"...The 1826 agreement between William Ashley and the new firm of Smith Jackson and Sublette stipulated…Ashley or his agent would deliver to Smith Jackson and Sublette or to their agent at or near the west end of the little Lake of Bear River…the following items:
North West Fuzils [trade gun] – twenty-four dollars each
Gunpowder of the first and second quality – one dollar fifty per pound
Lead – one dollar per pound
Shot – one dollar twenty five cents per pound
Flints – fifty cents per dozen
Beaver traps – nine dollars each
The above list of trade goods show Ashley sold them at an agreed on price. It was Smith Jackson and Sublette that marked them up in price, not Ashley as is so often stated. It is interesting to note trade guns accounted for less than five percent of the trade goods..."
Keep in mind that these figures are the prices charged by the importers to the suttlers (rendezvous traders) for goods taken to rendezvous. The suttlers would then mark the prices up by "several hundred percent". Trade Guns were cheap an functional. But considering the markup, it's safe to say that the importers and suttlers were the real financial winners.
So what makes a Trade Gun a Trade Gun? There are a number of characteristics that they all share, although there will be some variations depending on who made them, and when. This sample Trade Gun is not typical, as it is similar to a contemporary long rifle. In fact, they are sometimes called Smooth Bore Rifles.
For the purposes of Rendezvous competition, a Trade Gun will have the following features:
Flint Ignition: Trade guns were flintlocks. The reason is simple. Percussion caps were a relatively new invention, and a trapper with a cap lock rifle would have one additional thing to worry about when it came time to resupply. While flints weren't cheap, they could be refreshed (knapped) by chipping away small shards to create a sharp new edge. And if good English flints weren't available, passible substitutes could be fashioned from chert.Single Trigger: Trade guns do not have set triggers. This trade gun has the styling of the long rifle, but the trigger does not have the set mechanism. In addition, the finger extension behind the trigger guard loop would not have been found on conventional Trade Guns.
This particular sample has a lock more typical to a gentleman's fowler. Trade Guns typically had much larger locks, perhaps because those big jaws were needed to hold those rough-hewn chert flints. And in some cases, the locks may have come from "surplus" Brown Bess Muskets. I have to believe that retired muskets were available to the trapper, but if you're creating a facsimile of a Trade Gun, an old musket may not be the place to start.
A Smooth Bore: Trade guns were not rifled. This allowed them to use round ball shot (round), swan shot (conical), or any combination of projectiles. When loading a smooth bore, tow, the waste byproduct from the processing of linen, was often used as wadding behind and in front of the shot. I understand that the nest of a paper wasp makes excellent wadding material, something that must have been available on the frontier if an outdoorsman knew where to look.
Half Round Barrel: To reduce weight, Trade Gun barrels usually start as octagonal and change to a round contour about one-third of the way up from the breech. The junction of the two contours is called a wedding band.
You may also notice the rough textured appearance of the barrel, quite unlike the highly polished finish we find on modern sporting rifles. These barrels are "browned", which is essentially a rusting process that creates a reddish oxide of iron (Fe2O3). Traditional "cold bluing" creates a black oxide of iron (Fe3O4) on the surface. The quality of the finish depends on how well the barrel was polished prior to browning. It may be hard to see in the photo, but the draw file marks are still visible on the flats of this particular barrel. Had the barrel and flats been hand polished using 320 grit or finer, the browning would have been richer in color.
No Rear Sight: Trade guns have a front sight, but no rear. If you're already a shotgunner, you'll find that shooting a Trade Gun is like shooting a trap gun, but without the middle bead. Consistent placement of the cheek on the stock allows the shooter's eye to act as a rear sight. You'll notice that a drop of red nail polish has been used to help the shooter establish a consistent sight picture. And that whitish region beside the sight? It's solder, the traditional method for attaching the front sight. Since the barrels are thin-walled to save weight, mounting a sight using a dovetail in the barrel isn't a practical solution. Sights are often made of brass to improve visibility, and are sometimes cast in shape of a tiny turtle.
Davide Pedersoli makes a good Trade Gun replica. It more closely duplicates the Trade Gun we normally associate with the period. Click here for more information. Price is not for the faint of heart. Avoid the Indian made replicas!
You will notice that the wipe stick is indeed threaded, and the brass tip has a concave face to center it on the ball when loading. Also, the slight bevel at the muzzle is not coning, just a way to break the sharp edge and prevent it from cutting the patch. Also, most reproduction Trade Guns are .62 caliber, which is the same size bore of a 20 gauge shotgun. But don't attempt to use 20 gauge plastic wads in your trade gun as it isn't Kosher and will leave your bore coated with a gooey mess. Use cardboard and fiber wads available from The Gun Works or Track Of The Wolf.
Trade Gun shooters at the 2022 Spring Rendezvous will have four targets where shot is required. Be forewarned: Two of them will be flying clay pigeons. That's earning your supper the hard way!
Code: guns01