Original U.S. Civil War M1841 Mississippi Rifle by Tryon Converted to 18 Bore Fowling Piece - dated 1845

Original item: Only One Available. A great Civil War Long Gun, the U.S. .54 Caliber "Mississippi" Percussion Rifle was in 1841 way ahead of its time and showed stout service in the American/Mexican War. They were well-regarded, and still in arsenal as the tensions rose, culminating in the U.S. Civil War of 1861-1865. They were in a smaller caliber than desired, but with the thick barrel walls used in construction, this proved to not be an issue, as they could be re-bored to accept the now standard .58 Minié ball used by the Springfield model 1855 and 1861 muskets. This example looks to have been converted, and then saw long use, and was converted to an 18 Bore smoothbore fowling piece once the rifling had been worn out.

This example was originally made by under contract by George W. Tryon of Philadelphia, who was the FIRST of several government contractors to win an order for the M1841 rifle. The company had actually started working on a contract in November 1841, and signed one for 5,000 rifles 6 October 1842, beating Eli Whitney in signing by about two weeks. Deliveries of the Tryon rifles began in 1844, roughly two years before Harpers Ferry started full production, and the contract was completed in 1849. The company was actually run by George W. Tryon’s son, Edward K. Tryon, who was given an order in April 1848 for an additional 5,000, but transferred it to Whitney in October.

This example is very nice service used condition, a real nice example of this type, probably used post war as a fowler once the conflict was over. The lock plate is marked TRYON / US under the hammer, with PHILADA / PA / 1845 on the lock plate tail. There is no Federal Eagle marking, as is correct, and the font is correct for Tryon produced examples. The US stamping on the butt plate tang is the same small stamp as on the lock plate, and is correct for Tryon. These were often dated on the barrel, however there is no date we can see currently, though there is a partial JC proof mark on the left side. The left side of the stock still bears the original inspection cartouches, though they are unfortunately too faint to read reliably. There isn't much information on the inspector markings for Tryon made examples of the M1841, so we were not able to make any educated guesses.

The weapon is fully brass mounted including a brass patch box to the Butt, which was used for storage of patches and sometimes bullets, as well as spare cap nipples, one of which is still present inside the compartment. This way if the nipple broke or was clogged, it could easily be replaced. It was also used to store tools such as the clearing worm and Springfield multi-tool, however the compartment only contains the spare nipple cone.

The stock on this rifle has a lovely red brown color, and has a very nice finish, with the expected wear from age. There are no major cracks or other damage that we can see, just some stress cracks around the rear of the lock plate. Both sling swivels are still present and movable, and it still retains the correct brass tipped ramrod, though it is a bit undersized for the now larger bore. The threads in the end are still in relatively good shape. The lock functions correctly, holding at half cock and firing at full. We checked the bore, and it is completely smooth, leading us to believe that it was bored out, and not just worn.

An early U.S. issue rifle, made by a somewhat rare maker and converted to a fouling piece post war, probably for use on the forntier. In really nice Collector's Condition and ready to research and display!

Specifications:-

Year of Manufacture: 1845
Caliber: .64" Smoothbore - about 18 Bore
Ammunition Type: Lead Ball / Shot & Powder with Percussion Cap
Barrel Length: 33 inches
Overall Length: 48 1/2 inches
Action: Percussion Lock
Feed System: Muzzle-Loaded

History of the M1841 "Mississippi Rifle"

The M1841 Mississippi rifle is a muzzle-loading percussion rifle used in the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War. When Eli Whitney Blake took over management of the Harpers Ferry Armory in 1842, he set about tooling up under his new contract from the U.S. government for making the model 1841 percussion rifle. Machinery and fixtures for making the 1822 contract flintlock musket had to be retooled or replaced in order to produce the lock and barrel of the new model. Whitney, Jr. had the good sense to hire Thomas Warner as foreman, who, as master armorer at Springfield Armory, had just been making the same kind of major changes there. Thomas Warner had spearheaded the drive to equip the Springfield Armory with a set of new, more precise machines and a system of gauging that made it possible for the first time to achieve, in the late 1840s, the long-desired goal of interchangeability of parts in military small arms. Under his tutelage, Eli Whitney, Jr. equipped the Whitney Armory to do likewise.

The nickname "Mississippi" originated in the Mexican–American War when future Confederate president Jefferson Davis was appointed Colonel of the Mississippi Rifles, a volunteer regiment from the state of Mississippi. Colonel Davis sought to arm his regiment with the Model 1841 rifles. At this time, smoothbore muskets were still the primary infantry weapon and any unit with rifles was considered special and designated as such. Davis clashed with his commanding officer, General Winfield Scott, who said that the weapons were insufficiently tested and refused the request. Davis took his case to the President James Knox Polk who agreed with Davis that his men be armed with them. The incident was the start of a lifelong feud between Davis and Scott.

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