NYspringfield1861
Cadet
- Joined
- Sep 29, 2019
Have an 1861 marked Springfield, wondering if anyone can help authenticate. The eagle is barely visible and there are “U” marks on the bands that secure the barrel to the stock.
Thank you! And not that I could see. Only date I can see is the 1861 by the breach.Welcome, enjoy. Is there any readable date on top?
No clue. It was gifted to me from my stepmoms father after he passed away. I believe he got it from a farmer when he was a young man, so probably 1950s. After he got it nothing was done to it further and I haven’t done anything to it either.Are those pipe wrench marks on the barrel ?
No clue. It was gifted to me from my stepmoms father after he passed away. I believe he got it from a farmer when he was a young man, so probably 1950s. After he got it nothing was done to it further and I haven’t done anything to it either.
Thank you! This site is awesome, have learned a lot in just 24hrs. Very cool!Welcome to CWT from the Smoky Mountain side of North Carolina. Just jump right in and enjoy.
It really is a treasure trove of information. You’ll love it.Thank you! This site is awesome, have learned a lot in just 24hrs. Very cool!
Welcome, check out the “Small Arms & Edged Weapons” Forum. Many members here are very knowledgeable on muskets, rifles, and many other firearms of the era.Have an 1861 marked Springfield, wondering if anyone can help authenticate. The eagle is barely visible and there are “U” marks on the bands that secure the barrel to the stock.
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The "U" on the barrel bands meant nothing other than the direction the bands should face, I believe the open end of the U faces the muzzle,,,but I could be 50% wrong and they face the opposite,,LOLIt looks real enough to me, but it appears to me like someone has used Naval Jelly on it to remove rust and the stock has been cleaned too. The nipple doesn't look right, the trigger guard bow has been reversed, and the rear sight has been replaced. That all sounds bad, but I'm just telling you what I see right away. It's hard to find one dated 1861 and they usually show quite a bit of wear. The U on the barrel bands is normal.
I’ll take a pic of the ramrod a little later and post. Any ideas how to switch the trigger bow around? Is it worth doing it?Yep. It is the real deal. A little rough, but she's a keeper. With the rear sight being a replacement, it could be a Confederate pick up field repair or for that matter, a post war replacement. The rear sight screw hole could be stripped, hence the ad hoc rear sight. The trigger bow is an easy fix, and the nipple can be replaced. A little TLC and she should clean up pretty well. Can't see what the ramrod looks like.
As I recall - but we really need a better opinion than mine - once you remove the trigger, plate, guard and all by removing the 2 screws that hold it to the stock, there are a couple of lug nuts screwed onto threads on the guard/bow. I think (?) you can remove/unscrew them with a pair of pliers, and once that's done just turn it around and put in back in the proper place.I’ll take a pic of the ramrod a little later and post. Any ideas how to switch the trigger bow around? Is it worth doing it?