Harpers Ferry Model 1803

Harper's Ferry Model 1803 - (33" barrel, 49" overall.)
U.S. Model 1803 rifle, also called the Harper's Ferry Model 1803. The rifle in the picture was for sale online for $17,500 in August 2009. Photo by Horsesoldier.com.
Type	Flintlock rifle
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1803-?
Wars	War of 1812, Mexican–American War, US Civil War
Production history
Manufacturer	Harper's Ferry Armory
Produced	1803-06, 1814-19
No. built	~20,000
Variants	Types 1-3
Specifications
Weight	9 lbs (4.082 kg)
Barrel length	33" (838 mm)
Cartridge	.525 (13.335 mm)
Caliber	.54 (13.716 mm)
Action	Flintlock
Feed system	Muzzle loaded

The Harper's Ferry Model 1803 rifle was the first rifle made by an American armory.

Rifles existed long before the 17th century, but were rarely used by military forces. In order to be effective, the round in a rifle had to fit snugly into the barrel. This would allow the round to grip the barrel's rifling as the weapon was fired, and the rifling would impart a spin onto the round which would make it more stable and accurate. However, 16th and 17th century weapons were muzzle loaded, and the black powder that was used at the time would quickly foul the barrel. Rifles, with their tight fitting rounds, would quickly become unusable. Smooth bore muskets with looser fitting rounds were much less accurate, but did not suffer from this problem. Armies therefore tended to favor smooth bore weapons.

The U.S. military did however take note of the accuracy of rifles. The accuracy of American long rifles like the Pennsylvania and Kentucky rifles far exceeded that of any smooth bore weapon. Rifles would not replace muskets on the battlefield until the invention of the Minie Ball solved the problem of barrel fouling, but prior to that, many rifles were used by U.S. forces.

The first rifles used were imported from foreign gun makers. In 1803, Secretary of War Henry Dearborn wrote about the utility of a short-barreled rifle, it being easier to charge enemy positions with, and "less likely to foul by firing." He specified that the new rifle that should "not exceed 33 inches" and have a ball "one-thirtieth of a pound weight, about .54 caliber." Under Dearborn's direction, the war department issued an order for the new rifle on May 25, 1803. Joseph Perkin, superintendent of the recently created Harper's Ferry Armory, was placed in charge of the design of the new rifle. Perkin and several other armorers created several patterns from Dearborn's instructions, and in November 1803 these patterns were presented to the War Department. With a few minor changes, one of these patterns was approved and became the Model 1803 rifle. Dearborn was so impressed that he complimented Perkin for submitting such "an excellent pattern", and an order was placed for 2,000 rifles. Based on the rifle's success and performance, Dearborn later expanded the production from 2,000 to 4,000 rifles. In November 1805, Dearborn also asked Perkin to create a horseman's pistol that was in many ways a scaled down version of the Model 1803 rifle.

Dearborn and Perkin originally planned to produce 2,000 rifles per year. The rifle proved to be more difficult to produce than expected, due to mechanical difficulties as well as a large amount of handwork required to finish each rifle. Production was also slowed by outbreaks of malaria in the summers of 1805 and 1806, which reduced the available manpower at Harpers Ferry. The order of 4,000 rifles was eventually completed in 1807.