Original item: Only One Available. A great Civil War Long Gun, the U.S. .54 Caliber 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 not only gave the rifles greater accuracy and stopping power, but also allowed the U.S. Military to standardize muzzle loading rifle ammunition. Some of these conversions were undertaken by Colt, while others were done at the National and State armories.

This rifle was definitely converted, and looks to have seen quite a bit of use, as the barrel now measures about 0.62" in bore diameter. There is none of the original rifling present due to wear and fouling on the interior, which leads us to suspect it may have been used by Confederate forces, as they would often use rifles to the point of destruction due to shortages. It's also possible that it saw use as a fowler after the war. The rear sight looks to be the original one, and there was not any bayonet lug added, which would be done during the Colt conversions and also often arsenal conversions. We suspect this was converted by armorers at the state level, possibly after the outbreak of the war.

While some examples were made by Government contractors, however this very nice service used example was made in 1853 at the United States Armory and Arsenal at Springfield, located in Springfield, Mass.. Almost all of these that we have seen were made at Harpers Ferry or Contractors, with this probably being the first M1841 we have had made at Springfield. The lock plate is marked (EAGLE) / U.S. in the center and SPRING / FIELD / 1853 across the lock plate tail. There is powder burn around the barrel breech, so there is no date visible there, just a faint V / P / Eagle's Head, as well as W W / P, the initials of the barrel sub-inspector.

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, which this compartment has. 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 this compartment is unfortunately empty. It does look like a previous owner stamped their name on the interior.

The stock on this rifle has a lovely red brown color, and has a very nice finish, with the expected wear from age. It does show some wear from cleaning and possible arsenal reconditioning, which has removed the original cartouches. There is a missing chunk on the left side of the barrel tang, now smoothed, and also a crack running from the front of the lock plate up to the wood line. The upper sling swivel is still present, however the lower sling swivel has been removed. The gun still has the original brass tipped ramrod, with an intact threaded end. The lock functions correctly, holding at half cock and firing at full. As mentioned previously, the barrel is quite worn and shows no rifling, which seems to be the fate that awaited a lot of the M1841 Mississippi rifles.

An early U.S. issue rifle, converted to .58 for further service during the Civil War, in very really nice Collector's Condition! Ready to display!

Specifications:-

Year of Manufacture: 1853 - converted c.1861-1862
Caliber: .62 inches - Worn
Ammunition Type: .577 Lead Ball & 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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