1864 Dated CIVIL WAR Antique U.S. SAVAGE M1861 “EVERYMAN’S” Rifle-Musket Mid to Late-Civil War U.S. Contract Musket

Product Description

1864 Dated CIVIL WAR Antique U.S. SAVAGE M1861 “EVERYMAN’S” Rifle-Musket  

Mid to Late-Civil War U.S. Contract Musket

Here we present an antique Savage Revolving Fire Arms Company U.S. Contract Model 1861 Civil War Rifle-Musket, made in 1864 in Middletown, Connecticut. Savage was a major contractor in the Civil War who supplied the government with some 25,520 such muskets for the army. The Model 1861 was the primary infantry weapon of the American Civil War for the Union. The Federal army was not prepared for war in 1861. Quite a few of its arms were in southern hands, and the two armories, Springfield, Massachusetts and Harpers Ferry, Virginia, could not make the standard rifle-musket quickly enough to supply the army. Early in the War, Harpers Ferry was captured, and the machinery was sent to the south. The result was that the Union turned to contractors. The Model 1861 was contracted out to over 20 different companies aside from the national armory at Springfield. Compared to the total production numbers of over a million, production of the Savage contract was limited at 25,520 making these scarce and desirable.

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 U.S. 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 emergency that confronted the nation with the onset of civil war overwhelmed the productive capability of Springfield Armory. The federal armories simply could not manufacture enough weapons to outfit the thousands of soldiers quickly filling the ranks of Union armies. This situation was worsened with the loss of the armory at Harpers Ferry. As mention above, outside help was needed, and the government procured the assistance of over 20 private manufacturers producing over 643,000 muskets. Springfield Armory provided technical assistance and supervised the manufacturing and distribution of the Model 1861 muskets so that these contract weapons essentially conformed to the “government model” of the .58 caliber rifle musket. These weapons, as opposed to the numerous pistols and carbines that were purchased on contract, differ basically only in the markings on their lockplates.

The overall condition is good. Gray patina throughout. The action is excellent. The barrel has been bored out to about .61 caliber. The stock has been refinished and shows use. There is a filled hole on the left stock flat and a couple of deep stamps on either side of the butt stock.

Own the original! This is a legitimate antique and not a reproduction.

Barrel is 40 inches.

Caliber: .61 Percussion

Overall condition as seen in photos.

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$2350
#244328