O.W.R.  Collectors Show Association
Original, Jacob Dickert Rifle
  Welcome to the Old Westmoreland Rifles Collectors Show Association page. Our aim is to educate the public regarding the fine artistry and historical significance of the longrifle in American history.



KENTUCKY LONGRIFLE SHOW


SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, 2010

SPONSORED BY THE

OLD WESTMORELAND RIFLES – COLLECTORS SHOW ASSOCIATION

AT THE
BUSHY RUN BATTLEFIELD MUSEUM


  • SHOW SET-UP:FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 1:00 PM TO 9:00 PM
(TABLE HOLDERS ONLY, TABLE DONATIONS $60)
(SNOW DATE – FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2010)

  • SHOW HOURS: SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, 9:00 AM TO 4:00 PM
(PUBLIC INVITED - ADMISSION DONATION $5)
(SNOW DATE – SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2010)

  • SHOW FEATURES:HISTORIC WEAPONS DISPLAYS
(Kentucky rifles, accessories and associated
arms from the period 1700-1850)
HANDCRAFTED REPRODUCTIONS
BUSHY RUN MUSEUM & BOOKSTORE

  • SHOW RULES:SMOKE-FREE SHOW

NO ONE UNDER 16 ADMITTED
(Without adult supervision)
NO ALCOHOL

NO GUNPOWDER OR CARTRIDGE AMMUNITION
(Muzzle loading arms only)
NO PHOTOGRAPHY

LODGING:      SUPER 8 MOTEL – DELMONT
Adjacent to KING’S RESTAURANT, located south of the junction of 66 Toll Way and PA Route 22. For reservations, call 724-468-4888. For show rates mention “The Bushy Run Show”.

HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS – DELMONT
Behind the LAMPLIGHTER RESTAURANT, located on PA Route 22, just
west of the 66 Toll Way towards Murrysville. For reservations call direct 1-724-468-1050. For show rates, mention “The Bushy Run Show”.


For information regarding the show, call (724) 527-5584, or
write to:
OWR-CSA, P.O. Box 602, Export, PA 15632-0602


Contemporary,  Jaeger Rifle
Original, Jacob Sell Rifle
  The Kentucky rifle did not originate in Kentucky, its roots are of the Pennsylvania Longrifle and it existed long before the white man set foot in the Kentucky frontier.
The so called Kentucky rifle was merely a Pennsylvania Longrifle carried by now famous frontiersmen into the Kan-tuc-kee land.
  Developed in Pennsylvania by Germanic settlers who had emigrated from their homeland to the American Continent. Initially the rifle smiths made rifles similar to the Jaeger hunting rifles they had made and used in their German homeland. These were big, heavy barreled, large caliber guns with rifling cut into the bore. They were either very plain or very fancy. They usually had sliding wooden patch boxes early on but brass was not unheard of. They were relatively short, being about a 30" barrel length. The frontiersmen loved the accuracy of the rifle, but did not like the weight, or the balls per pound they could carry, nor the amount of powder it took to drive such balls. They asked for and received from the rifle smiths a rifle which was longer in barrel length for greater accuracy and more efficient powder burn, smaller in barrel width and caliber to reduce weight and allow more shots per pound of lead balls and powder.
  This developed into what we know as the Pennsylvania Longrifle which was necessary to these frontiersmen in expanding the country's frontier. A rifle of 40 to 50 caliber, 42" to 48”long barrel, slim, carved for enhancement as were the German hunting rifles but not to fancy. They were working guns, not sporting guns. They were used for defense as well as for food gathering.
  Call it what you will, as for me, it will forever be known as the Pennsylvania Longrifle, and it played a significant part in early American history.

Early Roots (1700-1750)
The Longrifles early history is tied to Germanic settlements of Eastern                          Pennsylvania. The Jaeger Rifle is the Father of the American Longrifle. The                 Jaeger  barrel  had rifling grooves cut into it which improved accuracy immensely.     

Key Areas of Development (1750-1780)
Christians Spring near present day Nazerath, Pennsylvania in Lehigh County, Reading in Berks County and Lancaster.

The French & Indian War (1753-1763)
Colonial Militia and Native Americans primarily used muskets. But rifles were also used by Rangers and some indians.

The Revolutionary War (1775-1783)
Surviving rifles are rare, they were used primarily as sniper and skirmish weapons,and were consumed through hard use.

The Zenith (1790-1812) The Golden Age
Rifle making flourishes in the colonies. The patchbox, carving and inlays were evolving into a uniquely American art form and experts consider it to be America's earliest art form.