Original item: One Only. The US Model 1840 Musket was a .69 caliber 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 1840 was mainly an incremental improvement over the earlier model 1835, and many use the term 1835/40. The main differences were a buttstock with a comb top, and also a thicker walled barrel. It was foreseen that eventually many of these muskets would be converted to Rifled Muskets, so the models 1840 and 1842 featured these barrels. 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.

Most of the model 1840 Muskets were made at the United States Armory and Arsenal at Springfield, as Harpers Ferry in fact never tooled up for this particular variant. However, there were also various contractors that the Federal government placed orders with, and one of those was Daniel Nippes of Mill Creek, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Abraham Nippes, who had also been a U.S. Government contractor, first operating out of Philadelphia, and later moving his operation to Mill Creek. After he passed away, Daniel took over. He was awarded a contract to manufacture the Model 1840 Flintlock musket, with a total production of only 5,100 units between 1842 and 1848, making every example very rare. Of this number, 2,000 made towards the end were converted to take the Maynard tape primer system before they even left the factory as part of the original contract, so only 3,100 left the factory as flintlock rifles.

The outbreak of the Civil War in the United States created a large need for percussion muskets, as the number of modern firearms currently on hand was far short of what was needed. To fill this need, many muskets converted to percussion in the 1840s-1850s were pressed back into service, and this is one such example. The U.S. Army contracted gunmaker Henry E. Leman of Lancaster PA to undertake percussion conversions of Model 1816 series muskets, up to and including the Model 1840, sometimes called the Model 1816, Type 4. During 1862-1863, his firm converted some 7,993 muskets, with those with suitable barrels also being rifled.

For the conversion, H. Leman used pre-fabricated breech plugs with cap bolsters and cleanouts already installed. The barrel would have the last 1 3/8" cut off, and the new breech plug being installed, after the barrel was rifled, if warranted. As this is a model 1840 with the thicker barrel wall, it was rifled as a matter of course. The lock had the flash pan completely removed, along with the frizzen and spring, with the holes for those being plugged.

This is a textbook example of one of these conversions, made using a rare Daniel Nippes contract Model 1840 Flintlock Musket. The lock does not have any "Eagle" marking that we can see, though it may have worn away. Under the hammer it is marked D. NIPPES / U.S., and the lock plate tail bears the location and date markings:

MILL
CREEK
PA
1843

The rifle side plate is thin and not bulged, as typical of the Model 1840 Musket, and this contractor looks to have continued making Model 1840 muskets into the mid 1840s. Previous iterations had had a more pronounced side plate with a bulge in the middle. The replacement breech is unmarked, as was standard with those fitted by Leman. There are two cartouches on the left side of the stock, one of which we cannot read accurately, and the other of which reads WAT, indicating inspection by Captain William Anderson Thornton, U.S. Army. He worked from 1841 to 1861, inspecting various small arms, with "Nippes M1840 Muskets" being mentioned specifically.

All iron mounts this .69 caliber musket is in very good  used condition, with the original "tulip" shaped ramrod present. The finish was most likely originally "browned", but overall it has worn to a nice polished steel patina overall, with some small areas of oxidation, probably having been cleaned and refinished during the percussion conversion. There looks to originally have been a rear sight on the barrel, often fitted when the barrels were rifled, but it is now missing. The lower sling swivel is present and moves well, however the upper sling swivel has broken off.

We checked the lock action, and it is fully functional, holding at half cock and firing at full, with a strong mainspring. The bore is clear and still shows the three groove rifling well, though there is definitely some wear and past oxidation and fouling that was cleaned away. There is some powder burn around the cap bolster, and the cap nipple cone looks to have been replaced at some point. The stock is in very good condition, showing a lovely patina from decades of being waxed and later cleaned. There are the expected dents and dings from service and storage, but no major issues or repairs we can see.

A very good example of a scarce Model 1840 Flintlock musket by Daniel Nippes, later converted to a percussion rifle by Leman for use in the Civil War. A great example of a U.S. arm that saw further service through percussion conversion. Ready to research and display!

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: 1843
Caliber: .69"
Cartridge Type: Ball and Powder
Barrel Length: 42 Inches
Overall Length: 58 Inches
Action type: Side Action Percussion Lock
Feed System: Muzzle Loading

History of the Model 1840 Musket:

The War of 1812 had revealed many weaknesses in American muskets. The Model 1812 Musket was created in an attempt to improve both the design and manufacture of the musket. The Model 1816 made further improvements, and replaced the Model 1812. The Model 1812 had borrowed heavily from the design of the French Charleville model 1777 musket, and this design was retained for the Model 1816. The Model 1816 had a 42 inch long .69 caliber smoothbore barrel, similar to the Model 1812, but had a longer lock plate, a shorter trigger guard, and a longer bayonet than the Model 1812. The Model 1816 also had a more straight lined stock. The overall length of the weapon was 58 inches.

The Model 1816 musket was originally produced at the Harpers Ferry and Springfield Arsenals between 1816 and 1844. Around 675,000 were made, more than any other flintlock in U.S. history.

The Model 1816 was originally produced as a flintlock musket. Like many flintlock muskets, many of these were later converted to percussion cap, as the percussion cap system was much more reliable and weather resistant.

This model of Springfield musket was used by Texans during the Texas Revolution and by the US Army and militia during the Mexican-American War. During this conflict, the flintlock version of the Model 1816 was preferred by U.S. regular forces, due to percussion cap supply concerns. It was also used during the early years of the American Civil War until around 1862.

Many improvements to the Model 1816 were made, producing the Model 1822, Model 1835, Model 1840, and Model 1842. U.S. Ordnance Department referred to these as different models, but in other U.S. government documents they are referred to as a continuation of the Model 1816. Modern histories are similarly inconsistent in the nomenclature of these weapons.

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