It was characterised by it's extraordinary length, with a barrel anywhere between 40 inches/101 cm to 46 inches/117cm in length. The rifling in it's barrel imparted spin to the bullet when it was fired, greatly increasing it's range and accuracy. The increased length allowed for greater expansion of the gunpowder once fired, thus providing increased thrust to the bullet.
To load the weapon, the rifleman would first pour a measure of blackpowder into the barrel, followed by the bullet, which was wrapped in a wadding material. The firing pan would be primed with powder and the weapon would then be ready to fire.
In an age of colonial expansion and war, the Kentucky rifle proved invaluable to the American frontiersman. In the hands of a skilled sharpshooter, it's .50 calibre bullet could drop man or beast at ranges exceeding 200 yards. This was astonishing for a period when most smoothbore weapons were wildly inaccurate beyond thirty yards.
Conversely, it's great length was also one of it's drawbacks, making it even more cumbersome to wield than the ordinary muskets of the period. The rifling in the barrel could also gradually become clogged by burnt detritus from the blackpowder used as propellant, after which loading became almost impossible until the barrel had been cleaned with boiling water or urine.
The bullet, or ball, was smaller than a musket ball ( the Brown Bess musket had a .60- .70 calibre barrel). This meant that frontiersmen could cast more bullets with their precious lead.
The Kentucky Rifle in War
Riflemen were in great demand during the American Revolutionary War. Buckskin-clad, rifle-toting woodsmen soon became the terror of British officers. But, despite the rifle's effectiveness, most American soldiers used muskets. The rifle was a snipers weapon, and many american conscripts did not have the skill required to attain truly deadly efficiency with the rifle. The Brown Bess had a faster rate of fire, and the massed tactics of the day simply did not suit the deployment of huge numbers of riflemen. The Long Rifle remained the killing tool par excellence of the frontiersman.
Riflemen devised certain methods for getting the most range and accuracy out of their firearms. For example, it was observed that using silk as wadding for the charge increased the range of the bullet.
Many famous frontier heroes, like Davey Crockett and the notorious Indian-hunter, Lewis Wetzel, used the Kentucky Rifle. Wetzel, in particular, was renowned for his ability to reload his rifle whilst running at full speed through thick woodland. This feat is duplicated by the fictional character, Benjamin Martin, in The Patriot (2000).
The Illustrated History of Weaponry
Chuck Wills
SevenOaks Edition, 2006
A Short History of the Kentucky Rifle
http://www.tngenweb.org/campbell/hist-bogan/KentuckyLongRifle.html
