so by the time the Constitution was written, rifles had been moved from a primarily hunting device to a weapon war, no?
Not really. The smooth bore 69 cal. muzzle loading musket remained the standard infantry weapon in the U.S. Army until 1855. There some militia units armed with the “Mississippi” rifle during the Mexican war. After the Mexican war I believe the army did equip one company in a regiment with the “Mississippi” rifle.
A fringe weapon.
They were expensive and complex.
They were primarily an ambush weapon.