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. However, not all examples were converted, and this rifle is still in the original .54" caliber with 7 groove rifling, confirmed by a micrometer to measure .54 to .55, with the rifling relatively worn. There is no way that this could have ever been converted to .58.

While some examples were made by Government contractors, this lovely example was made in 1853 at the United States Armory and Arsenal at Harpers Ferry, located in Harpers Ferry, in what was then Virginia. After the outbreak of the U.S. Civil war, the North West corner of Virginia separated itself into West Virginia. At this same time, in April 1861, Union Soldiers set fire to the armory to keep it out of the hands of the advancing Virginia Confederate Militia. The residents of the area were mostly dependent on the armory, and moved quickly to douse the fires. However they were ill-repaid by the Confederate forces for their quick thinking, who proceeded to remove the machinery used in the armory to move it to Richmond, VA. They then set fire to the armory buildings, and returned later to destroy the rest of the rifle works and bridges in the era, effectively destroying any commercial value.

This example is in lovely service used condition, showing fantastic patina of age. The lock plate is marked (EAGLE) / U.S. in the center and HARPERS / FERRY / 1853 across the lock plate tail. It also still bears the correct V / P / Eagle's Head proof marks on the rear left side of the barrel, though they are a bit faint. As this rifle was produced at Harpers Ferry, it is possible that it is one of many arms that were acquired when Confederate forces captured the arsenal, which may explain the large amount of use it has seen. We do not however see any Confederate markings on the rifle, and the original stock cartouches are all but 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 nipple cones, screwed into an inlet in the corner. 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. This patch box still retains the socket for the nipple cone, however it is empty, without any tools or patches present.

The stock on this rifle has a lovely dark red brown color, and has lovely oiled finish, which shows the grain of the American black walnut beautifully. The grain in the wood is definitely open from repeated cleanings, which also means that it was not sanded down over the years, which would even out the pores. Both sling swivels are still present, and it still has the original correct brass tipped ramrod, with good threads on the opposite end. The lock is fully functional, holding at half cock and firing at full. We checked the bore, and it does show wear and oxidation, but also clearly still shows the correct 7 groove rifling for the .54 bore. This is typical for Confederate used guns, as they saw long service.

An early U.S. issue rifle, never converted to .58", which almost certainly saw service during the Civil War, very possibly on the Confederate side. In really nice Collector's Condition and full of research potential! Ready to display!

Specifications (Rifle):-

Year of Manufacture: 1853
Caliber: .54 inches
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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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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