From my knowledge, the colonies had relatively little in the way of industry at the time due to the nature mercantilism, so being able to manufacture guns at the scale needed for a revolt against the British would have been completely infeasible. I've gotten bits and pieces of info from Google, but would appreciate someone with more knowledge who can offer me some insight and help put things together into a more coherent picture.
I'll refer to those fighting for independence as Americans here - I'm aware demographic definitions weren't quite like that at the time.
Leading up to the war, how did Americans get enough weapons to at least feel comfortable enough to escalate things as they did in the Battles of Lexington and Concord? Did they have a stockpile, or were they counting on finding more weapons later? If they had a large stockpile, how did they acquire it, and how did they keep the British from either noticing or intervening when the British had already used some other heavy-handed means to maintain control of the colonies?
From my knowledge, Americans got some of their equipment by trade. I think the French gave them some weapons for free when they got involved, but not much beyond that. Who would their trade partners have been, how was the exchange of goods organized, and how were the Americans paying?
How were logistics organized? Did weapon transports need an escort, or were they transported inconspicuously? What would have stopped a British loyalist from tipping off the British regarding transfer of arms?
Bullets and gunpowder. Given that they don't need the equipment and skill to produce that gunsmithing does, would these have been a major consideration, or were they not considered an issue?
I might have some other questions, but those are the ones I can immediately think of. I give my appreciation in advance.
It's complicated. Most colonists had personal weapons to begin with for hunting and fighting. Many natural born colonists had served during the 7 years war as irregular militia a generation before. There was little to no distinction in those days between weapons of war and hunting tools, except that most rifles intended for civilian sale lacked bayonets, and were more likely to use smaller projectiles and rifled barrels.
Stockpiles of weapons were available for militia use as war with natives, french and spanish was not unrealistic. Just like how national guard outposts exist in communities with tanks and rifles today. Early in the war at Moore's Creek Bridge in 1776, rebels sized 1500 rifles and almost an entire supply train from a defeated loyalist column in south carolina. No one had compunctions about siezing weapons from the dead either,
Leaders recognized the shortage an contracted with gunmakers, and smugglers to attempt to feed demand. Making a gun in those days was relatively simple, and Winchester started out as a blacksmith who made barrels in his spare time. Generally, if you could purchase a lock mechanism from overseas, it was relatively straight forward to have it stocked and barreled in the colonies. Some local production of firelocks and completed weapons occured, usually copied from french weapons or cobbled together from parts scavenged during the 7 years war.
The main problem was the low supply of powder. Men were commonly issued with a dozen shots or less and expected to fight indefinitely. Powder takes a long time to manufacture and it's dangerous to transport. This article talks abit about the powder shortages https://allthingsliberty.com/2013/09/the-gunpowder-shortage/
The capture of fort ticonderoga allowed the rebels to sieze a vast stock of cannon which Henry Knox quite heroically transported in the winter of 75-76 and ended the siege of boston. "1776" by David McCullough is a very good read on those early stages of the war and covers the ticonderoga story in good detail. As the war progressed, more cannons were stolen or trafficed into the country, but those early ticonderga guns were critical.
Another major issue was also the supply of shoes, tents, and clothing. George washington in paraphrase said " you could've tracked this army to valley forge by the blood of their feet". Disease and overcrowding was rampant. Cooking utensils, canteens, powder and shot were in desperately short supply until the french agreed to lend military aid and money. They kinda had to do without in the early years until attrition and the siezing of resources kicked in.
In short, smuggling, theft, and overwhelming aid from the french.