Norwich Marked J.D. Mowry Contract US Model 1861 Rifle Musket

American Civil War

.58 caliber. 40" round barrel secured by three flat, spring retained bands. NSN. Bright finish, iron furniture, walnut stock. Single shot percussion muzzleloading rifle musket with M1861 3-leaf rear sight, Barleycorn combination front sight and socket bayonet lug, sling swivel and a swelled shank tulip head ramrod. Lock marked with a {Spread-Winged Eagle} forward of the hammer and in three horizontal lines, U.S./NORWICH. with the date 1863 at the tail. Top of breech with matching 1863 date and left angled flat with typical V/P/{Eagle Head} proof marks. Counterpane with oval JD MOWRY/NORWICH/CONN maker's cartouche and two script inspection cartouches, an AJN for Augustus J Noble and a second, not fully legible cartouche. Like so many of the contractors to produced Model 1861 Rifle Muskets during the Civil War, the story of James D Mowry is somewhat convoluted and confusing. The firm received a total of three contracts for Model 1861s, totaling 42,000 guns and in the end delivered roughly half that amount, a total of 22,000 with 11,000 each being delivered in 1863 and 1864. {ANTIQUE}

This lot is located in Cincinnati.

Good to Very Good. Bore very good, partly bright and moderately oxidized with strong rifling. Metal lightly cleaned to bright with scattered freckles of surface oxidation and discoloration. Markings in metal clear, weaker in wood. Mechanically functional lock. Stock with old added varnish or finish that has been mostly cleaned back off the wood, with patches of shiny finish here and there. Wood with numerous scattered bumps, dings and mars and with some chipped loss from the ramrod channel around the swelled area.

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Mr. Tim Prince

Senior Consulting Specialist, Arms, Armor & Militaria

[email protected]312 280 1212

Tim Prince has more than 30-years of experience in the field of antique and collectible arms and is a nationally recognized expert in the area of Civil War small arms. A long-time researcher and author, Tim has been a contributing author to two major books about Civil War firearms, including The English Connection: Arms, Material and Support Furnished to the Confederate States of America by Great Britain (2014) and Confederate Shotguns and Southern Agent Marked Shotguns (2017). He was also a major contributor to the recently updated Blue Book of Antique American Firearms & Values – 2nd Edition (2019) as well as the 2010 updates to the Civil War Collector's Price Guide - 12th edition. Over the last decade Tim has authored more than 50 articles on 19th century collectible and military arms, which have been published in such varied publications as Civil War News, North-South Trader, and Military Antique Collector. Since 2016 has appeared as a featured appraiser in the field of Arms & Militaria on the popular PBS television series Antiques Roadshow. He is a member of the American Society of Arms Collectors and currently serves on the board of directors of that organization. He is also a member of and formerly served on the board of directors of the Society of American Bayonet Collectors. Tim is a life member of the Ohio Valley Military Society, the Tennessee Military Collectors Association, the Alabama Military Collectors Association, is a member of the Company of Military Historians and is a member of numerous other colleting groups and societies. He is the owner of College Hill Arsenal, a web based antique and collectible arms retail web site, specializing in the American Civil War and related military items. Tim has engaged in the business of buying, selling, researching, and appraising antique and collectible arms and associated military items for some three decades. Since 2016 he has also served as a senior Consulting Specialist in the field of Arms, Armor & Militaria for Cowan’s Auctions, a Freeman's Company.

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Norwich Marked J.D. Mowry Contract US Model 1861 Rifle Musket

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