Hall Flintlock Rifle, invented by John Hall, Maine, produced in Harper's Ferry, Virginia, ca. 1824. Maine State Museum. Gift of Dwight Demerrit, 2015.13.6.
Hall Flintlock Rifle with Bayonet, invented by John Hall, Maine, produced in Harper's Ferry, Virginia, ca. 1824. Maine State Museum. Gift of Dwight Demerrit, 81.7.40.
John Hall of Portland, Maine apprenticed as a cooper making barrels. This training in which he repetitively produced identical barrel staves inspired him to introduce interchangeable parts and mechanized production in gun making. In doing so, he advanced the Industrial Revolution in America. Before Hall’s innovations, every gun was individually made.
In 1811, Hall patented a breech-loading rifle. The mechanism required precisely made parts, "every similar part of every gun so alike that it will suit every gun," as Hall put it. Gunsmiths no longer needed to custom-make parts for guns, opening the door for workers to focus on one portion of a whole product. This allowed owners to reduce pay by hiring semi-skilled workers.