how to identify civil war rifles

Smooth-bore muskets were cast aside for updated rifled muskets (which still had the same components as a traditional musket but featured boring in the barrels that aided in keeping ammunition going in a straighter, more consistent, line upon exit). What might be surpr. These rifles were used by both the United States of America ("Union") and the Confederate States of America. Jackson had little luck with sales of the carbine until the Civil War broke out. The only breechloading rifle (not built as a carbine like the Burnside) firing a primed-metallic cartridge (a .50 cal. Although it had a .577 caliber bore it could use the same .58 caliber Mini ball as the Springfield. Outstanding Civil War U.S. Spencer Model 1860 Army repeating rifle with sling and bayonet. Even on the low estimates, the number of American dead from this single conflict was massive, and was not equaled in combined death toll of all other American wars until Vietnam. Burnside's design eliminated the expulsion of hot gas from the weapon when it was fired by sealing the area between the barrel and the breech. As with the Spencer, it provided overwhelming firepower in a conflict dominated by muzzleloaders. William Brooke Johns, Hidden in Plain Sight: Compiled Service Records as Sources for Confederate Arms and Equipment, Firearms Genealogy: The Impossible Takes Longer. CAT. Any identification marks are most likely on the bottom of the barrels, under the wood. This rifled musket , with the lock marking "1861 Springfield" and an eagle, was the principal infantry arm of the civil war. However, most American army officers in 1861 had been schooled in obsolete Napoleonic tactics, especially since many of them had served in the Mexican War, which was still fought in the old way with smoothbore muskets and linear formations. We specialize in arms made by Colt, Remington, Sharps, Spencer, Union . They were expensive to manufacture and only 11,000 were produced, most of which were unissued or went to sharpshooters. [18], This collection contain smoothbore flintlocks converted into percussion muskets, some with their barrels rifled, Contract carbines as they were known at that time: Cosmopolitan, Sharps, Gallager, Smith and Burnside, Joslyn, Starr, Lindner, Warner, Maynard and Merrill carbines, Model 1816, Model 1842 and Model 1855 muskets, Confederate Richmond musket (top) along with U.S. Model 1861, British Pattern 1853 Enfield, U.S. Model 1861 muskets and Sharps rifle, Here is a number of Springfield Model 1861 contract rifles produced elsewhere except Springfield. Visit the Civil War Arms Index. The first contract called for 5,000 Model 1861 caliber .36 revolvers at a cost of $12 each. Get 12 Issues a year of the country's best firearms writing. There were only around 4,000 fluted cylinder Colts of this design produced, so that combined with its Confederate rarity boosted its price tag. Similar in design to the Enfield rifle, early Lorenz rifles were considered superb weapons right out of the factory, but they had a .54 caliber bore which could not accept the same bullets as the Springfield and Enfield. These are a few of the more unique rifles that have documented use during the 19th century conflict. What kind of French muskets? Box 160 Llano, Texas 78643 If you have a specific identification question, please see our Identification Request Page. Like other Springfield rifles it was first produced at the Springfield Armory, but to meet war demands twenty arms manufacturers were contracted to increase production. Our most recent sale of a Civil War 4th Model presentation grade Burnside rifle was in our May 2019 auction. Rifled muskets quickly became the standard weapon of modern armies of the period, including the United States, while some smoothbore muskets were converted into rifles. [7][20][21], The Springfield Model 1855 was the first standard-issue rifle for the US Army to fire the Mini ball, with 60,000 having been built from 1856 to 1860 at both the Springfield and Harpers Ferry Armory. I am confused, do you have one or two weapons? It was a hollow shell filled with scraps . In the few weeks between its formation and going into battle, for example, the 24th Michigan had one recorded instance of target practice, during which three men were wounded and one died of a heart attack. The Impossible Takes Longer Winter 1995, Vol. In comparison to the Springfield's three rounds per minute, the Henry rifle could fire 28 rounds per minute. But weaponry advancements also played a large role. These used the less reliable Maynard tape primer firing mechanism which when damp could cause misfires, a flaw that had forced its original retirement in 1860 until it was re-introduced to meet the arms shortage. Henry Rifle. Western armies were slower to obtain Springfield rifles, and they were not widely used there until the middle of 1863. The Rifle Musket in Civil War Combat: Reality and Myth. The Colt repeating rifle was one of the first repeating rifles, alongside with the Henry. In a conflict dominated by muzzleloaders and single-shot rifles, the Spencer Repeating Rifle had to have seemed like a godsend. This appears to have been issued to the 61st Infantry Regiment (Hungarian) (Graf von Strassoldo), Company A, 4th weapon, when it was in k.k. Allen & Wheelock Drop Breech. Come join the discussion about optics, hunting, gunsmithing, styles, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more! Many officers, however, preferred the Springfield muskets over the Enfield musketslargely due to the interchangeability of parts that the machine-made Springfields offered. The caplock replaced the flintlock, improving performance in wet weather and allowing for a slightly higher rate of fire, and the use of rifling with mechanically fitted bullets was tested by several inventors. Designed by Jean Alexandre Le Mat with his manufacturing backed by P.G.T. In order for rifling to impart a spin upon a projectile it has to have a tight fit, and with weapons of the time being muzzleloaders this made it much slower to load and fire a rifle compared to a musket. The standard weapon of the British Army between 1853 and 1867, like the Springfield the Enfield was a single-shot, muzzleloading rifle musket. The bored out versions were not consistent in caliber, ranging from .57 to .59. Once they shot what they had on hand, there was no way to replenish their supplies, given the ammo manufacturers were based in the North. Military Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. Typically, these rifles are sold for $1,000-$3,000 depending on their condition. During the American Civil War, an assortment of small arms found their way onto the battlefield. Here we present an antique Enfield Pattern 1853 Rifle-Musket, made in 1862 in England. The American Civil War still remains the deadliest conflict in our nations history. Black powder fouled the rifling in the barrel and produced thick clouds of smoke which hung about the battlefield and obscured targets. It is suggested by some that the Burnside Carbine was what vaulted Burnside the man to the upper ranks of the Union Army and on to debacles in the Battle of Fredericksburg and the Battle of the Crater. The Springfield Model 1861 was a common Union infantry rifle during the Battle of Antietam. Italy:Oxford University Press, USA. Yes Sir, I unloaded one just the other day. The first such weapon adopted by the US Army was the Model 1855 Colt Revolving Rifle (and a companion carbine), but it had a serious defect in that the gun would often discharge several chambers at once, the extra rounds flying straight into the hand that was holding the barrel up. Her ancestors fought for both sides, however, the gun in question arrived to us through her late father who grew up in rural Mississippi (born 1940s) and moved to North Carolina in the 1970s. Mini ball rifles - Various rifles were able to shoot mini balls, which created large, gaping wounds in the targets that they hit. Along with a revised 1863 model, it was the last muzzle-loading weapon ever adopted by the US Army. Chambered in the powerful .45-70 Government, the rifle was the choice of many commercial buffalo hunters on the American frontier. Many British Enfield rifles but they were horrible on the troops hands and were regularly replaced with the Springfield rifles of fallen solders. The Lorenz Rifle (again a rifled musket of the Mini variety) had highly mixed reviews in the Civil War. That is definitely at the high end of the pricing spectrum. The long gun eventually was approved for battle later in the war and made its first official appearance in the Battle of Gettysburg. Thus, the short-lived Burnside rifle didn't become a major winner with soldiers during the war. We authenticate and appraise Antique Civil War Guns. The Springfield was such a widely used rifle that most Civil War re-enactors own one for use in their battles. Some southern cavalry and guerrillas used shotguns but their barrels were cut off short. At Gettysburg, Colonel Joshua Chamberlain ordered any man who still carried an Enfield to replace it with a Springfield salvaged from the battlefield. Spencer Repeating Rifle/Carbine. The benefit of this Civil War rifle was that it could be fired in rapid succession without pausing to reload after each shot. A sketch details the 14th Brooklyn regiment's uniform jacket, vest and kepi. Like the Henry, the Spencer wasn't used very much by the Confederacy because, although they could capture the weapon, they were unable to get a consistent supply of ammunition necessary. [16], When the American Civil War broke out in April 1861, neither the North (about 360,000 small arms) nor the South (about 240,000) had enough weapons to fight a major war. Learn how your comment data is processed. Even worse was the state of cavalry tactics. With seven rounds of .56-56 Spencer rimfire on tap, the rifle delivered overwhelming firepower for the time. However, it was the invention of the Mini ball which ultimately solved the problem of the slow-loading rifle. This rifle had first seen action in the Second Italian War of Independence. Most Colt Revolving Rifles were eventually sold off by the War Department for 55 cents just to get rid of them. [17] Accordingly, during the first two years of the war soldiers from both sides used a wide variety of rifles, including many that were over 50 years old and were considered obsolete. This Enfield model 1853 was commonly used by both Union and Confederate infantry troops during the Civil War. Mike, a NPS Ranger at Fort Pulaski in GA, demonstrates how to fire a Civil War style rifle, demonstrating the commands for e. Calibre .577, Cosmopolitan, rifled. I must admit I have never seen a pair of hammers like those before. Such bullets were included in each packet of regular ammunition and designed to clear any residue out of the barrel when fired. #4. Rifles had been in use for many years, but prior to the civil war had been rare in military use. Through the American Civil War, there was difficulty with arms manufacturing and keeping soldiers on both sides equipped with the most advanced weaponry of the time. And it might be one of the most unique long-gun designs of the war, and perhaps overall firearms history. The Civil War era is an antique arms collector's dream for the same reason it was a nightmare for the Ordnance Department: a dizzying array of weapons and ammunition. Known for its quality, accuracy, and reliability, the Enfield is one of the most sought after Civil War rifles today. [17] Stockpiles of rifles and handguns carried by individual soldiers were limited. Guns with a story and background are extremely interesting and exciting to collect with the Civil War era being a time that has many tales to tell. Length of barrel is 42 inches. The rifles differed from each other mainly in the different "actions" they had. But even with those drawbacks, its hard to argue that a soldier with a Henry in his hands didn't have a great advantage over nearly any enemy he met. Due to a lack of munitions manufacturers in the South, the Confederates depended on the British government to procure these weapons. With all due respect, the rear sight is the same as on the 1863 Springfield. The new repeater rifles would see fairly limited use in the Civil War. Beauregard, a Confederate Civil War general, the Le Mat was created in 1856 before the outbreak of the war. Very few Burnside rifles can be found still in this excellent of condition. While both sides used the 1853, it was a particularly important arm in Confederates' hodgepodge arsenal. It MIGHT have been fired during the War - but was NOT a war weapon - it was used to hunt birds, rabbits and squirrels. With a B.S. Behind the Sharps, it was the most used cavalry carbine of the war. Outstanding Civil War U.S. Springfield Model 1861 percussion rifle-musket dated 1862 with bayonet. We have an old rifle that has been passed on through my wifes family from, we believe, the Ciivil War. Elwood Shelton is an online content developer for Gun Digest. The Civil War was a time of great social and political upheaval. Civil War Bullet Types - Pistol and Rifle Such a far-reaching war required a large collection of firearms which, in turn, relied on a vast collection of ammunition types. Case shot was an anti-personnel projectile, meaning it was used against soldiers. You can also buy research materials from one of our affiliates at our Books for . Considered by many to be the premier Mini-style rifled musket of the day, the Pattern 1853 Enfield could readily outperform its counterparts on the battlefield.