Andreas Albrecht Longrifle
Andreas Albrecht (Christian's Spring Gun Shop) · Rifle · Out Of Production · 1760
Also known as: Albrecht Longrifle, Moravian Rifle, Christian's Spring Rifle, Lion and Lamb Rifle
Overview
The Andreas Albrecht Longrifle is a .50 caliber flintlock Pennsylvania longrifle handcrafted by Moravian gunsmith Andreas Albrecht at the Christian's Spring gun shop near Nazareth, Pennsylvania, around 1760. Built on a full-length curly maple stock with a swamped octagonal rifled barrel and brass furniture, it exemplifies the earliest school of American rifle building. Albrecht's rifles are among the most historically significant and finely made colonial-era longrifles, prized for their graceful architecture and rifled accuracy far exceeding contemporary smoothbore muskets.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 4100 g (144.6 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1320 mm (51.97") |
| Barrel Length | 924 mm (36.38") |
| Action Type | Muzzleloader |
| Firing Mechanism | Flintlock |
| Trigger Type | Set Trigger |
| Magazine Capacity | 1 rounds |
| Muzzle Velocity | 490 m/s (1608 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 1380 J (1018 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 90 m (98 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 300 m (328 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 7 |
| Barrel Material | Iron |
| Stock Material | Maple |
| Finish | Bright |
Calibers
- .50 Caliber Ball · primary — also known as .50 caliber patched round ball, .50 caliber muzzleloader, 12.7mm round ball
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Muzzleloading Patched Round Ball
- Safety mechanisms: Half Cock Notch
- Features: Octagonal Barrel, Rifled Bore, Patch Box, Curly Maple Full Stock, Brass Furniture, Double Set Trigger
Service history
Operators
- Moravian settlers of Pennsylvania · adopted 1760
- American frontier riflemen
Conflicts
- French and Indian War (1754-1763)
- American Revolutionary War (1775-1783)
Production
Production years: 1760-1802
Hand-built one at a time by Albrecht and his apprentices (including Christian Oerter and William Henry Jr.); total output unknown, very few survive today.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Andreas Albrecht
Notes
Albrecht rifles are exceedingly rare; only a handful of attributed or signed examples survive, including the celebrated 'Lion and Lamb' rifle. Barrel and overall dimensions reflect surviving attributed examples; specifications for individual rifles vary as each was built by hand.
Background
Johann Andreas Albrecht (1718-1802) trained as a gunsmith in Suhl, Saxony, before emigrating aboard the Moravian ship Irene in 1750 to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. As master of the Christian's Spring gun shop from 1763 to 1766, he trained a generation of celebrated riflemakers and helped establish the distinctive Pennsylvania (Kentucky) longrifle tradition. He continued making rifles in Lititz until his death in 1802.