Springfield Fowler?

[mci5b]

Who can give me some information on a 1864 Springfield that appears to be a smooth bore shotgun.

I have found some sites that seem to indicate that this weapon was manufactured by Springfield and used to harvest small game to feed the troops.

Guns of America currently has one listed under 1864 Springfield Shotgun, and I found another by searching Google with the string "Springfield Fowler".

However, I am nowhere near an expert, and as far as I know, these weapons are just hack jobs.

Thanks in advance

 

[varsity07840]

Huge numbers of suplus muskets were bought up by dealers such as Bannerman, freshed out to smoothbore and sold as shotguns. They usually have the stocks cut back and crude ramrod thimbles
added under the barrel. Springfield did mot make
smoothbore versions of the 1863, but they did issue a 20 ga smoothbore trapdoor forager version of the 1873.

Duane

 

[Va.Manuf.06]

Duane is right, no smoothbore versions of any US rifle muskets were manufactured by Springfield or any of the contractors, any found were done post war when the guns were surplussed. Aside from Bannermans, many were done by gunsmiths all over the country, they are very common.