Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire What's the most American gun you can think of?

If you look at a long rifle you will see an American adaptation of a German hunting rifle.

Colt Peacemaker 1873

The long rifle was developed on the American frontier in southeastern Pennsylvania in the early 1700s. It was the product of German gunsmiths who immigrated to new settlements in South eastern Pennsylvania in early 1700s and later to Virginia and other territories. The earliest gunsmiths that can be documented are Robert Baker and Martin Meylin, Meylin's gun shop was built in 1719 in Berks County Pennsylvania were he produced Possibly the first long rifle. Each year the ten best flintlock riflemen from Pennsylvania and Kentucky shoot it out for bragging rights. This year the Pennsylvania team took top honors so for now it's a Pennsylvania longrifle.

And look at how many other ideas and innovations that arrived here by means of the naturalization process set forth in the Constitution have become American standards. That's what we are all about.

Uh! The Greener was English. They were used here but manufactured in England.

drover

This.

Those last two lines are about the dumbest damned argument I've seen made here and that takes some doing. Coming from PA, though, I'm not surprised.

The longrifle, trending and descending from the lines of the French fusil, the English fowler, and the Germanic jaeger, was appearing in various forms along the frontier from SW NC to W NY all about the same time period, roughly 1735 to 1765. The Johannes Faber rifle in VA, certainly not of PA origin, was not the first of it's kind in that region and it dates prior to 1760. Other rifles of that same era (pre- and during F&I War) have been found and with provenance along the then-frontier.

The "longrifle" is an American original; a "mutt" of various styles blended together into a unique, new breed, and one whose origins occurred almost simultaneously along the entire frontier of the American colonies. The "PA" or "KY" rifle alone is a myth; the longrifle as a breed stands out and cannot be claimed by one region or another alone.

You beat me to on the Greener being English.

The Garand, while a fine and important battle rifle, was designed by a Canadian, making it a little less American than many other guns mentioned.

This is in fun I think and no one is wrong, but, the M1 is American designed, built and won WWII using THE american cartridge. I dont think it was largely based on a foreign design and the people who built/desgned it were not hyphenated. My home county has a History with the long rifle and Bedford County Rifles are well known. Personally I like them better than a Garand.

Damn you posted while I was thinking, and you are right.

Don't get your panty's wadded up the contest is a fun event held yearly. I passed it along as a side note not part of any "argument". You can pontificate all you want fact remains those rifles originated in Pennsylvania.

Probably the plains rifle in the Hawken style. Eliminated the last vestiges of European influence appearing in the old school long rifles. A practical reflection of what was needed in then western America without bowing to the niceties of European design.

Tikka

Take it up with American Longrifles. They've actually studied the history of the "American Longrifle". The rifles originated all along the frontier, and much of the design stems from the English fowler and the French fusil, perhaps more so than the Germanic jaeger.

No doubt it's a fun event, but fun doesn't equal fact.

Smooth bore "gun" Winchester Model 12

Sharps Rifles(Buffler Guns)


Longrifles (Lancaster here)

Easy...it was an offshoot of the German Jaeger rifle on the 1,700's. Americans, mostly emigrated Germans or their ancestors, made them longer.

The Winchester 1873 is my vote.

American Long rifles has an interesting sight been there many times Did you see the part of their description of the long rifle that said " The long rifle began to evolve along the Pennsylvania Frontier in and about Lancaster county In the 1800s"? Pennsylvania German gunsmiths were producing long rifles in the 1700s. I doubt they took much from the fowlers or the fusil de chase at least I can not see it. I shoot both a long rifle and a fusil side by side they don't look like even distant relatives. Like comparing any rifle to a shotgun they are quite different.

As a Non-American, there would be several guns that the image of conjures up "America".
The M16 would have to be up there for the recent period. The Colt "six shooter" and the sight of a Kentucky rifle would be synonymous with other earlier times of the Colonies.
There are others of course. But these three stand out from different stages in your Countries history.

These were my thoughts prior to reading any of the other responses.

Hawken!