Guns International #: 101452225
Seller's Inventory #: 20601

Category - Colt Rifles - Antique - Civil War Rifles

Category
Colt Rifles - Antique
Civil War Rifles

Antique CIVIL WAR Contract COLT SPECIAL Model 1861 EVERYMAN’S Rifle-MUSKET “1863” Dated Lock and “1862” Barrel

Description:
Antique CIVIL WAR Contract COLT SPECIAL Model 1861 EVERYMAN’S Rifle-MUSKET

 “1863” Dated Lock and “1862” Barrel

Here we present an antique Civil War Colt Special Contract Model 1861 Percussion Rifle-Musket, produced in 1863 at the Colt’s Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company of Hartford, Connecticut. Production began in September of 1862 while the war was in full swing. The Union was still trying to make up for arms shortages and the destruction of Harpers Ferry Armory with production at Springfield, supplementing this with contracts with over 20 other contractors, like Colt, for rifle-muskets.

The M1861 is representative of the “everyman’s” rifle during the war. About 1.5 million rifle-muskets were made in the U.S., over 800,000 of which were made by the Springfield Armory. This was the last hurrah of the rifle-musket as arms development and tactics rapidly advanced during the short period of the American Civil War. The American Civil War raged from April 12, 1861 to May 9, 1865 in which roughly 130,000 Special Model 1861 muskets were produced by Colt for the US government.

Nevertheless, the 1861 represented new technology as it was made for use with the Minié ball, a hollow based, conical projectile that was small enough to quickly push down the muzzle of a rifled barrel and expanded to create a good gas seal unlike a solid, round ball. Almost immediately after the war, the US military switched from the old muzzle loading type weapons to the newer breech loading rifles, bringing an end to the musket as a standard frontline firearm in American history.

The overall condition is very good. The action is strong. The bore is shiny bright. The left barrel reads “NJ STEEL”. The lock is dated “1862”, while the barrel reads “1863”. The top of the butt plate is marked “US”.  The barrel has been shortened sometime over the years and a new blade front sight installed. Here we have a nice example of a Colt M1861 Percussion Rifle-Musket! 

Own the original! This is a legitimate antique and not a reproduction.

Barrel is 30 inches.

Caliber: .58

Overall condition as seen in photos.

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ancestryguns

$1050

#20601
 

SOLD

Antique: Yes