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ARSENAL PERCUSSION CONVERSION STARR CONTRACT M1816 TYPE-III, AKA M1822/28 MUSKET

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This musket rates very good for condition and is great example of a U.S. flintlock musket produced on contract for the U.S. government and then altered to percussion at a U.S. government arsenal in the early 1850s to bring it up to par with Model 1842, the first officially adopted U.S. percussion infantry musket. (For details see Moller and Schmidt.) This example has very good edges and color to the wood, tight fit of wood to metal, crisp markings in the wood and metal, and showing a mix of brown and gray to the barrel that is likely due to original browning disturbed during alteration and perhaps rebrowning along with some wear to the color at the muzzle from a bayonet and light salt-and-peppering at the breech from firing. The musket is full length with all original parts in place, including bands, springs, swivels, rod, etc.

The lock is crisply marked forward of the hammer by maker Nathan Starr with his US over his  “rising star” mark (a star with sun rays and glory appearing over a horizon- a nice visual pun on his name,) with N. Starr in an arc under it, with only the latter showing a little wear on the bottom. To the rear of the hammer is an equally sharp, MIDDTN / CONN / 1832 / [eight-petaled flower] stamped vertically in four lines. This matches the 1832 date on breechplug tang of the barrel, which also carries at left breech the inspection and proof marks US / LS / P [raised mark in depressed circle], which are those of sub-inspector Luther Sage. The counterpane bears a crisp, script cartouche “AH” of Ashabel Hubbard, who, like Sage, was working as sub-inspector of contract arms under ordnance Lieutenant Daniel Tyler, whose final mark “DT” is clearly stamped on the top of the comb just forward of the buttplate tang. The musket correctly bears no marks of inspection preliminary to percussion alteration: these were only applied to muskets made prior to 1832 or showing damage or excessive wear.

The musket was made by Starr under an 1830 contract for 8,750 arms, and likely one of 2,260 delivered in 1832 by Moller’s count, or 1,960 by Schmidt’s, though another 360 were accepted from him as of January 1, 1833, and likely dated 1832 as well. We might further narrow down its production to about August 1832 from Hubbard’s inspection mark. He is noted as first accepting arms from Starr with inspection of 300 on September 8, 1832. This fits with what appears to be some original brown on the middle and upper part of the barrel, which Starr was directed in July 1832 to discontinue once his materials for doing so should run out. Someone else inspected the next batch of Starr muskets in November and Hubbard was not on that job again until February 1833, by which time some muskets might bear 1832 dates but supplies for browning had likely run out. We also note the lock plate, which is smooth metal, shows some of the mottled grays associated with faded case hardened color, the usual accompaniment to barrel browning, rather than bright polishing. The muzzle shows as gray, likely from wear in mounting a bayonet. The breech shows gray as well likely from disturbance of the browning from the alteration of the breech, a problem noted during alterations in 1849 and perhaps exacerbated in this case by some firing. The browning appears to be a mix of thin lighter brown and darker, thicker applied color. Formulas differed and that used at Harpers Ferry, for instance, was noted at the time as superior to that used by Starr and another contractor. The difficulty and cost of correcting this after alteration led to a decision to strike them all bright, resulting in a scarcity of these muskets showing a brown finish. The percussion hammer used on this musket shows a “W” on the left and a “2” on the right, making it likely the alteration followed Harpers Ferry procedures and was done on machinery made at Harpers Ferry, which supplied it to arsenals at Alleghany, Washington, Watertown, Watervliet, North Carolina, and St. Louis. It is worth noting that many of these altered muskets were then transferred to southern arsenals just before the war broke out and were also authorized for sale to private parties. St. Louis, for instance, shipped 4,000 altered muskets to J.W. Zacharie & Co., which operated as an agent for North Carolina, as did other buyers for a number of southern states.

These muskets are an interesting collecting field, often undervalued as alterations, but in fact representing an historically important period of U.S. arms development as the government tried to keep pace with rapid improvements in technology and manufacture, which they little suspected would be tested in war a short time later.  [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!

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