WESTWARD EXPANSION PART 1

WELCOME BACK TO THE MISSION94 FIREARMS EDUCATION CENTER VIDEO SERIES.

AS INDUSTRIALIZATION TOOK HOLD IN AMERICA’S CITIES, IT PROVIDED IMPROVED TOOLS AND CREATED AN ITCH THAT NEEDED TO BE SCRATCHED. THE ITCH FOR OPEN SPACES. IN THE EARLY PART OF THE 1800S, MOST AMERICANS CRAVED WIDE OPEN SPACES TO FARM AND BUILD THEIR LIVES ON. WITH IMPROVED FIREARMS, THANKS TO THIS GUY HERE, FRONTIERSMEN HAD A BETTER MEANS OF PROTECTING THEMSELVES AND THEIR FAMILIES AND PROVIDING FOR THEM AS THEY STARTED MOVING WEST.

BEFORE WE TAKE A LOOK AT THE FIREARMS THAT ENABLED AMERICANS TO MOVE WEST AND FULFILL WHAT BECAME REFERRED TO AS MANIFEST DESTINY, LETS SEE THE TRAINING SPACES HERE AT MISSION94. WE HAVE 2 TRAINING AREAS, ONE WITH 10, 25-YARD BAYS AND ONE WITH 5, 50-YARD BAYS. UNLIKE THE FRONTIERSMEN, YOU CAN TRAIN AND ZERO IN YOUR SIGHTS IN A STATEOF-THE-ART, CLIMATE CONTROLLED AND WELL-VENTILATED FACILITY.

NOW LET’S DIVE INTO WESTWARD EXPANSION.

THE AMERICAN LONG RIFLE WAS A POPULAR FIREARM FOR ITS PRECISION. ANOTHER VERSION OF THE LONG RIFLE WAS DEVELOPED IN THE 1830S BY THE HAWKENS BROTHERS – THE HAWKENS RIFLE.

THESE RIFLES WERE GENERALLY SHORTER THAN THE EARLIER AMERICAN LONG RIFLES AND USED A LARGER CALIBER. A FEW STYLES WERE MADE INCLUDING THE “ROCKY MOUNTAIN” GUN. THESE RIFLES HAD BARRELS OF VARYING LENGTHS FROM 33 INCHES TO 36 INCHES WHICH WERE FULLY RIFLED WITH DOUBLE TRIGGERS. THEY EARNED A REPUTATION AS A QUALITY GUN, LIGHT ENOUGH TO CARRY AT ALL TIMES, BUT ONE THAT COULD STILL ACCURATELY TAKE DOWN LARGE ANIMALS AT LONG RANGE. ALTHOUGH MODELS PRODUCED AFTER 1835 USED THE NEW PERCUSSION LOCK SYSTEM, THESE FIREARMS WERE THE LAST OF THE INDIVIDUALLY MADE LONG RIFLES. EACH FIREARM WAS INDIVIDUALLY PRODUCED WITH THE HAWKENS BROTHERS TEAM PRODUCING ABOUT 100 ANNUALLY.

RIFLES WERE POPULAR WITH FUR TRADERS, TRAPPERS, AND BIG GAME HUNTERS, AND THEY BECAME A KEY TOOL USED BY MILITIAS.

THE SUCCESSES OF DANIEL MORGAN’S RIFLEMEN IN THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR ILLUSTRATED THE ADVANTAGE A LONG RIFLE PROVIDED. THE DEFENDERS OF THE ALAMO, INCLUDING DAVY CROCKETT RENOWNED FRONTIERSMAN, POLITICIAN AND MILITIAMAN FROM THE TENNESSEE MOUNTED VOLUNTEERS, USED RIFLES AS A KEY PART OF THE MISSION’S DEFENSE. IN PART, DUE TO THE ACCURACY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF RIFLES AND THEIR MARKSMEN, THE FIRST TWO CHARGES ON THE ALAMO WERE REPELLED BY THE SMALL ARMY OF TEXANS AND THEIR SUPPORTERS.

 AS THE LONG RIFLE CONTINUED TO GROW IN POPULARITY ON THE AMERICAN FRONTIER, MORE INNOVATIONS FOLLOWED INCLUDING NEW DESIGNS FOR A REVOLVING PISTOL. WHO INVENTED THEM? FIND OUT IN PART 2.