CIVIL WAR Antique AMOSKEAG SPECIAL U.S. M1861 CONTRACT Rifle-Musket BAYONET “EVERYMAN’S RIFLE” for the UNION ARMY

Product Description

CIVIL WAR Antique AMOSKEAG SPECIAL U.S. M1861 CONTRACT Rifle-Musket BAYONET

 “EVERYMAN’S RIFLE” for the UNION ARMY

Here we present an antique Civil War U.S. Amoskeag Special Contract Model 1861 Percussion Rifle-Musket, produced in 1863 at the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company of Manchester, New Hampshire with a production run between 1862 and 1864. 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 Amoskeag, for rifle-muskets. Amoskeag contracts with the Federal Government totaled approximately 27,000 muskets being produced.

The Springfield Armory supervised the manufacturing and distribution of the Model 1861 muskets. To fulfill the desperate need for rifles, production was sub-contracted to several private manufacturers including Colt, L.G.&Y., E.G. Lamson, and Amoskeag. These makers all produced the “Special” contract muskets throughout the entire war. The “Special” Model 1861 contract represented a transition from the Model 1861 design and incorporated many of the features eventually adopted in the Model 1863 regulation, primarily the contoured hammer, the flat bolster, and the removal of the band springs.

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 overall condition is well used. Dark patina throughout. The hammer screw head snapped off long ago. The action is strong. The rifling has been bored out and the bore is dark. The stock shows use and remains solid. There is a small screw that has been inserted from below between the trigger guard and the lock. The faint cartouches remain on the left stock flat.

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

Barrel is 40 inches.

Caliber: .63 Percussion

Overall condition as seen in photos.

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$2200
#244325