ID 1864 Musket

[rost495]

I will have photos maybe tonight....

Has 1864 on the sideplate,US, Amosk....mfg co and made.....ter N H. I can't make out whats in between. It is percussion. I can get my pinky in the barrel... guessing 60ish in caliber. Steel ramrod with 2 thimbles, brass bead front, appears to have no rifling.. but could be worn out.
Has either 158 or 258 on the back of the barrel on the non lock side.

Appx 48 inches long, 32 inch barrel. Looks like a pewter forend cap, sorta silver looking. No barrel bands.

 

[fluggies4]

The lock is from a contract musket, and should read Amoskeag Mfg. Co., Manchester, NH, with the date. Hard to say without photo(s) just what you have. If the barrel is original, it would have been .58 caliber, rifled. Sounds like maybe a sporterized model 1861 or 1863 musket?

 

[Zonie]

The markings you mentioned may be from the Amoskeag Mfg. Co which was located at Manchester, New Hampshire.

They had several U.S. contracts between the years 1860-1864.

They made around 27,000 US Model 1861 Rifled Muskets:
Jan. 7, 1862, 10,000 muskets at $20.00 ea
Nov. 5, 1863, 15,000 muskets at $19.00 ea
Jan. 6, 1865, 2000 muskets at $19.00 ea

(Data from p 12, AMERICAN GUN MAKERS by L. D. Satterlee and Arcadi Gluckman, OTTO ULBRICH CO. Inc. 1945)

The 1861 Rifled Musket was a full stocked military gun with a 40 inch barrel and used barrel bands to retain the barrel.

There is a good possibility that the lock and barrel were salvaged off of a military musket and used to build your gun.
Pictures would help greatly.

 

[rabjr]

Check this site out,
http://www.uncledaveys.com/mus.htm

 

[rost495]

Will post some photos tonight for sure!
Jeff

 

[rost495]

Sorry folks, just got home and realized I left the musket at the office, I may or may not run back in to get it depending on the rain tonight.. if not its Friday night for pics.

I was hoping for the sake of the gal here that lost her husband it would be worth some money, but low enough that I could afford to buy it and shoot it some for nostalgia. Seems now that it may have been modified a lot and not worth much for her sake.

Thanks, Jeff

 

[rost495]

Sorry it took so long... life gets that way... if you need more photos just tell me what you want to see.

I see NO evidence of a rear sight ever. Front is basically a brass bead by way of brass screw... bead has tiny screwdriver slot in it.

I have not had time to try to shine a light to see if rifling is down there somewhere... or not...

 

[rost495]

Have one opinion its an 1861 58 cal carbine.... of which maybe 900 were issued to the govt.

It IS dated 1864 on the lock, and US.

Thanks for any more help? I"d like the widow to get fair value here.

Jeff

 

[Tumblernotch]

The M1854 (55) was the last US Armory made ML carbine. They didn't make any in the 1860's. The gun you picture is what was called the Special Model 1861 rifle-musket. Three contractors made this model, Colt's Marms Manufacturing Co., Lamson, Goodnow and Yale Co. and Amoskeag Mfg. Co. Amoskeag made 27,001 of this model under three contracts, one of January 7, 1862, one on November 5, 1863 and one on January 6, 1865.

Colt came up with this pattern, which was similiar to the M1861 but with several changes, such as the use of oval bands held by clamping screws instead of band springs, a different shaped cone seat without a cleanout screw, a different shaped hammer and a straight ramrod which used a spoon (spring) in the barrel channel instead of a swelled end that fit in a corresponding ramrod channel. The parts from this model will not interchange with the M1861. Colt used the Enfield as a basis for this model.

The M1863 (both types) were similiar to this Special Model. Casehardening was used extensively on these. On the 2nd Type of the M1863, the band springs were re-introduced.

Many of these rifles were "sporterized" after the War, many bored smooth, for use by farmers, homesteaders and for export. It is believed that many were done this way by Francis Bannerman and Sons. This one is in pretty good shape, but since it's been altered so much, it wouldn't fetch a premium. But, it would be worth a few hundred at least. I don't know current prices for altered pieces, so what I would do is check some of the auction house sites and see what the going bids and prices are. I can tell you that the 1987 values for a Special Model 1861 (Flayderman's Guide) were $550 for Good up to $1,400 for Fine. Remember that is the price for the 3 band musket in original condition. Prices have risen quite considerably since then. However, cut down muskets rate quite a bit less.

 

[Va.Manuf.06]

As always, good information from KanawhaRanger. The "sporterized" rifle musket of Civil War fame was a very common poor man's shotgun in the 19th and even into the early 20th Century and this is one - in no way is this a government made and/or issued weapon. Some would part this gun out for the lock, trigger guard and buttplate and as such the usable parts would be worth about $250 however, as it is it is a better than average civilian conversion of a military gun and is probably in the neighborhood of a $350 - $450 piece on a good day and in the right place, maybe a little more.

 

[rost495]

Just want to make sure y'all are sure its converted and not worth lots of money for this gal before I buy it or sell it.

My caliper is buried as we are moving... have been too long so far too... but I digress....

Careful look shows I can't see rifling as far as I can see down in there. Has a wicked tapered ramrod... comes almost to a point on the end you push on.... Measures 11/16 basically as a smoothbore.
Has no rear sight or no evidence of EVER having a rear sight that I can tell.

It is marked 1864. It is marked US on that lock.

Thanks, Jeff

 

[rabjr]

You see a lot of these, bored out smooth and sold as military surplus. I've had a few come through my place in various conditions. It don't look to bad but it obviously isn't in it's original condition and not worth what an original Civil war issued rifle would be in good shape.