Today, we live in a golden age of firearm availability, particularly those with a historical bent to their interests. In the last few decades particularly, the United States has seen an influx of both high-quality reproductions of antique arms from centuries ago, with companies like Italian Firearms Group and Davide-Pedersoli leading the way with designs like their Harpers Ferry Model 1805 reproduction.
Defining the start of a “reproduction era,” if there even is one, is a difficult thing to do. For starters, how do you define a reproduction? For as long as guns have been around, people across the world have attempted to reproduce unfamiliar designs for their own use. This practice was made especially popular in the Khyber Pass region of Afghanistan, where British-made guns were copied, often poorly and with disastrous results, for use against invaders and in wars between domestic tribes. In the Eibar region of Spain, families with long histories of arms manufactory cranked out copies of popular guns of the era for export. Examples copied more often than not were the Colt 1908 Vest Pocket, the FN Baby Browning and numerous examples of Smith & Wesson revolvers.
However, when we discuss reproduction guns in the United States today, oftentimes we’re referring to modern, high-quality reproductions of antique arms, particularly those that are often too fragile or valuable to enjoy as shooters today. The Harpers Ferry Model 1805 undoubtedly falls squarely in that category.
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