Frank Wesson No. 1 Long Range
Frank Wesson · Rifle · Discontinued · 1876
Also known as: Wesson No. 1 Creedmoor, Frank Wesson Long Range No. 1
Overview
The Frank Wesson No. 1 Long Range is a single-shot falling-block target rifle built in Worcester, Massachusetts around 1876 for the long-range Creedmoor competition era. Chambered for heavy black-powder cartridges such as the .44-100 Wesson, it carries a 34-inch octagonal barrel, a side-hammer action released by a push-button lever, and precision sighting equipment: a wind-gauge front sight and a Vernier tang sight with a second mounting position at the heel of the butt for extreme-range prone shooting. Fewer than fifty were made, making it one of the rarest American Creedmoor rifles.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 4500 g (158.7 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1295 mm (50.98") |
| Barrel Length | 864 mm (34.02") |
| Action Type | Falling Block |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 1 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Internal |
| Muzzle Velocity | 381 m/s (1250 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 2584 J (1906 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 900 m (984 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 1000 m (1094 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 6 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .44-100 Wesson · primary — also known as .44-100, .44-100 Creedmoor, .44 Long Range
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Single Shot
- Safety mechanisms: Half Cock Notch
- Features: Octagonal Barrel, Side Hammer, Push Button Breech Release, Checkered Walnut Stock, Wind Gauge Front Sight, Vernier Tang Sight, Heel Mounted Sight Position
Service history
Operators
- American competitive target shooters · adopted 1876
Production
Estimated total produced: 50 · Production years: 1876-1888
Fewer than 50 Long Range Creedmoor rifles were built, with varying features and several chamberings; fewer than 25 are known to survive.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Frank Wesson
Discontinued: 1888
Notes
A dedicated match rifle from the post-Civil War long-range target shooting boom centered on the Creedmoor range on Long Island. Barrels are marked in script 'Frank Wesson Mfg. Long Range Rifle No. 1 Worcester, Mass.' Some examples were also chambered in .45-100. Estimates place total production at fewer than 50 rifles.
Background
During the 1870s Creedmoor craze, American gunmakers raced to build rifles that could reach targets at 800, 900 and 1,000 yards; Frank Wesson's No. 1 Long Range was his answer, so scarce today that surviving examples number in the low dozens and command prices far above the everyday two-trigger sporting rifles that made his name.