Original Item: Only One Available. This is a lovely example example of a very rare Civil War Era M-1842 Percussion Musket, and is the first of this type that we have ever had! Here we have one of only 6,020 made by Palmetto Armory of Columbia, S.C. as part of a military contract with the South Carolina Militia in 1852-53. This company was founded by Columbia silversmith and jeweler, William Glaze, and his partner Benjamin Flagg, who was a former Superintendent of the Asa Waters factory in Milbury, Massachusetts. Together, they purchased equipment and tooling of the Waters factory and had it moved to Columbia to set up their operation.

This armory initially retained its original name, the Palmetto Iron Works, which was famous for making tools, barrels and cotton gins. In 1851 the state of South Carolina contracted this company to produce arms for the South Carolina militia in preparation for a potential war, and the name was changed to Palmetto Armory. They also sold and/or produced numerous model 1842 muskets for South Carolina as well. When the U.S. Civil War broke out, these were among the first to be sent out to arm confederate troops.

Aside from the markings, the gun is a relatively standard Model 1842 Percussion Musket, a .69 caliber smoothbore musket manufactured and used in the United States during the 19th Century. It was a continuation of the Model 1816 line of muskets but is generally referred to by its own model number rather than just a variant of the Model 1816. All of these muskets were 58 inches long, with a barrel around 42 inches in length.

The Model 1842 was the last U.S. smoothbore musket produced. Many features that had been retrofitted into the Model 1840 were standard on the Model 1842. The Model 1842 was the first U.S. musket to be produced with a percussion lock, though most of the Model 1840 flintlocks ended up being converted to percussion locks before reaching the field. The percussion cap system was vastly superior to the flintlock, being much more reliable and much more resistant to weather.

The Models 1840 & 1842 were made with thicker barrel walls, with the intention that they could be rifled later, however this example is still in the original smoothbore configuration, and looks to have seen a good amount of use. It does look like the end of the barrel was damaged and/or cut off at some point, and the last 3 inches or so were replaced with a steel tube and aged to match for display. It displays a nice aged patina overall, with signs of past peppering on the metalwork, having been cleaned and restored by our antique gunsmiths.

The lock plate on this example is was originally marked with "PALMETTO. ARMORY / S * C" in a circle around the company's "Palmetto Tree" emblem under the hammer, however this is now quite worn, with only traces of the Tree emblem shown. To the right of this the ARMORY marking is still visible in reflection, but hard to photograph. The tail of the lock is clearly marked COLUMBIA / S. C. 1852, which can be easily seen with the naked eye. As it was used in the Confederacy, it's very possible that it was re-arsenaled and had parts swapped at some point during the war.

The rifle side plate is thin and not bulged, as typical of the Model 1842 Musket. Previous iterations had had a more pronounced side plate with a bulge in the middle. The musket looks to have seen a good amount of firing while in service, and there is definitely past powder burn surrounding the cap nipple cone bolster. The cone itself shows pitting and wear, with the square portion at the bottom somewhat ablated. The barrel is marked with V / P / Eagle's Head proofs on the left side, though they are definitely quite faint, and there is a VERY faint 185 partial date on the barrel tang. There are no cartouches marked in the stock that we can see, though there are some markings near the butt stock.

With all iron mounts this .69 caliber musket is in very nice condition, showing a dark oxidized patina in most areas, with some past peppering and pitting, now mostly ground out. It still retains both barrel bands and the iron nose cap, though the ramrod is a replacement. The lower sling swivel is present, however the upper sling swivel has broken off. The butt plate is heavily oxidized, so we are not able to see any markings. We checked the bore, and it is still smoothbore, and was not rifled later, as many wear. The "step" where the replaced muzzle meets the rest of the bore is clearly visible.

The walnut stock has a lovely red brown color, having been fully cleaned and restored. There are the expected dents, dings, and other expected damage from service, but no major repairs we can see. There is a crack next to the butt plate, and it is above the level of the stock, so wood has definitely been removed by cleaning and service. There is a hole through the butt stock near the butt plate, as well as one near the nose cap, possibly from some type of alternate sling attachment. Really a great looking old musket that would look fantastic hanging on the wall.

A very interesting example of a rare and highly sought after historic gun in lovely condition! Ready to research and display!

Specifications:-

Year of Manufacture: 1852
Caliber: .69"
Cartridge Type: Ball and Powder
Barrel Length: 42 Inches
Overall Length: 57 5/8 Inches
Action type: Side Action Percussion Lock
Feed System: Muzzle Loading

NOTE: International orders of antique firearms MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services (courier). USPS Priority Mail international will not accept these. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.

IMA considers all of our antique guns as non-firing, inoperable and/or inert. Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 921(a)(16) defines antique firearms as all guns made prior to 1899. This law exempts antique firearms from any form of gun control or special engineering because they are not legally considered firearms. No FFL, C&R or any license is required to possess, transport, sell or trade Antique guns. All rifles and muskets sold by IMA that were manufactured prior to 1899 are considered Antiques by the US BATF (United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms). Therefore, all of IMA's Antique guns may be shipped to all US States and most nations around the world.

These antique guns are not sold in "live" condition, and are not tested for the the ability to feed or load any type of cartridge. They are sold as collector's items or as "wall hangers" not for use, and we make no guarantees regarding functionality aside from what is stated in the description. Any attempt at restoring an antique gun to be operational is strongly discouraged and is done so at the risk of the customer. By purchasing an antique gun from IMA you thereby release IMA, its employees and corporate officers from any and all liability associated with use of our Antique guns.

Pre-1899 Manufacture, no licenses required, allowed to ship to almost any deliverable address across the globe. Please note that for international shipping, these MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.