Harpers Ferry m1855 Type 2

[Dbackfed29]

I recently acquired this. Labeled as a "custom build", it actually appears to be made entirely of original parts, barrel, and stock. Willyards's book would classify it as a Type 2 due to the m1858 leaf site.
I am looking forward to putting it in the hands of a few "experts" in the collecting and dealing hobby to get a final determination, but the prognosis is looking favorable (at the moment) to being an original build Harpers Ferry m1855.
Extremely happy with the catalogers not knowing what they were looking at and completely underselling it.

 

[Kyle Kalasnik]

Nice! An 1855 is next on my list.

 

[frontrank2]

Beautiful!

 

[Jeff in Ohio]

I think you are correct. You've looked at Willyard's book and compared the marks and features to what he describes. I'm not commenting on these details, and I sure don't know more than Willyard.

The tang screw and the lockplate screws look too perfect for the gun and this might lead the cataloger to believe this was a custom build.

The lockplate / breach of gun looks VERY lightly cleaned to white. The inside lockplate screw slots show wear / damage from a screwdriver, and the mainspring looks like a newer (and thicker) replacement and so someone removed this lock and worked on it, but the tang screw and lockplate screws look untouched.

The person who horsed out the damaged inside lock screws had less skill than the whoever took the lock out by removing the lockscrews.

Maybe I am seeing more than is there, but I just think the pristine condition of those screws might have lead the viewer who cataloged it to conclude this was a modern rebuild of some sort.

 

[Conquerordie]

Looking at Willyards, it does look like a legit M1855. That's crazy! Congratulations! I do not understand how muskets make it in this condition from 1858 to 2025 with no wear at all. I know metal can be cleaned, but the stock looks immaculate, the metal if clean, as mention very lightly. So how does this happen? All we read is that in the beginning of the Civil War how shorthanded both North and South were when it came to rifled muskets. Regiment are marching to war with smoothbores while guns like this just sat the war out? They made it through being sold off or converted to shotguns after the war, and remains to this day in pristine condition. Not picking on this musket at all, I hope it's taken that way. Just can't fathom the path this gun took through history to be here in this shape.

 

[JOHN42768]

Looks to be great