Original U.S. Civil War Springfield Model 1861 Rifled Musket by Springfield Arsenal - Dated 1862

Original Item: Only One Available. The Springfield Model 1861 was a Minié-type rifled musket shoulder-arm used by the United States Army and Marine Corps during the American Civil War. Commonly referred to as the "Springfield" (after its original place of production, Springfield, Massachusetts), it was the most widely used U.S. Army weapon during the Civil War, favored for its range, accuracy, and reliability.

The barrel was 40 inches long, firing a .58 caliber Minié ball, and the total weight was approximately 9 pounds. The Springfield had an effective range of 200 to 300 yards, and used percussion caps to fire (rather than the flintlocks of the 18th century, the last U.S. flintlock musket was the Model 1840). Trained troops were able to fire at a rate of three aimed shots per minute while maintaining accuracy up to 500 yards, though firing distances in the war were often much shorter. The most notable difference between the Model 1861 and the earlier Model 1855 was the elimination of the Maynard tape primer for the Model 1861 (the Maynard primer, a self-feeding primer system, was unreliable in damp weather, and the priming mechanism was expensive and time-consuming to produce). Further, unlike the Model 1855, the Model 1861 was never produced in a two-banded "short rifle" configuration.

The Springfield was aimed using flip-up leaf sights. The sight had two leaves, one for 300 yards and the other for 500 yards, and with both leaves down, the sight was set for a range of 100 yards. By contrast, the British Pattern 1853 Enfield, favored by the Confederates, utilized a ladder-sight system with 100 yard increments, using steps from 100 to 400 yards and a flip up ladder for ranges beyond 500 yards. While the Enfield's sights did allow finer range settings, the Springfield's simple leaves were more rugged and were less expensive to produce. The Enfield's sights extended to 900 yards (and further, on later models), compared to the 500 yard maximum range of the Springfield's sights. Realistically, though, hitting anything beyond 600 yards with either weapon was mostly a matter of luck. While the sight designs were very different, the two weapons were otherwise very similar, and had very similar effective ranges.

The Springfield Rifle cost $20 each at the Springfield Armory, where they were officially made. Overwhelmed by the demand, the armory opened its weapons patterns up to twenty private contractors, however this example was produced at Springfield Arsenal itself.

The Model 1861 was relatively scarce in the early years of the Civil War (many troops were still using Model 1842 smoothbored muskets and Model 1816/1822 muskets converted to percussion cap primers, both in .69 caliber). It is unlikely that any of these were available for use in the First Battle of Bull Run. However, over time, more and more regiments began receiving Model 1861 rifled muskets, though this upgrade appeared somewhat quicker in the Eastern Theater of Operations. Over 1,000,000 Model 1861 rifles were produced, with the Springfield Armory increasing its production during the war by contracting out to twenty other firms in the Union. The number of Model 1861 muskets produced by the Springfield Armory was 265,129 between January 1, 1861 and December 31, 1863. According to United States Muskets, Rifles and Carbines by Arcadi Gluckman Colonel Infantry, United States Army, published 1949.

After the war ended, many model 1861 and 1863 rifled muskets were modified to a breech loading actions with new metallic cartridges. With these modifications, the basic 1861 evolved into the Springfield Model 1873 which served the US until being replaced in the 1890s by modern breech loading rifles chambered for new smokeless powder rounds that were far superior to the Model 1873.

This very nice late production example however was not converted, and is still in the original percussion configuration. It looks to have seen a good amount of service during the war, resulting in a lot of powder burn near the cap nipple cone, and the metalwork is worn from past oxidation and cleaning. The stock also shows a good amount of use, and overall the musket looks to have been cleaned several times over the decades. It is dated 1862 on the lock plate tail, however the other lock plate markings are quite faint. There is only a partial Federal Eagle stamped into the lock to the left of U.S. / [SPRING]FIELD, indicating production at the United States Armory and Arsenal at Springfield, in Springfield, Massachusetts. The barrel however no longer bears any markings, as they were worn away from powder burn, and we cannot see any stock cartouches on the left side of the stock either. It also looks like the breech plug may have been pulled at some point to service the barrel.

The one piece walnut stock shows a lovely brown color, with some light staining close to the fittings due to rust exposure. It does show some signs of cleaning over the past 150+ years, but no major restoration or arsenal reconditioning, and looks to have a nice oiled finish. There is no major damage we can see such as cracks or repairs, just the expected dents and dings from service. The geometry is overall a bit "softer" due to wear around the beveled contours in the wood.

The bore is in very good condition, showing the original three groove rifling clearly. There is some past fouling and oxidation, now removed, but it is definitely well above what we usually see from Civil War used muskets. There is powder burn around the cap bolster, and both the cap nipple cone and the bolster cleanout screw have been replaced. We tried to remove the screw but it is frozen solid, and we did not want to risk breaking it. The lock functions, holding correctly at half cock and firing at full. The three barrel bands still have their U markings, with a U.S. on the butt plate tang. Both sling swivels are present and move easily. There is a cleaning rod under the barrel, but it looks to be a version from an earlier type of Springfield musket, cut down to fit. The rear sight looks to have been replaced at some point, but was later refit with the correct two leaf Springfield type, though the 300/500 yard leaf is broken off.

This is a great chance to pick up a solid example of a Civil War Rifled Musket with a lovely used patina and a nice bore, made at Springfield Arsenal itself. Ready to display!

Specifications:-

Year of Manufacture: 1862
Caliber: .58"
Cartridge Type: Minié Ball and Powder
Barrel Length: 40 Inches
Overall Length: 56 Inches
Action type: Side Action Lock
Feed System: Muzzle Loaded

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