Original Item: Only One Available. The Springfield Model 1861 was a Minié-type rifled musket shoulder-arm used by the United States Army and Marine Corps during the American Civil War. Commonly referred to as the "Springfield" (after its original place of production, Springfield, Massachusetts), it was the most widely used U.S. Army weapon during the Civil War, favored for its range, accuracy, and reliability.

The barrel was 40 inches long, firing a .58 caliber Minié ball, and the total weight was approximately 9 pounds. The Springfield had an effective range of 200 to 300 yards, and used percussion caps to fire (rather than the flintlocks of the 18th century, the last U.S. flintlock musket was the Model 1840). Trained troops were able to fire at a rate of three aimed shots per minute while maintaining accuracy up to 500 yards, though firing distances in the war were often much shorter. The most notable difference between the Model 1861 and the earlier Model 1855 was the elimination of the Maynard tape primer for the Model 1861 (the Maynard primer, a self-feeding primer system, was unreliable in damp weather, and the priming mechanism was expensive and time-consuming to produce). Further, unlike the Model 1855, the Model 1861 was never produced in a two-banded "short rifle" configuration.

The Springfield was aimed using flip-up leaf sights. The sight had two leaves, one for 300 yards and the other for 500 yards, and with both leaves down, the sight was set for a range of 100 yards. By contrast, the British Pattern 1853 Enfield, favored by the Confederates, utilized a ladder-sight system with 100 yard increments, using steps from 100 to 400 yards and a flip up ladder for ranges beyond 500 yards. While the Enfield's sights did allow finer range settings, the Springfield's simple leaves were more rugged and were less expensive to produce. The Enfield's sights extended to 900 yards (and further, on later models), compared to the 500 yard maximum range of the Springfield's sights. Realistically, though, hitting anything beyond 600 yards with either weapon was mostly a matter of luck. While the sight designs were very different, the two weapons were otherwise very similar, and had very similar effective ranges.

The Springfield Rifle cost $20 each at the Springfield Armory, where they were officially made. Overwhelmed by the demand, the armory opened its weapons patterns up to twenty private contractors, including William Muir & Co. of Windsor Locks Conn., which manufactured around 30,000 rifle-muskets under contract from 1862-64. Muir originally received his own contract for 30,000 rifles on December 7, 1861, and would contract several makers himself to make these, including Dinslow and Chase of Windsor Locks. 5,000 rifles were delivered, marked only with "WINDSOR LOCKS" on the lock plate. Muir then entered a partnership with O.T. Burt to form "William Muir & Co." to produce the rest of the contract, which were all made by Dinslow & Chase. An altered contract was signed July 9, 1862, and the rifles were all delivered by November 3, 1864. Muir was one of the few contractors who did not have his contract reduced during the war.

The most notable producer of contract Model 1861 Springfield however was Colt, who made several minor design changes in their version, the "Colt Special" rifled musket. These changes included redesigned barrel bands, a new hammer, and a redesigned bolster. Several of these changes were eventually adopted by the Ordnance Department and incorporated into the Model 1863 rifled musket.

The Model 1861 was relatively scarce in the early years of the Civil War (many troops were still using Model 1842 smoothbored muskets and Model 1816/1822 muskets converted to percussion cap primers, both in .69 caliber). It is unlikely that any of these were available for use in the First Battle of Bull Run. However, over time, more and more regiments began receiving Model 1861 rifled muskets, though this upgrade appeared somewhat quicker in the Eastern Theater of Operations. Over 1,000,000 Model 1861 rifles were produced, with the Springfield Armory increasing its production during the war by contracting out to twenty other firms in the Union. The number of Model 1861 muskets produced by the Springfield Armory was 265,129 between January 1, 1861 and December 31, 1863. According to United States Muskets, Rifles and Carbines by Arcadi Gluckman Colonel Infantry, United States Army, published 1949.

After the war ended, many model 1861 and 1863 rifled muskets were modified to a breech loading actions with new metallic cartridges. With these modifications, the basic 1861 evolved into the Springfield Model 1873 which served the US until being replaced in the 1890s by modern breech loading rifles chambered for new smokeless powder rounds that were far superior to the Model 1873.

This example however was not converted, and is still in the original configuration. It is dated 1862 on the lock plate tail, and also has a faint Federal Eagle stamped into the lock under the hammer. To the right of this is U. S. / WINDSOR LOCKS, indicating it is one of the 5,000 procured by William Muir before forming the partnership with O.T. Burt. The markings on the lock are relatively clear and overall the lock plate is in very good service used condition, past oxidation near the top from powder burn. The barrel nocks form bears the standard proof marks of V / P / Eagle's Head, though we cannot see any date on the top due to powder burn and cleaning.

The one piece walnut stock has a beautiful red brown color, and is in very good condition. It has been cleaned a bit over the years, and now has a lovely lightly waxed finish, showing some great grain patterns. There is some cracking and damage around the lock plate, but none elsewhere, and we do not see any repairs or major damage. There are the expected dents, scratches, and so forth expected on a service rifle of this age. The metalwork overall shows light peppering from past pitting in some areas, but it has been fully cleaned and restored go put it in its best light. It now shows a lovely bright matte steel finish, with a few areas of staining.

The lock functions correctly, holding at half cock and firing at full, though the cap nipple cone itself is worn down, and the bolster area shows a good amount of powder burn erosion. We also noted that the cap bolster cleanout is seized, and the rear sight is missing the 500 yard leaf, which broke off long ago. All three barrel bands still have their U markings, with a U.S. on the butt plate tang. The ramrod is the correct and original tulip type with an enlarged shank, and the threads on the end are still intact. The bore still shows clear three groove rifling, though there is some overall oxidation from age and lack of cleaning.

This is a great chance to pick up a very good condition Civil War Contract Rifled musket, fully cleaned and ready to display!

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: 1862
Caliber: .58"
Cartridge Type: Minie Ball and Powder
Barrel Length: 40 Inches
Overall Length: 56 Inches
Action type: Side Action Lock
Feed System: Muzzle Loaded

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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.