I did not think that you'd have any luck Googling it.
"California Rifle Powder' was heavily marketed, especially about 1853-1855 through the 1870s in a multitude of city directories.
Gazlay's San Francisco Business Directory (1861) listed John Skinner as the sole agent in San Francisco for Du Pont. It is described as crystal-grain to be sold in 5-lb. cans (6 per case)
The
Oregon Board of Statistics (1870) priced 1-lb. of California Rifle Powder at 55 cents.
Montague's Illinois & Missouri Directory (1854-55) has an ad by the
Enfield Powder Co. listed the following gunpowder options:
* California Rifle Powder
* Sea Sporting Powder
* Prairie Shooting Powder
* American Eagle Powder
* Blasting Powder
* Safety Fuse Powder
From what I can gather a "California Rifle" is a generalization for a plains rifle commonly carried upon the Southern Routes into California. While I think that the "Hawkin" is often over-represented at events, there is still testimony of it as described by Ruxton in his book on Life in the Far West. (*Dale, here is an example of a brass-mounted Hawken's Rifle) :
"La Bonte, on his arrival at St. Louis, found himself one day in no less a place than this ; and here he made acquaintance with
an old trapper about to start for the mountains in a few days, to hunt on the head waters of Platte and Green River. With this
man he resolved to start, and, having still some hundred dollars in cash, he immediately set about equipping himself for the expedition. To effect this, he first of all visited the gun-store of Hawken, whose rifles are renowned in the mountains, and exchanged his own piece, which was of very small bore, for a regular mountain rifle.
This was of very heavy metal, carrying about thirty-two balls to the pound (.530), stocked to the muzzle, and mounted with brass, its only ornament being a buffalo bull, looking exceedingly ferocious, which was not very artistically engraved upon the trap in the stock. Here, too, he laid in a few pounds of powder and lead, and all the necessaries for a long hunt."-Life in the Far West, Geo. F. Ruxton (1849)
Randolph Marcy gave this account of a preferred rifle for traveling westward."The rifles that are manufactured in the Eastern States are designed for small game or target practice, and are, for the most part, of small calibre, carrying from about 80 to 100 round balls to the pound (about .36-.39 cal.). While it is admitted that these missiles, when fired with great accuracy through the vitals of a deer, will bring him to the ground, yet it is contended that if they only penetrate the fleshy parts of the animal, or even pass through the entrails, they are often insufficient to stop him ; Whereas, if a deer be wounded with a large ball, he will bleed much more freely, and will sooner become exhausted.
I have always been much more successful with a large-calibred rifle than With a small one ; and I am of the opinion that a gauge admitting about 32 round balls to the pound (.530 cal.)is the most efficient, not only for deer-shooting, but for all the other large game quadrupeds found upon our continent.
A hunting rifle should not be shorter in the barrel than 30 inches (I prefer 34 inches), as this length insures a good line of sight, and gives a desirable balance to the gun when brought to the shoulder. A shorter barrel may throw the ball with as much accuracy, but it is more easily thrown out of the proper line of direction, and does not allow sufficient interval between the front and back sights. The weight of metal in the barrel is a consideration of importance, but will depend somewhat upon the physical powers of the individual. A heavy barrel recoils less than a light one, and, consequently, throws the projectile with more precision; but a delicate man can not carry a very heavy rifle upon his shoulder all day without too great a tax upon his powers of endurance. Some of our stout and hardy frontiermen, like the Swiss mountaineers, carry a rifle of twenty pounds' weight, but this I deem unnecessarily large. A rifle weighing entire from 10 1/2 to 12 pounds is, in my judgment, heavy enough for hunting purposes. It does not recoil perceptibly when properly charged, and is not cumbersome for men of ordinary physique."-The Prairie Traveler (1859-61)
This is a good discussion. I'd really like to see other sources that members of the group have come up with. I don't believe that the descriptions I have given here are the only qualifiers for what a "California Rifle" would be. I would like to see more descriptions.
-Dave
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