Model 1795 Musket

The 1795 musket was basically one of the first American weapons in our nations history. These were originally manufactured Federal arsenals in Springfield Mass. and Harper's Ferry VA. These rifles were originally made similar to French models having been made to fire .69 caliber lead balls. These were made better than the British Rifles because these were easier to take apart and clean. It was also lighter, for it was ten lbs. and five ft. long. The reason that it was easier to dismantle was because the barrel was attached to the stock by metal bands, yet the British muskets were held together by pins and other complicated bindings. The only problem about the musket was that it had a limitted range of one-hundred yds.

Of coarse, being a muzzle loader, it was a slow load. Rifles or muskets hadn't been made this way until about the Civil War era. The rifle above is the 1816 version but it's very similar to the 1795 model. These muskets were the beginning of American gun manufacturing.