Melchior Fordney Longrifle
Melchior Fordney · Rifle · Out Of Production · 1811
Also known as: Fordney rifle, M. Fordney longrifle, Melchoir Fordney rifle
Overview
The Melchior Fordney longrifle is an American muzzle-loading flintlock rifle handcrafted by the Lancaster, Pennsylvania gunsmith Melchior Fordney (active c. 1811-1846). A leading maker of the Lancaster school during the Golden Age of the Kentucky longrifle, Fordney built full-stock, highly figured curly-maple rifles around a long straight octagonal iron barrel of roughly .45 caliber firing a patched round ball. His guns are instantly recognizable for their cross-hatched checkered wrist, flowing relief carving forward of the lock, spiral-engraved muzzle cap, and intricately engraved four-piece patch box, and are prized by collectors as some of the finest ornamented longrifles of the period.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 4400 g (155.2 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1500 mm (59.06") |
| Barrel Length | 1137 mm (44.76") |
| Action Type | Muzzleloader |
| Firing Mechanism | Flintlock |
| Trigger Type | Set Trigger |
| Muzzle Velocity | 427 m/s (1401 fps) |
| Effective Range | 137 m (150 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 2 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Barrel Material | Iron |
| Stock Material | Maple |
| Finish | Browned |
Calibers
- .45 caliber (Kentucky) · primary — also known as .40-.50 caliber round ball, patched round ball
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Muzzle Loaded
- Safety mechanisms: Half Cock Notch
- Features: Long Barrel, Octagonal Barrel, Patch Box, Raised Carving, Wrist Checkering, Engraved Furniture, Iron Sights, Double Set Trigger
Service history
Operators
- Pennsylvania frontiersmen and hunters
Production
Production years: c. 1811-1846
Hand-built in Fordney's Lancaster shop; no complete production records survive. Many signed examples remain in museum and private collections.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Melchior Fordney
Discontinued: 1846
Notes
Bore diameter varied by order; surviving Fordney rifles range from roughly .45 to .55 caliber and both flintlock and later percussion examples exist. Barrel and overall lengths given are representative of a typical full-octagon example (about 44.75 inches / 1137 mm of barrel); individual rifles varied. Fordney apprenticed the young Henry Leman, who went on to found his own Lancaster gun manufactory.
Background
Melchior Fordney was one of the preeminent longrifle builders of Lancaster County during the Golden Age of the Kentucky rifle, celebrated for his checkered wrists, deep-cut engraving, and horsehead patch boxes. His career ended abruptly in October 1846 when he was murdered by a mentally disturbed neighbor. His apprentice Henry Leman carried the Lancaster gunmaking tradition into the industrial era.