Mississippi Rifle M1841

[Moloch]

Hi!

I am currently looking for a rifle in .54/58 round ball in either flint or percussion for easy 50yds target work.

I stumbled across the Mississippi M1841 Rifle from Euroarms/Armi sport, AFAIK it is or better was a volunteer rifle (wow, that sounds kinda degrading :hmm: ).

If you guys dont mind, I would really like to hear some opinions about that rifle!

What really makes this rifle unique is that it uses the musket lock and musket cap for a round ball barrel in a handy package with a medium caliber.
Sounds like a winner to me. :hatsoff:

I am building up a rifle collection mainly arms from the civil war, was the Mississippi rifle used in the civil war? Would be a nice addition.

Thanks! :bow:

 

[bob308]

yes yes yes.

it was used in the c-w by both sides in both .54 and later rebored to .58 by the north infact the 1863 remington was just a upgraded 1841.

i have an old navy arms model 41. the barrel was not taken care of so i relined it back to .54 it shoots both round ball and minie very well.

.526 round ball with a .020 patch 55 gr. 3ff will shoot well out to 100 yd.

410 gr minie froma layman mold with .60 gr 3ff does well out to 100 yd. also.

 

[poordevil]

It was also used in the war with Mexico and got it's name with Jeff Davis 's troops. It started out life as a .54 cal round ball rifle then got rebored in CW to .58 cal minni. It was given to the early pioniers (covered wagons) by the gov. just like the gov gave away sharps carbines and other muzzleloading guns for protection..

P.

 

[Moloch]

Hm, I found quiet a few pictures of the rifle in the internet, but what I cannot see is a rear sight on the Euroarms replika.

Does it have one? Would be a pitty if it doesnt.

 

[bob308]

yes it does have a rear sight. it is a simple drift and file sight. that was one of the improvments with the 1863 a three leaf rear sight.also when they were rebored to .58 they also got a different sight and a stud to take a bayonet.

 

[Moloch]

Very good, I cannot hit the broadside of a barn with rifles not equipped with rear sights!

What accuracy can I expect with this piece? Does it shoot as well as the other .54's with 1-66 rot and a ftitting ball-patch combination?

I am asking because the barrel seems to be fairly light military style.-
I have a .58 and a .69 which shoot minie conicals, they are not the most accurate rifles and what I am looking for is a good medium sized rifle which was used in the military and shoots round ball of .54 or .58 accurately.

If its shoots good its exactely the rifle I was looking for. :grin:

 

[torn moc]

The Mississippi rifle will shoot just as good as you can shoot....if the barrel crown is ok and the bore is fine.
The civil war soldiers claimed it was the BEST rifle ever produced!
Seems people who have one want to keep it...
ya dont see them on auction very often anymore...
I have one by Antonio Zoli...wouldnt think of selling it or trading..it's a KEEPER!!! :thumbsup:

 

[varsity07840]

Hi!

I am currently looking for a rifle in .54/58 round ball in either flint or percussion for easy 50yds target work.

I stumbled across the Mississippi M1841 Rifle from Euroarms/Armi sport, AFAIK it is or better was a volunteer rifle (wow, that sounds kinda degrading :hmm: ).

If you guys dont mind, I would really like to hear some opinions about that rifle!

What really makes this rifle unique is that it uses the musket lock and musket cap for a round ball barrel in a handy package with a medium caliber.
Sounds like a winner to me. :hatsoff:

I am building up a rifle collection mainly arms from the civil war, was the Mississippi rifle used in the civil war? Would be a nice addition.

Thanks! :bow:

While I don't know much about the Euroarms repro, I shoot and on occasion hunt with and original '41
that was rebored .58 and has the three leaf sight. It's a very handy rifle in the field as opposed to a three band musket. With the slow twist, it shoots patched round balls very well, and that's what I use for hunting. It's also a nice offhand target rifle. Despite it's age, it still has the feel of a very sturdy rifle.

Duane

 

[poordevil]

As far as how thick is the barrel......very. Much thicker than the 1842 rifle musket or even the 1861-63-65

p

 

[bob308]

mine has won many matches with round ball. it is a very good rifle. well liked back then and even today. it is handy to use easy to carry.

off a good rest it should do shots touching at 50 yd. with the right load. off hand will depend on you.

 

[jdstrang]

What accuracy can I expect with this piece? ...
If its shoots good its exactely the rifle I was looking for. :grin:

Moloch:

Some of the best shots I know in the N-SSA use Mississippis - originals, custom-builts and commercial repros.

Look around for the sight combo you want. The originals had "tombstone" rear sights, but later variants - there were several - included the more familiar leaf and long-range "ladder" sights, too.

The only disadvantage - and that might be too strong a word - is its flat buttplate, as opposed to the later curved buttplates of the '55, '61-'64 rifles and rifle-muskets. But other than that, the Rifle of 1841 is a shooting legend. Your mass-produced repro probably will need a trigger job and maybe glass-bedded for maximum accuracy, but as a model, the Mississippi is really hard to beat.

 

[Moloch]

I already fell in love with that rifle, the size, caliber and stock fit together perfectly for an all-purpose gun for 100yds and if its true (I dont doubt it) that it can be that accurate...just love it. :grin:


I have the ladder rear sight on my 1842 rifled and its not better than the V-notch sights; and I'll hardly shoot over 700yds so thats a none-issue for me.

So, how is the quality of Euroarms? Just visited their website and downloaded their catalogue, I have to say that the rifles seem to be very good at fit and finish and the company seems to be nice too.

It will be the first rifle in my collection which shoots round ball. What would be a good load to start with?
Of course I'll oder at least two different ball sizes and three patch sizes, but It would be nice (and cheaper) to have a rough Idea what to order to build an accurate load. Should I lube the patches with beeswax & tallow like I lube my conicals? I dont like to wipe very often during shooting and beeswax with conicals work pretty good to keep the fouling soft.

Here is the Euroarms catalog: http://www.euroarms.net/Avancarica/catalogo/CATALOGO 2008-A ENGL.pdf

The only disadvantage - and that might be too strong a word - is its flat buttplate

@ Pappa bear: My Enfield and my Springfield 1842 have straight butt plates too.
The rifles with a curved butt plate never fit me (WAY too small!) so a straight butt plate isnt so bad. :hmm:
A not-fitting curved butt is really painful, its like getting 2 metal spikes fired into the shoulder each shot.

Trigger job is easy to do, a little bit of polishing paste and the trigger will be so much better. I am kinda used to rifles with a strong trigger, I shoot rifles with a hard trigger much better than the light ones.

 

[Ddisher]

Just a thought on the Mississippi...I know an awful lot of guys in the N-SSA who shoot this gun, and swear by it. I am looking for one myself. Take a look at the gun made by James River Armory. This gun is made with competition shooters in mind. If you are going for accuracy, it makes sense to start out as far ahead of the curve as possible. The barrels from James River are lined by Bobby Hoyt, with his legendary 7 groove rifling. You might pay a bit more for a JRA, but it would be worth it.
NOTE: JRA is known for importing the Italian guns and working on them to get them up to snuff. You could buy from Euro or Armi, but then you would have to do the work anyway.

Hope this helps,

Ddisher