1863 Rifle Musket Variant

[Mulebrain]

Is this just a cut down, variant, or cadet type of musket? Scratching my head on this one

 

[hawkeye2]

The lock is a '63, the rammer is a '61 and the stock is a trap door. Look for a cut in the left side of the barrel channel for the extractor. Looking down on the barrel at a point on the long leaf of the sight about half way between the end of the short leaf and the end of the long one to the left in the wood you should see a notch in the barrel channel about 1/8" long and not quite as thick. That was an inlet for the extractor on the trap door action. No Springfield muzzleloaders or contract guns had that barrel band spacing.

A long time ago Numrich/Gun Parts Corp. sold an Instant Muzzleloader Kit (about $60 if I remember) consisting of an original '63 hammer and a Numrich barrel to convert a trap door to a muzzleloader. They were available in .58 and .45 calibers, possibly more. Back then trap doors were everywhere and had no value. You could buy a good one from $15 to $50. If it is a Numrich barrel it may or may not be marked NAC on the left side of the breech and it will have multi groove rifling rather than the 3 land and grooves of a Springfield. My wife and I have skirmished with 2 Numrich barrels and have a spare NOS one stashed for the future. I'll put them up against anyone's barrels for accuracy.

 

[Mulebrain]

Thanks for that info, here is a couple more pics. The bore is pretty nice on this gun

 

[hawkeye2]

Great photo of the trap door extractor slot.

 

[hawkeye2]

BTW if that was a Numrich barrel it would have a patent breech. How long is it? Looking at the breech plug I would say that it definitely isn't a Numrich barrel and the breech plug isn't a government product. Also, I have no idea what the 9 on the bolster or the rest of the stampings signify. How many lands and grooves and what is the twist rate?

 

[Mulebrain]

Barrel is 36" long and three lands and grooves

 

[desi23]

The stamps around the breech have me wondering if someone used an original barrel with a replacement breech plug in a trapdoor stock to build themselves a rifle. Awful lot of stamps there, more typical of older gun barrels I have handled than modern production ones. The plug appears to be cast, not an original machined military part, so I'm guessing a modern era replacement. Basically thinking someone had some parts and wanted to build a Civil War type musket for their own use. I remember the Numrich kits Hawkeye2 mentioned from years ago, no reason someone couldn't do their own version using what they had available.

 

[Mulebrain]

I know it's not a correct gun, but it sure is easy on the eyes. A guy's father passed away, and they found this gun in closet corner.

 

[hawkeye2]

It should shoot as well as it looks too.

 

[Bob McBride]

I like her.

 

[toot]

I also rely like it, take it out and make smoke with it.