Gem from Springfield Armory

[Specster]

 

[hudson29]

What are we looking at here? Is this something in a museum or something you have in your collection? Is it really as old as it looks?

Vintage Paul

 

[johan_steele]

What are we looking at here? Is this something in a museum or something you have in your collection? Is it really as old as it looks?

Vintage Paul

They are pictures of items in the collection of the Springfield Arsenal Museum.

 

[Specster]

View attachment 64126

The plaque on the Gatling gun, I believe, said 1860. I have read on this forum they had been prone to jamming. The feed mechanism on this early model was very simple. Last year I was at a gun show in Maine and they had a circa 1880 Gatling gun with a much more complicated feed mechanism. From what I have heard, this later model rarely jammed. They had a whole room with just machine guns. Most had rates of fire around 600 - 800, pre WW2. There was one German machine gun which was light in weight and had a 1250 ROF. It was pretty impressive

 

[63springfield]

Thanks for posting the musket pic .
Clearly shows the breechplug is pale blue like the sight . Mine is just that way also .
Also noticed the banged up wood on three of them ??? I guess they weren't always in that same rack and they are over 150 years old after all ! Very different looking wood on some also .
REALLY like to see these in person some day ! Also after blowing up the pic it APPEARS that the tang screws on some are slightly buggered up ?????? Thanks again Dave

 

[rhettbutler1865]

The plaque on the Gatling gun, I believe, said 1860. I have read on this forum they had been prone to jamming. The feed mechanism on this early model was very simple. Last year I was at a gun show in Maine and they had a circa 1880 Gatling gun with a much more complicated feed mechanism. From what I have heard, this later model rarely jammed. They had a whole room with just machine guns. Most had rates of fire around 600 - 800, pre WW2. There was one German machine gun which was light in weight and had a 1250 ROF. It was pretty impressive

The Germans--superior tanks, guns, airplanes...they are impressive!

 

[rhettbutler1865]

View attachment 64126

Man, would I love to own those!

 

[Specster]

The Germans--superior tanks, guns, airplanes...they are impressive!

You really cant take everything in in 1 day. I spent some time in the machine gun room. There were 2 machine guns, one made by "Whitney" and one by "Pontiac" that I had never seen before. They were huge, they had to be ship mounted AA guns which required a current. Whitney didnt surprise me but Pontiac did somewhat. If anyone is interested I think I have pics.

 

[Specster]

Thanks for posting the musket pic .
Clearly shows the breechplug is pale blue like the sight . Mine is just that way also .
Also noticed the banged up wood on three of them ??? I guess they weren't always in that same rack and they are over 150 years old after all ! Very different looking wood on some also .
REALLY like to see these in person some day ! Also after blowing up the pic it APPEARS that the tang screws on some are slightly buggered up ?????? Thanks again Dave

I think you are citing the second pic. That is part of "the organ". It consists of easily over 500 rifle that are pristine - I doubt they were ever used. They are in a square configuration, two teirs tall and at least 5 rows deep. The technology on these weapons was changing rapidly and, when the war ended, there must have been a ton of surplus. Yet, I have also read that parts from this product run (ACW) were used for decades...although often tweeked.

 

[Jobe Holiday]

If you ever have the opportunity to look at a copy of "Springfield Shoulder Arms" by Claude Fuller you will find an official government chart showing the Springfield parts which were interchangeable. It is quite interesting.

Even though Mr. Fuller's book was printed in the mid 1930's, I believe S&S Firearms still carries it in a softbound format, and at a reasonable price. Yes, by today's standards, there are some errors but it is still a worthy addition to your library.
J.

 

[63springfield]

Ordered one , Don't recall ever seeing a reference book free of errors and the interchange list is in his book " The Rifled Musket " also . If nothing else this ACW thing is expanding my library . The pic posted settled some little issues as my M1861 Trenton has a blued breech plug and rear sight just like the examples in the organ .