New find

[JackADriscoll]

I found this at an estate sale. Oddly first full size Springfield repro or real I've ever had. I was able to get it for 600 out the door. I was pretty stoked.

 

[UCVRelics]

Awesome Score and a VERY nice model 1855 with the Maynard conversion.

 

[Jeff in Ohio]

A real find. How is the rifling in the barrel?
Looks like you got it for about one third of the price I would expect to pay.
The Maynard lock system on these used a roll of caps, just like a child's cap gun, but these proved impractical and the model was replaced by the classic Model 1860

 

[JOHN42768]

Nice deal. Kind of surprised, I can't make out any date on top of breech as looks fairly smooth. Are there any cartouches visible?

 

[JackADriscoll]

Nice deal. Kind of surprised, I can't make out any date on top of breech as looks fairly smooth. Are there any cartouches visible?

You can still see the 5 but thats it the rest is gone. No cartouches on stock but I was unvexed by it.

 

[Michael W.]

Yes, you got it for a steal. You really scored sir.

 

[R. Porter]

I notice the screws on the hammer and butt plate have some wear and tear to their slots. A replacement stock? Civil War period replacement? Any letter stamps on underside of stock? Original stock but disassembled and cleaned with stock sanded down and refinished? Why do you think the seller let it go for one third of full price?

 

[andrewv128]

Regardless of any issues you find, I would say this is a great purchase, especially for the price. Congratulations!

 

[Seduzal]

Wow! Nice find . Thanks for sharing.

 

[Story]

The Maynard lock system on these used a roll of caps, just like a child's cap gun, but these proved impractical and the model was replaced by the classic Model 1860

Can I be enlightened on why an 1865 dated lock had the Maynard system still on it?

Something arsenal made from existing parts just to get it out the door in 1865?

 

[JackADriscoll]

I notice the screws on the hammer and butt plate have some wear and tear to their slots. A replacement stock? Civil War period replacement? Any letter stamps on underside of stock? Original stock but disassembled and cleaned with stock sanded down and refinished? Why do you think the seller let it go for one third of full price?

I was thinking that. I'm going to disassemble it later. It was day 3 of the event. Modern ones sold but no one was even looking at antiques. They still had all of them on the last day.

 

[JoeCollector]

Can I be enlightened on why an 1865 dated lock had the Maynard system still on it?

Something arsenal made from existing parts just to get it out the door in 1865?

I think the lock is 1859.

 

[JackADriscoll]

So I took it all apart except the butt plate. Those screws would have required a dangerous amount of force to get loose even with a little lubricant and I don't like doing that so it's staying on. No cartouches on the wood. Probably a replacement stock so oh well

 

[Jeff in Ohio]

I don't see anything on this that would suggest it is not the original stock. A little sanding and any cartouches are gone.
And that flat part of the stock opposite the lock is SO TEMPTING to someone sanding out nicks and scratches.

Certain parts of a gun tend to get more attention when polishing or sanding is involved, and this is one of them.

With percussion revolvers, it is the cylinder that gets more attention and more polishing - it is so easy to put it on a drill and sand it as it spins!

 

[JOHN42768]

Can I be enlightened on why an 1865 dated lock had the Maynard system still on it?

Something arsenal made from existing parts just to get it out the door in 1865?

Lock is 1859

 

[Story]

I think the lock is 1859.

Lock is 1859

This is what happens when I look at an upside down musket.

 

[Papabyrd]

You hit the collector's lottery Congratulations

 

[johan_steele]

Nicely done. Once in a while a steal comes along and you got it.

 

[R. Porter]

I was thinking that. I'm going to disassemble it later. It was day 3 of the event. Modern ones sold but no one was even looking at antiques. They still had all of them on the last day.

I thought I would try to provoke a little discussion about its history based on its present condition. No one suggested a firearm put together from parts captured at the armory at Harpers Ferry. When did the cartouche go on the stock? Was it only after the firearm was assembled and tested? Did the Confederates stamp the stocks of firearms made from captured parts?

Taking it apart might provide more clues to its history but what can we learn just by looking at it as it is?

 

[JackADriscoll]

I was going to disassemble it anyway to make sure there wasn't anything growing underneath. One thing I did find interesting on the wear. Most wear in my experience is the dings and drops from life. I think most humans are like that too.
There are significantly more dings and scratches on the non lock side. Is that suggestive of carry march wear?

They had a tufts derringer with a broken spur on the hammer for too much, a w c Scott muzzle loading shotgun priced right, a Manhattan revolver I missed, and a GR era British cavalry muzzleloading pistol that was also priced right.