Kentucky/Pennsylvania Long Rifle

Several members of the Corps of Discovery carried personal Kentucky (or Pennsylvania) long rifles, the iconic frontier weapon of early America. These rifles were known for their exceptional accuracy at long range, thanks to their long, rifled barrels, and were the preferred weapon of frontiersmen throughout the Appalachian region and the trans-Mississippi West. George Drouillard, the expedition’s premier hunter, and the Field brothers were among those likely carrying these rifles. While more accurate at distance than the shorter Model 1803, the Kentucky rifle was slower to reload and less practical in dense brush. The rifles proved critical for hunting, as the expedition consumed enormous quantities of meat — Clark estimated the men ate up to 9 pounds of meat per person per day during the most strenuous legs of the journey.