Historical importance of the Hall breechloading rifle in the development of the American system of manufacturing, mass production, interchangeability, and industrial education

This study seeks to increase the understanding of the factors effecting early roots of interchangeable manufacturing through an empirical examination of a class of artifacts produced at that period. The Hall breechloading rifle was first produced in quantity at the United States Arsenal at Harpers Ferry in 1824 and has been proposed as an early example of items that led to the development of the "American" or "Uniformity" system of manufacturing. Prevalent literature concerning the social, political, and educational factors affected by this early innovation of modern production methods is examined and quantified. The data for this study were collected by examining and measuring key components of surviving weapons at the American Museum of History at the Smithsonian, the Springfield Armory in Massachusetts, and Harpers Ferry in West Virginia. The claims of interchangeability of components for the Hall and North models 1819, 1833, 1836, and 1840 rifles and carbines are examined by measurement and tabulated to gain an understanding of the range of mechanical tolerances held by these early gun makers. The data are examined using averages, ANOVA, and Statistical Process Control to make an estimate of the mechanical tolerances held by Hall and North. This study proposes a date when interchangeable manufacturing was achieved by Hall and North.;The second half of the study examines the structural mechanics of these weapons through the use of internal ballistics, engineering layouts, and stress analysis. Problems with the mechanical design and lack of safeguards to prevent overstress are identified and quantified. Reports of field failures from the historical record are correlated with the deficiencies identified in the design and manufacturing technology.