Arms, Armor and Militaria

.69 caliber. 42" barrel secured by three flat, spring-retained barrel bands. NSN. Bright finish, iron furniture, walnut stock. Single shot arsenal rifled muzzleloading percussion altered infantry musket. Lock marked with a {Spread-Winged Eagle}/US  forward of the hammer and in three vertical lines at the tail SPRING/FIELD/1838. Breech plug tang date 1838, as well. Breech with P/{Eagle Head}/V proof and inspection marks. Counterpane with two script cartouches, one illegible and the second the clear script EB/2 rating cartouche of Elizur Bates from the 1840s inventory of US flintlock muskets. A crisp script JS is behind the triggerguard, the final acceptance mark of Springfield Assistant Master Armorer John Stebbins. Retains the original brass front sight on the top strap of the upper barrel band, the lug for an angular socket bayonet on top of the barrel, near the muzzle, both sling swivels and a full-length button head ramrod with good threads at the end. Arsenal altered to percussion with the mating code A7 stamped in the wood to the left of the breech plug, indicating the work was done at Harpers Ferry. Arsenal rifled with three broad, shallow lands and grooves. The reverse stock is carved with the initials and marks J+ExH. The triggerguard tang is stamped PX10ARA, the meaning of which is not known and may be an old collection or museum cataloging mark. Only 681 US Model 1822/28 cone-in-barrel altered muskets were rifled and did not receive long range rear sights. 680 were rifled at Frankford Arsenal in 1858 and one was rifled at Harpers Ferry in 1859. Due to a number of issues the process was halted by the Secretary of War and further rifling of cone-in-barrel altered US 1822/28 was not performed. A scarce example of a transitional arm from the end of the flintlock and smoothbore era to the beginning of the rifled percussion period.