This U.S. Model 1842 musket is complete, all original, and would be hard to improve upon for date or condition. All bands, springs, swivels, and the ramrod are in place. Wood and metal have a tight fit. The wood has a nice even brown tone and surface with sharp edges and few handling marks. Lock and barrel are smooth metal, in the bright, and have matching 1844 dates, the first year of production for the Model 1842: just 2,956 were produced that year at Springfield and none at Harpers Ferry.  It was the last of .69 caliber smoothbores, but the first percussion musket to be issued for general use by U.S. “infantry of the line,” and revolutionary in the use of parts not just interchangeable among muskets produced at one of the armories, but those made at either.

The V/P/[eagle head] barrel proofs and 1844 date on the breechplug tang are sharp. Only the tip of second “4” shows rubbing. The lockplate is stamped with a Springfield eagle over U.S. forward of the hammer, and “Spring / field / 1844” aft. Barrel and lock are a soft silver overall. The bolster is smooth, bright, and shows no pitting. The lockplate shows some thin, small, translucent gray spotting, mostly above the eagle. Moller remarks that there is “some evidence that the earliest produced muskets made during 1844 and early 1845 may have had color case-hardened lockplates” (Moller 3.193.) The buttplate, bands, springs, swivels and rod all show smooth and bright metal, as is correct. The buttplate is correctly marked U.S. The mechanics are good.

The wood has a tight fit to the metal, good color and good edges showing just a few handling dings on the edge of the lower edge of the lock apron, some pressure dents on the side flat, one near the breechplug tang, and occasional light scratches. We see just one short splinter off the barrel channel on the right with a short vertical drag line forward of the middle band and one diagonal drag line on the left. The faint outline of a cartouche is visible at rear of the side flat.

The Model 1842 came into its own in the years following the Mexican War with more than 165,000 produced at Springfield and 100,000 at Harpers Ferry up through 1855, along with some commercial versions such as those purchased by South Carolina to supplement its allotments under the militia act. Many were upgraded with rifling in the 1850s, but they were widely carried in the opening years of the war and remained in use throughout. This would make a superb addition to a collection of U.S. infantry arms and be a real stand-out in a Civil War display. [sr] [ph:L]

DISCLAIMER: All firearms are sold as collector's items only - we do not accept responsibility as to the shooting safety or reliability of any antique firearm. All firearms are described as accurately as possible, given the restraints of a catalog listing length. We want satisfied customers & often "under" describe the weapons. Any city or state regulations regarding owning antique firearms are the responsibility of the purchaser. All firearms are "mechanically perfect" unless noted, but again, are NOT warranted as safe to fire.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THIS ITEM, AS WITH ALL OTHER ITEMS AVAILABLE ON OUR WEB SITE,

MAY BE PURCHASED THROUGH OUR LAYAWAY PROGRAM.

CLICK HERE FOR OUR POLICIES AND TERMS.

THANK YOU!