Original Item: Only One Available. The Springfield Model 1812 Musket was a .69 caliber, flintlock musket designed and manufactured by the Springfield Armory. In the years after the War of 1812, due to deficiencies perceived in the model 1795, many improvements that Springfield Armory had been slowly introducing as far back as 1805 were officially incorporated into the new design. They had in 1808 previously placed orders with various contractors for an improved "Model 1808" musket, which by that time were also being produced by Springfield. It should be noted however that Harpers Ferry Amory continued production of Model 1795 type Muskets until 1818.

After the war, additional improvements were made, and the U.S. wanted the older design muskets quickly replaced and so they continued their contracts with the various gunmakers of the time. One of these was Nippes & Co., who manufactured various arms for the U.S. Ordnance department during the first half of the 19th Century. J. Abraham Nippes was a gunsmith who lived in the Northern Liberties section of Philadelphia with his wife Anna Maria and his son Daniel. In 1807, Abraham purchased land along Mill Creek about a mile from the Schuylkill River, in what is today Gladwyne, PA. He set up a mill and factory there, and became a government contractor, producing Model 1808 Muskets, along with James Winner and John Steinman, other gun manufacturers in the Philadelphia area. These were for the most part marked “W. N. & S. / PHILAD.”, though some were marked "NIPPES / & CO".

Abraham Nippes died on December 7, 1812, and his son Daniel, as his executor, inherited the property and took over the gun manufacturing mill. He took over the remaining contracts, and would go on to be a very successful government contractor for the next 40+ years after that. For more information on the Daniel Nippes, please see this page at the Villanova University Library website: The Nippes / Barker Mill.

The outbreak of the Civil War in the United States created a large need for percussion muskets, as the number of modern firearms currently on hand was far short of what was needed. To fill this need, updating older design firearms was both faster and more cost effective, so many Model 1812 family muskets still in service were updated to percussion rifles. This example however is still in the original Flintlock Configuration.

This example was contractor produced, as indicated by the markings on the lock plate under the pan:

Under the hammer is a Federal Eagle over U.S. in an oval, correct for manufacture by Nipples. Overall this is a very good example of a Nippes & Co. Contract Model 1812 Long Musket, still in the original flintlock configuration with no signs of alteration. The lock plate is flat, as is the ring neck hammer, which corresponds to other examples we have seen from this contract, both of which were sent to the State of Delaware. We did not se any state markings on this example however. It has the P in an Oval proof on the breech of the barrel, as well as the letter M. We checked the stock, and there are no cartouches or other markings that we can see, except for an S.A. carved on the left side next to the nose cap.

There is some confusion over whether these muskets are a Model 1808 or a Model 1812, and indeed it may not be possible to distinguish between the two, as the Federal arsenals made many incremental changes to the muskets over the years. Also when contractors were employed, the muskets produced could have variations on the design. The lock plate on this example has an integral IRON flash pan, correct for a model 1812, but in fact introduced in 1808 at the Federal level. It has all the correct aspects of a Model 1812, but it could in fact be a Model 1808 produced before Abraham Nippes passed away, or a Model 1812 produced by Daniel Nippes. We checked United States Martial Flintlocks by Robert M. Reilly, where this type of lock is listed on pate 92, and it unfortunately was not able to give us clarity on the exact time this musket was made. Either way, this is a very rare example of an early Contract U.S. Military musket, with some fantastic research potential.

The metalwork is lovely, showing a nice aged patina overall. There is some powder burn near the flash pan, so the musket definitely did see some level of use while it was in service. The lock still functions correctly, holding at full cock and firing at full, and the cleaning rod is present as well. The sling swivels are both still present and move easily, and it has a ramrod under the barrel, but this looks to be a relatively recent replica replacement.

The stock is in lovely condition, and it looks to have been carefully cleaned and waxed for decades, giving it a fantastic dark red brown walnut color. It does show some cracking running from the side plate to the breech, a very common place for this to happen. There is also a some cracking to the rear of the lock plate, which looks to have some old repairs present.

The included bayonet is unmarked an fits onto the barrel easily. It has a lovely matured patina, and does show some delamination of the seam where the blade joins the socket, probably from original manufacture.

A great example of a rare early American Musket that may have seen service during the war of 1812, complete with an original bayonet! It has lots of research potential and is ready to display!

Specifications (Musket):-

Year of Manufacture: circa 1808-1815
Caliber: .69"
Cartridge Type: Ball and Powder
Barrel Length: 44 Inches
Overall Length: 58 1/2 Inches
Action type: Side Action Percussion Lock
Feed System: Muzzle Loading

Specifications (Bayonet):-

Blade Length: 14 3/4"
Blade Style: Triangular
Socket Length: 3"
Overall length: 18 1/4”

History of the Model 1812 Musket:

The War of 1812 revealed many weaknesses in the earlier Model 1795 Musket. The Model 1812 was an attempt to improve both the design and manufacturing process of the musket. The design borrowed heavily from the French Charleville model 1777 musket. The Springfield Model 1812 musket arrived too late to be of use in the War of 1812 but would later become standard issue to regular infantry and militia units.

The Model 1812 was a .69 caliber smoothbore musket, with a 42-inch (107 cm) barrel and a 54-inch (137 cm) stock, and a total length of 57-inch (145 cm). The Model 1812 was produced only at Springfield: the M1795 would continue in production at Harpers Ferry into 1818.

The Model 1812 was produced in a quantity of almost 30,000 between the years 1814 and 1816. It was replaced by the Model 1816 Musket. However, the Model 1812 remained in service for many years, and was even used in the American Civil War, mostly by the Confederate forces. By the start of the Civil war, the weapon was considered to be old and obsolete but was needed to fill arms shortages.

Some Model 1812 muskets were later converted to percussion lock firing mechanisms. The percussion cap system was much more reliable and weatherproof than the flintlock system used on the Model 1812 in its original configuration.

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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.