Pennsylvania Rifle
Various Gunsmiths · Rifle · Discontinued · 1720
Also known as: Kentucky Rifle, American Long Rifle, Long Rifle
Overview
The Pennsylvania Rifle is an American flintlock muzzleloading rifle developed by German and Swiss immigrant gunsmiths around Lancaster, Pennsylvania in the early 18th century. Featuring a long rifled octagonal barrel, a slender maple full-stock with a brass patch box, and frequently a set trigger, it was far more accurate than the smoothbore muskets of its era. Carried westward by pioneers into Kentucky, it became popularly known as the Kentucky rifle and earned a reputation as a precision hunting and frontier arm.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 4100 g (144.6 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1400 mm (55.12") |
| Barrel Length | 1070 mm (42.13") |
| Action Type | Muzzleloader |
| Firing Mechanism | Flintlock |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 1 rounds |
| Magazine Type | None |
| Muzzle Velocity | 300 m/s (984 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 756 J (558 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 90 m (98 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 180 m (197 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 2 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 7 |
| Frame Material | Iron |
| Barrel Material | Iron |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Browned |
Calibers
- .50 Caliber Ball · primary — also known as 0.50 in lead round ball, 12.7mm round ball, .55 caliber lead ball
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Muzzle Loaded
- Safety mechanisms: Half Cock Notch
- Features: Rifled Barrel, Patch Box, Set Trigger, Octagonal Barrel, Maple Stock
Service history
Operators
- Continental Army · adopted 1775
- American frontiersmen and pioneers
Conflicts
- American Revolutionary War (1775-1783)
- War of 1812 (1812-1815)
Production
Production years: c.1720-c.1900
Hand-built by hundreds of individual gunsmith shops across Pennsylvania and the frontier; no centralized production totals exist
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Pennsylvania gunsmiths (Lancaster County)
Discontinued: 1900
Notes
Calibers varied widely from roughly .25 to .62, with .40 to .50 being most common; barrel and overall lengths likewise varied between individual gunsmiths. Later examples were converted to or built as percussion locks after the 1840s. Figures here reflect a typical .50-caliber flintlock long rifle.
Background
American riflemen armed with the Pennsylvania rifle served as sharpshooters during the Revolution, picking off British officers and sentries at ranges muskets could not reach, and are credited with influencing battles such as Saratoga in 1777.