Herman · Rifle
Herman Rupp Longrifle
Muzzleloader · .45 Caliber Ball · introduced 1793
Also known as H. Rupp Rifle, Rupp Longrifle, Lehigh Valley Rifle
About the Herman Rupp Longrifle
The Herman Rupp Longrifle is a .45 caliber flintlock Pennsylvania longrifle handcrafted by Lehigh Valley gunsmith Herman Rupp southwest of Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the late 18th century. Built on a full-length curly maple stock with a slender swamped octagonal rifled barrel and brass furniture, it exemplifies the fully evolved Lehigh Valley school of American rifle building. Rupp's rifles are noted for their graceful architecture, a low-profile grooved nosecap, the distinctive Lehigh 'Lady of Liberty' inlay ahead of the trigger guard, and his signature domed-lid patchbox.
Herman Rupp (1756-1831) worked his entire life as a gunsmith 15 to 20 miles southwest of Allentown, Pennsylvania, so his work reflects a single regional style rather than the mixed schools seen in makers who moved between towns. Likely trained by or inspired by the Young family of Easton Township, he ranks among the better-known Pennsylvania riflesmiths alongside Andreas Albrecht, Christian Oerter, William Antes, and Jacob Dickert, and his 1793 rifle is regarded as one of the earliest fully evolved Lehigh Valley longrifles.
Herman Rupp Longrifle specifications
General
- Type
- Rifle
- Action
- Muzzleloader
- Firing mechanism
- Flintlock
- Trigger
- Set trigger
- Calibres
- .45 Caliber Ball
- Magazine capacity
- 1 rounds
Dimensions
- Barrel length
- 1207 mm (47.5 in)
- Overall length
- 1613 mm (63.5 in)
- Weight (empty)
- 4.10 kg (9.04 lb)
Barrel
- Rifling
- Right hand
- Grooves
- 7
Materials
- Barrel
- Iron
- Stock
- Maple
- Finish
- bright
Performance
- Muzzle velocity (typical)
- 550 m/s (1804 fps)
- Muzzle energy (typical)
- 1270 J (937 ft·lb)
- Effective range
- 90 m
History
- Introduced
- 1793
- Production status
- Out of production
- Country of origin
- US
- Designer
- Herman Rupp
Features
- Octagonal barrel
- Rifled bore
- Domed lid patchbox
- Curly maple full stock
- Brass furniture
- Lehigh lady of liberty inlay
- Double set trigger
Safety
- Half cock notch
Dimensions reflect surviving attributed examples: an inscribed 1793 rifle measures about 63.5 inches overall with a 47.5-inch octagon barrel, while a later 1809 example is roughly 58.9 inches with a 42.5-inch swamped barrel. Each rifle was built by hand, so specifications vary between examples.
