Original Item. Only One Available. For years the US M-1861 Contract Rifle Muskets with locks marked Philadelphia have been a conundrum for collectors, and while certainly a scarce addition to any collection of US military Civil War long arms, their actual origin has been somewhat shrouded in mystery and confusion. In fact, various references have different opinions as to exactly what a Philadelphia marked musket is and who actually manufactured the guns.

The only point that seems to be agreed upon is that these muskets were almost certainly originally contracted for by Philadelphia native John Rice. Rice had served an apprenticeship as a carpenter as a young man, and upon its completion he had gone into the building business. Rice was a very successful builder, operating as what we would today call a contractor, being the overall superintendent for the building process, hiring and firing labor, overseeing construction, etc. Rice even maintained some full time employees and a manufactory where he could fabricate building components needed for his projects. Rice was also a skilled craftsman himself, and during the early Civil War he served as a stone worker on the US Capitol building project in Washington D.C. 

It was his employment at the Capitol building project that led him to obtain a contract to build rifle muskets for the US government. Rice noted that although he had no experience in firearms manufacture, “for the last 25 years (I) have been very extensively engaged in mechanical pursuits”. Rice further noted that his goal in acquiring an arms contract was to keep his employees and his manufacturing facilities engaged and working while he was working on the Capitol project. To that end, Rice managed to obtain a contract to produce 36,000 US M-1861 pattern rifle muskets on November 21, 1861, at the going rate of $20.00 each.

Like so many of the contractors who sought small arms contracts during the early months of the Civil War, Rice had no plans to manufacture the majority of the gun parts himself, but rather hoped to acquire the parts from contractors, and for his people to assemble and deliver the guns. The only part of the musket that Rice appeared to be interested in actually “making” were the stocks, which he was obtaining in rough form, and then drying and finishing in his facility. His primary contract vendors were William Mason of Taunton, MA who was to deliver the finished gun barrels and C.H. Williams of Philadelphia who was to produce the musket locks.

The Springfield Model 1861 was a Minié-type rifled musket shoulder-arm used by the United States Army and Marine Corps during the American Civil War. Commonly referred to as the "Springfield" (after its original place of production, Springfield, Massachusetts), it was the most widely used U.S. Army weapon during the Civil War, favored for its range, accuracy, and reliability.

This gorgeous M1861 “Philadelphia” Rifle musket is in great condition overall, with New Jersey (N.J.) surcharges on the side of the barrel and on the stock opposite the lock-plate. This indicates it was used by New Jersey soldiers during the Civil War. The lock-plate is marked with a (Spread Winged Federal Eagle) and U.S. / PHILADELPHIA forward of the hammer, and with the date 1862 horizontally to the rear. The lock-plate, hammer, trigger, trigger guard, buttplate, barrel bands, and sling swivels all show a concurrent amount of rust peppering, with the barrel nocks form bearing a date of 1862 along with the expected V P (Eagle Head) proof mark. Due to the peppering, these markings are all faint, but they are certainly present.

The stock is in fair shape overall with the standard nicks, chipping, and dents. There are no remaining cartouches on the stock opposite the lock-plate, if there ever were any. There are small chips in the wood stock, with a small chunk missing to the back of the lock-plate. The buttplate appears to have had a U.S. stamped on the tang, but due to the peppering it is all but gone. The lock of the musket is mechanically excellent and functions perfectly on all positions. We would not recommend taking apart the bolster and percussion nipple, as they are very peppered and likely seized in place.

The original M-1861 pattern rear sight is in place on the top of the breech, forward of the nocksform and still functions perfectly, with all leafs intact. The sight is 100% complete, correct and fully functional. The original cone (nipple) is in place in the bolster. Both original sling swivels are in place on the musket, and are fully functional. The original swelled shank, tulip head ramrod is in place under the barrel, and is full length with excellent threads on the end.

The bore of the musket is in very good condition for its age, and the rifling remains excellent and crisp.The bore shows only some very lightly scattered pitting along its length, with no major fouling or oxidation. The stock is solid and full length with no breaks, cracks or repairs noted. There are some tiny chips of wood missing at the rear of the barrel tang, but these are very minor and hardly worth mentioning. The chips are quite old and almost certainly from the period of use, as the area is worn smooth.

This is a fantastic example of an extremely scarce rifle, one with a clouded history. Despite the conjecture, at most about 1,500 “Philadelphia” marked lock plates were manufactured, with the actual number being more likely in the 500-1,000 range. This is a very rare rifle, only made rarer bearing New Jersey markings. This is the first “Philadelphia” Contract rifle we have offered, so don’t miss it! Comes ready for further research and display.

Specifications:-

Year of Manufacture: 1862
Caliber: .58"
Cartridge Type: Minié Ball and Powder
Barrel Length: 40 Inches
Overall Length: 56 Inches
Action type: Side Action Lock
Feed System: Muzzle Loaded

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