Original Item: Only One Available. The Springfield Model 1855 was a rifle musket widely used in the American Civil War. It was manufactured by the Springfield Armory in Massachusetts and at the Harpers Ferry Armory in Virginia (modern-day West Virginia) along with independent contractors. The design exploited the advantages of the new conical Minié ball, which could be deadly at over 1,000 yards. About 60,000 of these rifles were made, and it was a standard infantry weapon for Union and Confederates alike, until the Springfield Model 1861 supplanted it, obviating the use of the insufficiently waterproof Maynard tape primer.

Earlier muskets had mostly been smoothbore flintlocks. In the 1840s, the unreliable flintlocks had been replaced by much more reliable and weather resistant percussion cap systems. The smoothbore barrel and inaccurate round ball were also being replaced by rifled barrels and the newly invented Minié ball. This increased the typical effective range of a musket from about fifty yards (46 m) to several hundred yards. The Model 1855 had an effective range of 500 yards (460 m) and was deadly to over 1,000 yards (910 m).

The barrel on the Model 1855 was .58 caliber, which was smaller than previous muskets. The Springfield Model 1816 and all of its derivatives up through the Springfield Model 1842 had been .69 caliber, but tests conducted by the U.S. Army showed that the smaller .58 caliber was more accurate when used with a Minié ball.

The Model 1855 also used the Maynard tape primer, which was an attempt at improving the percussion cap system that had been previously developed. Instead of using individual caps which had to be placed for every shot, the Maynard system used a tape which was automatically fed every time the hammer was cocked, similar to the way a modern child's cap gun works. While the powder and Minié ball still had to be loaded conventionally, the tape system was designed to automate the placing of the percussion cap and therefore speed up the overall rate of fire of the weapon. The Maynard tape system gave the Model 1855 a unique hump under the musket's hammer. The weapon could also be primed in the usual way with standard percussion caps if the tape was unavailable. The Secretary of War at the time Jefferson Davis authorized the adoption of the Maynard system for the Model 1855.

In the field, the Maynard tape primer proved to be unreliable. Tests conducted between 1859 and 1861 found that half of the primers misfired, and also reported that the tape primer springs did not feed well. The greatest problem was the actual tape itself. Despite being advertised as waterproof, the paper strips proved to be susceptible to moisture. An attempt was made to remedy this problem by making the tape primers out of foil, but despite the improvement this brought, the Ordnance Department abandoned the Maynard system and went back to the standard percussion lock in later muskets like the Model 1861. Most Model 1855s were used throughout the Civil War with standard percussion caps.

Approximately 75,000 Model 1855 muskets were produced. The machinery to make the Model 1855s, at Harpers Ferry was captured by the Confederate Army in early 1861. The captured machinery to produce rifle muskets was taken to Richmond Armory, where it formed the backbone of Confederate weapon manufacturing capability. The rifle machinery was taken to Fayetteville Arsenal, North Carolina where it too was put to use for significant arms production throughout the War. As a result of using the original arsenal machinery, the Richmond rifles and the Fayetteville rifles were two of the finest weapons produced by the Confederacy.

The Model 1855 was in production until 1860 and was the standard-issue firearm of the regular army in the pre-Civil War years. The need for large numbers of weapons at the start of the American Civil War saw the Model 1855 simplified by the removal of the Maynard tape primer and a few other minor alterations to make it cheaper and easier to manufacture, thus creating the ubiquitous Model 1861. The Model 1855 was the best arm available at the beginning of the conflict as it took some time for the Model 1861s to be manufactured and actually reach the field. However, less than 80,000 Model 1855s had been manufactured by the start of the war. Some of them were destroyed when the Confederates captured the Harpers Ferry arsenal in April 1861, and several thousand more were in Southern hands. Approximately 10,000 rifles had also been shipped to California, and therefore were useless for the Union war effort.

After the war, most model 1855s were taken home, or parts used for other projects. The primer system lock was unsuitable for conversion to a Trapdoor style rifle, and given the small number produced and how many were captured by the CSA, they are very hard to find. This is one of the few intact examples of the rifle that we have ever had, and it has a lovely "been there" patina.

This example is still in the original configuration, and looks to have seen a good amount of service during the war, and possibly afterwards. It is one of the later produced examples, and has the rare steel patch box with spare nipple inlet on the right side of the butt stock. 

The Lock is on this example marked U.S. / HARPERS FERRY on the right hand side, while the "Federal Eagle" stamped into the Maynard tape primer's steel cover is completely worn off. It is dated 1860 on the lock plate tail, the year of production at the United States Armory and Arsenal at Harpers Ferry in what was then Virginia, today in the state of West Virginia. The markings on the lock are mostly clear and overall the lock plate is in good condition, with wear commensurate to age. The tape primer door still stays shut correctly due to an intact catch, and the primer advance pawl is still linked to the lock mechanism, though we have no way to test to see if it can still feed primer tapes. The lock does however still function correctly, holding at half cock, and firing at full.

The V / P / Eagle Head proofs on the barrel nocks form are present, while the date has been completely worn away. The cap nipple cone is present, and looks to possibly be a post war replacement, as it shows far less powder burn than the bolster area around it. The cap bolster cleanout screw has been replaced with a large dome headed screw, which still can be removed. The rear sight is damaged, with only the base remaining, which had one of the two loops break, allowing the leaves to fall off.

The metalwork overall has mostly aged to an oxidized patina, with some areas of peppering and light pitting and wear commensurate to the age and level of service that this rifled musket saw. The bore still shows strong three groove rifling, with the expected powder fouling and oxidation on the interior. The upper sling loop is still present, while the lower loop on the trigger guard has broken off. Under the barrel is the correct tulip headed cleaning rod with an enlarged shank. All three barrel bands are correctly U marked, however the marking on the butt plate has worn away.

The one piece walnut stock shows the beautiful red brown color of aged and oiled walnut in most areas, though near the fittings, especially the butt plate, it is stained darker due to rust exposure. There are the expected dents, dings, and other damage from service, and there is some cracking around the breech area and the butt plate.

The included bayonet is in similar condition to the rifle, and looks to have had the blade polished. It shows some past pitting and oxidation, and currently does not slide all of the way onto the barrel.

This is a great chance to pick up a nice Civil War Rifled with a great service worn look, complete with the original bayonet. Ready to research and display!

Specifications (Musket):-

Year of Manufacture: 1860
Caliber: .58"
Cartridge Type: Minié Ball and Powder with Tape Primer
Barrel Length: 40 Inches
Overall Length: 56 Inches
Action type: Side Action Lock
Feed System: Muzzle Loaded

Specifications (Bayonet):-

Blade Length: 18"
Socket Length: 3"
Blade Style: Triangular
Overall length: 21“

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