These rifles were sometimes elaborately carved and decorated with finely etched brass or silver plates.īut the rifle’s most critical quality was its extended barrel that featured twisting grooves along the interior bore. These skilled metalsmiths developed the American long rifle, which also became known as the Kentucky, Ohio or Pennsylvania rifle.
American Gunsmithsįor early settlers pioneering the wilderness of North America, gunsmiths became vital members of small settlements. Thanks in part to the Silk Road and adventurous traders like Marco Polo, by the 13th century ancestors of the modern firearm had spread from Asia to Europe, where they were further developed as weapons in the form of matchlock, wheel lock and flintlock firearms.īy the time early colonists arrived in America in the 15th century, firearm design had advanced significantly and the weapons were routinely included in journeys to the New World.Īmong the firearms commonly associated with the early colonists was the German-made blunderbuss, an early version of the shotgun that featured a flared muzzle and a broad opening at the top, which made for faster and easier loading.Ĭolonists also carried matchlock muskets, which used a match-in the form of a small piece of burning rope-to ignite gunpowder through a small hole in the gun’s loaded barrel.
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