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 round groove rifling, confirmed by a micrometer to measure .54 to .55, with the rifling a bit worn. There is no way that this could have ever been converted to .58, and the only change made was the muzzle being slightly turned down and a stud added to the bottom so that a socket bayonet could be fitted, which typically were done around 1859.

These were made by both the national armories and several contractors, which included Robbins & Lawrence, Tryon, Eli Whitney and others. This example is however made by the highly desirable E. Remington & Sons of Herkimer, NY, which would go to be one of the most well-known American firearms companies. Even at the time it was very well-regarded, and this is the first example we have had by Remington. The lock plate is a bit worn but still has the complete Remington marking present:

REMINGTON'S
HERKIMER
N. Y.

There is correctly no "Federal Eagle" or "U.S." marking, as is correct, and the lock plate tail is dated 1849, which seems to be around the time most Remington-made examples we can find were. The rifle is in lovely service used condition, showing the expected wear and damage from long service. There is some past oxidation and powder burn around the breech area, but we can still see a partial [18]49 date on the barrel tang, along with STEEL on the left facet of the barrel, and U.S / S.K / P above this on the round portion. This indicates that it was inspected by Samuel Knous, a sub inspector who is noted for inspecting Remington Arms during the 1849-1850 era. The left side of the stock by the lock screws also retains TWO inspection cartouches, and while the upper one was not able to be read (it looks like it ends with "A"), the lower cartouche is W.A.T.. This is the mark of inspector Captain William Anderson Thornton, who worked from 1841 to 1861, inspecting various small arms, and seen on other contractor made examples of the M1841.

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, and in this case there is still a cone installed! It shows a bit of past fouling and wear, while the one currently in the bolster shows very little use, so it looks like the two were swapped at some point.

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. It has the expected dents, dings, gouges, and other wear from service, as well as staining from the oxidation on the iron and steel components. It also looks to have suffered damage around the lock plate area, and we can see a repaired crack running from the rear wrist all the way to the woodline three inches behind the lower barrel band. There are also two cracks running forward from the front of the trigger guard, so it looks like the stock split in that area long ago, and was then repaired.

Both sling swivels are still present, and there is a ramrod under the barrel with intact threads, but it looks to be a period replacement, as it lacks the brass head. The lock is fully functional, holding at half cock and firing at full. We checked the bore, and it is very good condition, still partly bright and showing the correct 7 groove rifling for the .54" bore. It looks to have seen use but was well cared for, and we cannot see any signs of pit rusting or any more serious oxidation.

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

Specifications:-

Year of Manufacture: 1849
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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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.