Original item: Only One Available. The U.S. Model 1835 Musket was a .69 caliber smoothbore flintlock, with a 42-inch barrel and an overall length of 58 inches. It replaced the previous Model 1822 musket, and both are often viewed as a further development of the original Model 1816, with the M1822 being termed the Model 1816 Type II, and the M1835 termed the Model 1816 Type III. It was really only an incremental change, and many differences involved how the musket was produced, rather than the actual design. The emphasis was on making some interchangeable parts, and to use more accurate manufacturing methods. This paved the way for the later model of 1842, the first U.S. musket to have fully interchangeable parts.

The Model 1835 was produced by the Springfield Armory, Harpers Ferry Armory, and numerous other contractors. It was eventually superseded by the model 1840 and 1842 muskets, the former of which was originally made in Flintlock, but most were converted to percussion before they made it to the field. The 1842 was only made in percussion.

In the 1850s, many of the Flintlock Muskets in Arsenal were converted to Percussion, which was a much more reliable and water-resistant ignition system. This involved all variants of the Model of the 1816, which helped to standardize the types of ammunition carried by the soldiers in the field. Not all were immediately converted, and many were still in the original flintlock configuration when the Civil War broke out. The confederacy, who lacked the industrial power of the north, was always in need of arms, which is partly why they raided Harpers Ferry Arsenal. At the same time they also moved to modernize the muskets that they did have, much like many of the States in the north did.

This example is typical of such conversions, and was actually originally found in a house near Antietam Creek in Maryland, the location of the "Bloodiest Day in American History", the Battle of Antietam. It came out of a museum collection, and still has the M455 stamping on the bottom of the butt stock from this, though unfortunately the name and location of the museum were not passed on along with the musket. As part of the conversion it had the lock converted to a percussion lock, and the breech of the barrel removed, with a breech plug with a built in cap bolster installed. All of the brass flash pan was removed, and additionally when the breech was cut off the barrel was also rifled. Unfortunately there is a large amount of powder burn on the breech area, as the musket saw extensive use after conversion, so any markings that were present on the barrel have worn away. The bolster is similar to other conversions we have seen, but the stylized front around what looks to be a broken off cleanout screw is not something we recognize.

This lovely patinated rifled musket was originally contractor produced, as indicated by the markings on the lock plate under the pan, which present but partly worn away:

Marine T. Wickham was probably the most notable armorer to work at Harpers Ferry before 1816. Equally adept at forging, filing, stocking, and engraving firearms, Wickham possessed great talent as a gunsmith. More importantly, he exhibited a rare ability to manage men effectively while at the same time retaining their admiration and respect. These qualities did not go unnoticed, for in 1808 the secretary of war selected Wickham to succeed Perkin's long-time associate, Charles Williams, as master armorer at Harpers Ferry. However, after three years, he left to go out on his own, and made many guns under contract to the U.S. Government.

The musket has a great service used look, with a lovely matte patina on the barrel and many of the fittings from oxidation and subsequent cleaning. It definitely saw extensive use after being converted to percussion, resulting in a lot of peppering to the cap bolster area. The lock functions very well, holding correctly at half cock, and firing at full. We checked the bore, and it shows wide three groove rifling, along with a good amount of fouling and oxidation. This is definitely a musket that saw a lot of use, and also was probably exposed to the elements for a good amount of time.

The stock is in really nice condition, with a beautiful red brown finish and the normal scuffs, dings, dents and other damage from storage. There is not any major damage we can see, and there are actually faded cartouches on the left side of the stock by the lock screws, as well as to the rear of the trigger guard tang. We cannot quite make out what they say, but someone who is more familiar with these markings may be able to identify them. Both sling swivels are still present and movable, though they are definitely a bit stiff, and the ramrod looks to be an arsenal replacement.

A lovely service used example of an older musket converted for service and used during the Civil War, very possibly for the confederacy. Ready to research display!

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: 1836 - Converted Later
Caliber: .69"
Cartridge Type: Ball and Powder
Barrel Length: 42 Inches
Overall Length: 58 Inches
Action type: Side Action Percussion Lock
Feed System: Muzzle Loading

History of the Model 1835 Musket:

The War of 1812 had revealed many weaknesses in American muskets. The Model 1812 Musket was created in an attempt to improve both the design and manufacture of the musket. The Model 1816 made further improvements, and replaced the Model 1812. The Model 1812 had borrowed heavily from the design of the French Charleville model 1777 musket, and this design was retained for the Model 1816. The Model 1816 had a 42 inch long .69 caliber smoothbore barrel, similar to the Model 1812, but had a longer lock plate, a shorter trigger guard, and a longer bayonet than the Model 1812. The Model 1816 also had a more straight lined stock. The overall length of the weapon was 58 inches.

The Model 1816 musket was originally produced at the Harpers Ferry and Springfield Arsenals between 1816 and 1844. Around 675,000 were made, more than any other flintlock in U.S. history.

The Model 1816 was originally produced as a flintlock musket. Like many flintlock muskets, many of these were later converted to percussion cap, as the percussion cap system was much more reliable and weather resistant.

This model of Springfield musket was used by Texans during the Texas Revolution and by the US Army and militia during the Mexican-American War. During this conflict, the flintlock version of the Model 1816 was preferred by U.S. regular forces, due to percussion cap supply concerns.

It was also used during the early years of the American Civil War until around 1862.

Many improvements to the Model 1816 were made, producing the Model 1822, Model 1835, Model 1840, and Model 1842. U.S. Ordnance Department referred to these as different models, but in other U.S. government documents they are referred to as a continuation of the Model 1816. Modern histories are similarly inconsistent in the nomenclature of these weapons.

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IMA considers all of our antique guns as non-firing, inoperable and/or inert. Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 921(a)(16) defines antique firearms as all guns made prior to 1899. This law exempts antique firearms from any form of gun control or special engineering because they are not legally considered firearms. No FFL, C&R or any license is required to possess, transport, sell or trade Antique guns. All rifles and muskets sold by IMA that were manufactured prior to 1899 are considered Antiques by the US BATF (United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms). Therefore, all of IMA's Antique guns may be shipped to all US States and most nations around the world.

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Pre-1899 Manufacture, no licenses required, allowed to ship to almost any deliverable address across the globe. Please note that for international shipping, these MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.