Product Description
c1863 CIVIL WAR Antique COLT SPECIAL M1861 Rifle-Musket BAYONET SLING
Union Army’s Most Prolific Long Arm
Here we present an antique Civil War U.S. Colt Special Contract Model 1861 Percussion Rifle-Musket, produced in 1863 at the Colt’s Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company of Hartford, Connecticut. About 77,000 estimated made by Colt. Production began in September of 1862 while the war was in full swing. The Union was still trying to make up for arms shortages and the destruction of the Harpers Ferry Armory with production at Springfield, supplementing this with contracts with over 20 other contractors, like Colt, for rifle-muskets. Colt contracts, along with these other contractors for the Federal and State Governments, resulted in approximately 643,500 muskets being produced by these 20 contractors.
The M1861 is representative of the “everyman’s” rifle during the war. About 1.5 million rifle-muskets were made in the U.S., over 800,000 of which were made by the Springfield Armory. This was the last hurrah of the rifle-musket as arms development and tactics rapidly advanced during the short period of the American Civil War. Nevertheless, the 1861 represented new technology as it was made for use with the Minié ball, a hollow based, conical projectile that was small enough to quickly push down the muzzle of a rifled barrel and expanded to create a good gas seal unlike a solid, round ball. Almost immediately after the war, the US military switched from the old muzzle loading type weapons to the newer breech loading rifles, bringing an end to the musket as a standard frontline firearm in American history.
The overall condition is good. Original patina on the barrel with some cleanup and new case colors on the lock. The action is excellent. The bore remains about the same caliber but the rifling has been removed. The walnut stock shows use and remains solid. The rearmost barrel band slides a bit. The leather sling is in good condition. This one has a socket bayonet intended for the British Pattern 1853 rifle-musket, this musket’s contemporary, and it is in good condition and fits.
Own the original! This is a legitimate antique and not a reproduction.
Barrel is 40 inches.
Caliber: .58 Percussion
Overall condition as seen in photos.
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$1800
#233609