)

§ [ON SCREEN: “BECK RIFLE.”]

ACTOR'S VOICE: TOMBSTONE FOX—
John Philip Beck made this rifle between 1785 and 1811, the Golden Age of the American Long Rifle. Beck lived in Pennsylvania, but he won his fame making what were then called “Kentucky Rifles.” Beck embellished this example of his art with a beautiful maple stock carved in relief, and fine brass-work.


204a-2. Tiger-striped maple (hotspot)

§ [ON SCREEN: “TIGER-STRIPED MAPLE.”]

ACTOR'S VOICE: TOMBSTONE FOX—
The beautiful tiger-striped maple on these upright American Long Rifles reflects their real importance on the frontier. People depended on these guns for their lives and livelihoods, from hunting food and fur pelts to self-defense.

We like to think today’s machine-made goods work better than hand-made. But each American Long Rifle was one-of-a-kind, custom-made, and built to last a lifetime. And they had an accuracy and reliability comparable to modern factory-made rifles.


204a-3. Patchbox (hotspot)

§ [ON SCREEN: “PATCHBOX.”]

ACTOR'S VOICE: TOMBSTONE FOX—
The stock of this American Long Rifle features a Southern Belle wearing a hoopskirt. * She’s made of brass and German Silver and applied to the surface of the wood. * She’s only an ornate decoration made to resemble the cover of a patchbox that would have been hollowed out in the stock. * Patches were pieces of cloth greased with bear grease, tallow, or oil. You use them when loading muzzle-loading firearms.