Originally Posted by
MountainDevil54
well in the mountain man days they were still using old school technology Flintlock while percussions had been around for the quite a while. Why? That new fangled technology ran outta caps at some point while that flintlock could work with some sort of rock they could find. They were very slow at adapting to the percussion lock.
MD54,
Check on the rarity of flintlock Hawken rifles. Although, we didn't have an army of trappers with Hawken rifles. Apparently the Leman rifle was a bit more common. I think the Lyman Trade Rifle is much more representative of what many people were using. Its a simple piece. Pictures I've seen seem to show a single wedge, single trigger design, with enough space in the guard for a gloved finger. Having to take your glove off to shoot could get downright painful, during a Rocky Mountain Winter.
Somewhere I read of the inventory of percussion caps at St. Lou. Bazzillions! I agree with your logic, and had I been alive then, I think I would have done exactly what you suggest. But ours would have been a minority opinion.
OldBob