Earliest type of riFLes to cross the river

['Bear Claw' Chris Lapp]

Could any early colonial era ( a colonial 1770 valley of Virgiina longrifle) have been seen west of the Mississippi veryy early on in the beaver trade,,,say 1820'ish.

Bear Claw

[Rod]

I don't see why not, considering that I've seen both French fusils and Carolina guns [aka type G] that have survived long enough to be converted to percussion---if made in the 1730s, they must have had a working life of 100+ years. No reason a rifle from the 1770s wouldn't last well into the 19th century.

Rod