Who is The Rifle from The Rifle and what is their importance?

As the author, Gary Paulsen, consistently personifies the Rifle of the title, it seems appropriate to list the Rifle as the central character of the novel. The Rifle was created around 1768 by Cornish McManus, an apprentice gunsmith who had just opened a new store in Pennsylvania. Enamored of a special piece of "curly" maple stock, McManus set about to create his life's work, the Rifle, a masterpiece of beauty and engineering.