Ames Mountain Rifle
N. P. Ames Manufacturing Company · Rifle · Discontinued · 1841
Also known as: Ames Half-Stock Rifle, N. P. Ames Percussion Rifle
Overview
The Ames Mountain Rifle is a .54 caliber muzzle-loading percussion rifle produced by the N. P. Ames Manufacturing Company of Chicopee, Massachusetts in the 1840s and 1850s. A half-stock arm of the type contemporaries called a mountain rifle, it loads a patched round ball and powder charge down a rifled bore, fired by a percussion cap struck on a side-mounted hammer. Ames was one of several New England contractors that supplied .54 caliber percussion rifles to the United States government during the era of the Model 1841 rifle, building on the company's reputation for swords, edged weapons, and military hardware.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 4400 g (155.2 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1232 mm (48.50") |
| Barrel Length | 838 mm (32.99") |
| Action Type | Muzzleloader |
| Firing Mechanism | Percussion |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 1 rounds |
| Muzzle Velocity | 340 m/s (1115 fps) |
| Effective Range | 180 m (197 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 730 m (798 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 3 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 7 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Walnut |
| Finish | Browned |
Calibers
- .54 Caliber Ball · primary — also known as .54 caliber, 13.7mm patched round ball
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Muzzle Loaded
- Safety mechanisms: Half Cock Notch
- Features: Half Stock, Percussion Lock, Rifled Bore, Iron Sights, Ramrod
Service history
Operators
- United States Army · adopted 1841
Conflicts
- Mexican-American War (1846-1848)
Production
Production years: 1841-1855
Ames Manufacturing supplied .54 caliber percussion arms as a U.S. government contractor; exact figures for the mountain-rifle pattern are not documented.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Discontinued: 1855
Notes
The term mountain rifle was a period designation for the half-stock fur-trade and frontier rifles of the mid-19th century, distinct from the full-stock military rifle musket. Ames Manufacturing was best known for swords and the Jenks breech-loading percussion arms, and supplied .54 caliber percussion long arms as a government contractor.
Background
The Ames Manufacturing Company of Chicopee, Massachusetts grew from a Chelmsford metalworking shop into one of the most important American makers of swords, edged weapons, and military hardware in the 19th century, and was an early contractor for percussion firearms such as the Jenks carbine.