Arms, Armor and Militaria Online

.58 caliber. 40" round barrel secured by three rounded clamping bands. SN: NSN. Bright finish, iron furniture, walnut stock. Single shot muzzleloading percussion military rifle musket with three leaf M1861 pattern rear sight, Barleycorn combination front sight and socket bayonet lug, sling swivels and a full-length straight shank tulip head ramrod. Lock marked in three lines forward of the hammer: S.N.&W.T.C./FOR/MASSACHUSETTS and with a {Spread-Winged Eagle}/U.S. The lock plate is dated 1864 at the tail. The top of the breech has a matching 1864 date and the left angled breech flat is marked with the usual V/P/{Eagle Head} inspection and proof marks and the sub-inspector initials L.F.R. are present on the left barrel flat. Two script cartouches are present on the counterpane that remain completely visible, if a little difficult to decipher. Both cartouches are the GKC of George K Charter, which is the most often encountered inspector for these muskets and one of the few that usually appears stamped twice. The US Model 1863 was for all practical purposes an adaptation of the US Model 1861 Special Model Rifle Muskets that were created by Colt and produced by them, as well as Amoskeag and LG&Y. Some contractors who were producing the US Model 1861 received permission to deliver part of their 1861 pattern contract guns as the newly adopted version. Others, like Samuel Norris and William T Clements received their contracts later in the war and those contracts specified the production of the Model 1863 Rifle Musket. Norris & Clements contracted to produce 13,000 of the guns for the state of Massachusetts in September of 1863 and the firm delivered 2,001 in 1863 and the balance in 1864. Includes a reproduction brass tipped tompion. {ANTIQUE}