Original Item: Only one Available. This is a very interesting example of an Austrian M1854 Lorenz Percussion musket, almost certainly imported for use in the U.S. Civil War. Many European powers were beginning to move to cartridge firearms, and with a huge market in the United States, sold off many of their soon to be obsolete firearms. Some of these reached the Northern Union forces, but more often, they were sent to the South, which did not have nearly the same level of industrial capacity.

The general rule of thumb on these is that the rifles that were shipped to Confederate forces were kept in the original .5473 in (13.9 mm) caliber, while the ones sent to the Union were all converted to take the standard .58 caliber that the Federal Government had started using in 1855 when they adopted the Minié ball. This example has a somewhat worn bore that measures out to about .585", so this definitely has a good chance of being one imported by Federal Union forces, though we did not find any markings on it from importation. The lock of this example still bears the Austrian Imperial Eagle on the lock plate tail, as well as a date of 861, for 1861, which puts it perfectly into the U.S. Civil War Time Frame.

The original rear sight on the rifle has been replaced by a flip up long range sight with three different notches, which are marked 4 5, 6 7, and 8 9, most likely for 900 yards, definitely quite a long range for a Civil War gun. The breech plug definitely shows signs of having been removed at some point, which would have been required when the bore was enlarged. There are also some markings on the left side of the barrel, which we cannot quite make out. We checked the bore, and the 4 groove rifling is definitely still present, showing wear from service, with some areas of past oxidation and fouling still present. It does look to have been well cared for, and the cap nipple cone is still clear, though it does show past powder burn and oxidation on the exterior. We checked the lock action, and it is fully functional, holding at half cock and firing at full, however the half cock position is almost resting on the cap nipple cone, so it is pretty much useless.

The stock is in lovely condition, with a great dark red brown color, and we do not see any major damage, just the usual wear from use. However, we did note that the cheek piece usually seen on the left side of the butt stock is no longer present. We do not know why this was removed, however we have had very few that are in .58, so it is possible that this is how they were usually altered. Both sling swivels are still present, and move, though the trigger guard swivel is definitely a bit stiff. There is a cleaning rod under the barrel, which looks to be a period fabricated replacement.

A lovely well-used example of an Austrian Lorenz short rifle, possibly a Federal import for the U.S. Civil War. Ready to research and display!

Specifications:-
Year of Manufacture: 1860
Caliber: .58 inches
Ammunition Type: Minié Ball and Powder
Barrel Length: 37 1/4 Inches
Overall Length: 52 3/8 Inches
Action type: Side action Percussion lock
Feed System: Single Shot

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