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 rifle was definitely converted, and looks to have seen quite a bit of use, as the barrel now measures about 0.593" 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.

This example was originally made by under contract by Samuel Robbins and Richard Lawrence, located in Windsor, Vermont along the Connecticut river. This area was known as “Precision Valley” for the amount and quality of the machine tools produced there, and they had originally set up making guns in 1844. By the late 1840s they were well-regarded enough to receive government contracts for the M1841 "Mississippi" rifle alongside legendary names Eli Whitney and Remington.

This example is very nice service used condition, a real nice example of this type, and besides the bore, retains all of the features of a rifle that was not converted, including the rear fixed sight. The lock plate is marked ROBBINS / & / LAWRENCE / U.S. under the hammer, with WINDSOR VT / 1851 across the lock plate tail. There is no Federal Eagle marking, as is correct, and there is a small U.S. stamp on the brass butt plate tang. These were often dated on the barrel, however there is no date we can see currently, though we can see what looks like a very faint U S over HK on the breech, while the other proof marks are missing as well, most likely removed by the large amount of powder burn on the breech area. We checked the left side of the stock, and unfortunately the stock cartouches have been worn away.

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. 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 box compartment is empty on this example unfortunately.

The stock on this rifle has a lovely red brown color, and has a very nice finish, with the expected wear from age and long use. There is definitely some missing wood on both sides of the barrel tang from damage and powder erosion. We also noted that the wrist was broken through and split in several places, and was then repaired. These type of repairs would usually disqualify a rifle from service, but if it was a Confederate rifle, they needed every arm they could get.

The cleaning rod on this example is the correct iron type with a brass tip, and looks to be original. The rear sling swivel is present, however the front swivel is missing, and the bolster was even ground off at some point. The lock functions correctly, holding at half cock and firing only at full, however the mechanics are definitely worn. The barrel bore is clear and partly bright, but there is no trace of any rifling left, so it was probably smoothbored once it got to worn to use.

An early U.S. issue rifle, made by a somewhat rare maker, most likely converted to .58 Minié for use in the Civil War. With the amount of wear on this rifle, it is definitely possible that it was used by Confederate forces during the war. In really nice Collector's Condition and ready to research and display!

Specifications:-

Year of Manufacture: 1851
Caliber: .59" rifling worn away
Ammunition Type: Lead Ball & Powder with Percussion Cap
Barrel Length: 33 inches
Overall Length: 48 3/4 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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