SOLD - Civil War Springfield M1861Trapdoor Rifled Musket - M1868 Conversion

Description

4/17/24 - This example started out as a Civil War Model 1861 Springfield Rifled Musket, originally manufactured in 1863, and was converted into a Trapdoor Model 1868 in the year 1869. The conversion consisted of replacing the percussion lock with the breech-loading trapdoor mechanism, and relining the barrels to convert them from .58 to .50 caliber. Barrel and receiver have matching serial numbers. Stamped with the "Spread Eagle" and "U.S." markings, indicating military production. Military cartouches are faint, but clearly visible on the left side of the stock. The musket is in fair condition, with spotty oxidation and aged patina throughout the metal and some light surface rust here and there, but no actual pitting or structural deterioration. Wood stock is in pretty nice condition given its age, with no major damage. There is a slight gouge above the trigger guard, and some very minor cracks where the wood inserts into the buttplate. There are minor dings and signs of use throughout the wood. Comes with an original cleaning rod. The bore is shiny for the most part with strong rifling, but there are some small spots of oxidations throughout. Antique, so no licensing required. The model 1861 was the official rifle of the United States when the civil war began, however they were always in short number until they could enter full production. The number of Model 1861 muskets produced by the Springfield Armory was 265,129 between January 1, 1861 and December 31, 1863. Thus, many 1861s were in fact dated 1863, the year the next model was developed. Originally, the Trapdoor Springfields were created to convert Model 1863 Springfield rifled muskets to breech-loading rifles at a relatively low cost. This proved problematic, because in the field, the lining tended to separate from the barrel. To correct this problem, the Model 1868 used a new barrel instead of relining the original older barrel. The new barrel was slightly shorter, 32.5 inches, compared to the 36.5-inch barrel used on the Model 1866. The shorter barrel was affixed using only two barrel bands, instead of the three used on the Model 1866. Since it lacked the middle barrel band, the sling was affixed to the upper barrel band instead. The Model 1868 also differed from previous models in that it used a separate Allin type receiver with the barrel attached to it. The Model 1868 was also the first trapdoor conversion to use the cartridge extractor covered by U.S. Patent No. 68,009, issued August 27, 1867 to W.H. & G.W. Miller.