Springfield 1851 Cadet?

[greytop13]

My friend came across an old gun while cleaning out her deceased mother’s home. She asked me if I could tell her anything about it. It’s a rusty old girl. The owner’s husband found “Springfield 1851” on the tail of the lock. I was able to find an eagle over “US” just in front of the hammer. It appears that the lock at least is from one of 2000 muskets made in Springfield in 1851 especially for military schools such as West Point and VMI. Many of these saw service in the Civil War.
The mystery is the barrel. Somewhere along the way, someone cut it down. The 1851 Cadet was made with three bands (this has two) and the barrel should be 40” long (this one is 30”). The front sight should be a brass blade but this has a soldered pin. It should also be .57 caliber. I can’t find my calipers, but the inside diameter of the barrel measures roughly .75. Checking the depth of the barrel, it comes up about two inches short. It could be a charge or mud.
First question: Should I pull the mud/wad/ball that seems to be down there?
Second question: Could this be an original Cadet that was modified into a farmer's fowler or do you think the lock was just repurposed (the bbl has a "V" and "P" laying sideways near the tang)?
Thanks for any help you can offer.

 

[gemmer]

It's a cut down 1842 musket made in 1851. The date stamp on the lock plate is year of manufacture, not the model number.

 

[greytop13]

thanks