Riflle Info

[paulheels]

I posted a while back that my family owns a civil war rifle. i finally got all the information off the gun. Springfiled arms 1854. there is a federal eagle on the right hand side on the barrel near the stock. that is all the information on the rifle. there is also (vd) engraved on the barrel on the left side right at the beginning of the barrel. any help is greatly appreciated! thanks

[johan_steele]

M1842. It likely started out as a Smoothbore but might have been rifled at some time after it was built.

.69 cal

It was the most common long arm in the first 1-2 years of the war and was particularly damaging at close ranges w/ the buck & ball cartridge.

A telling feature is the rear sight, if it doesn't have one it is the musket. The presence of a ladder sight identifies it as a Rifle Musket. W/ a lock date of 1854 it might well have beem one that was rifled.

1854 is too early a date for M1855 Rifle Muket or Rifle. And the M1841 was produced at Harper Ferry.

[30th_il]

Paulheels, is it possible to get a photo of the longarm. A pic is worth.....