What was the predominant rifle carried or sold prior between 1840-1860

[Dakota Widowmaker]

So, when caplocks came onto the scene in the early-mid 1840s, and before the Civil War, what did most folks purchase?

Today we have quite a variety, but, certain names stick out as being the most reliable, affordable, and readily available.
(Winchester, Remington, and Savage come to mind)

Was is basically all enfields and hawkens or was there something else that I am missing???

[St. George]

Firearms manufacture during that time frame was a small-scale affair - with many, many early gunmakers providing the public its arms - Hawken was a small shop, and Enfields were English-built and not readily available until the Civil War - the bulk of production belonging to the Crown.

Figuring out which one provided the largest production and all that you're looking for may prove somewhat difficult.

Given that these forums are pretty devoted to Cowboy and Western Action Shooting, and not Civil War reenactment or the Fur Trade era, but the era of cartridge firearms - perhaps there's another venue available that I'm not aware of at the moment.

Production records of the pre-Civil War time frame are spotty, to say the least - and often non-existent, especially from the smaller manufacturers.

Maybe the best way to answer this is to look at who were the big suppliers at the beginning of the Civil War - Whitney, North, Colt, Sharps, Hall, Spencer, Amoskeag, and so on and so forth - and then backtrack their history.

Those were but a few importuning Uncle Sam for his business - in order to 'make' their business.

Even back then, a Government Contract built and saved many a manufacturer.

Good Luck.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Cuzzin Jack]

Try the tradional  muzzleloading forum. You can Google it.                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Cuzzin Jack

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[Halfway Creek Charlie]

Remington built Rifles, barrels and locks way before the Civil War I think back to the 1820's.

[Dakota Widowmaker]

What did the Texas Ranger and Sam Walker carry? ( besides their revolvers)

I'll check in with the smoke pole forums to see what they know as well.

[St. George]

Hall Carbines.

Post-war - Sharps were issued to them.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Nolan Sackett]

Henry Leman was by far the largest supplier of caplock rifles to the western trade during that era. Other suppliers would include Henry Deringer, Henry's Boulton Works, and Thomas Tryon. The USA Model of 1842, aka the Mississippi rifle aka the Yager, was another favorite in the late 1840's and 50's. Most towns/cities along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers also had gunsmiths/builders such as the Hawkens. The Hawkens, while well thought of were, but a drop in the bucket in so far as numbers, they were a small manufactory producing at most about a 100 guns a year.
One of the best books this era is "Firearms of the American West: 1803-1865" by Garavaglia and Worman - it is interesting to see how many oddball guns, especially early attempts at repeaters and breech loaders, were being built during this period.