CIVIL WAR Antique WILLIAM MASON U.S. M1861 .58 “Everyman’s” Rifle-MUSKET Primary UNION ARMY Infantry Weapon of the Civil War

Product Description

CIVIL WAR Antique WILLIAM MASON U.S. M1861 .58 “Everyman’s” Rifle-MUSKET   

Primary UNION ARMY Infantry Weapon of the Civil War

Here we present an antique U.S. Model 1861 Contract Rifle-Musket, made by William Mason of Taunton, Massachusetts, in 1864. Mason entered into a contract with the U.S. Ordnance Department to manufacture 30,000 model 1861 rifle muskets and completed the order on time.

The Model 1861 was the primary musket at the start of the American Civil War. The musket was designed to fire the .58 caliber Minié ball. 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. 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. Steel polished some time ago. The action is excellent. The bore is dusty with strong rifling. The stock shows use and was partially refinished long ago. The remnants of two cartouches can be seen on the left stock flat.

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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$2200
#244082