Springfield 1861?

[WJC]

for some reason, a number of old rifles seem to have been loaded, possibly as "home defense" guns, and basically forgotten about over the years. For that reason, I'd advise care until you can remover the rammer and determine whether or not it IS.

Excellent advice. As a child I was given my first firearm- a percussion Lancaster, Pennsylvania rifle. I played with it for some time before my Dad and I deciding to dissassemble the barrel and breech to clean it- and found it was loaded!
Fortunately, My Dad had insisted on my not affixing any percussion caps and emphasized basic firearm safety, particularly treat every firearm as loaded and don't point it at anybody or anything you don't fully intend to shoot.

 

[Billw12280]

Hi
Is this a Springfield rifle 1861?
All parts are painted black.
Can I remove this paint?View attachment 164511 View attachment 164511 View attachment 164512 View attachment 164513 View attachment 164514 View attachment 164515 View attachment 164516 View attachment 164517 View attachment 164518 View attachment 164519

Welcome from Columbus Ohio. Very nice piece, you are very lucky to have acquired it with or without the paint. Enjoy!

 

[Gold]

This is fascinating. Was this rifle in Belgium when you acquired it? If it was there, I wonder how it wandered over from the USA to Belgium.

Why oh why can't I find these things at yard sales or have friends that don't want them anymore!

Yes it was but the farmer could not say how long it was already in their possession.do not know if I can say the price I gave for it?This Bolo knife I bought it too

 

[Jobe Holiday]

Many American Civil War muskets ended up in Belgium in the years following the war. If you clean the paint off, don't be surprised if you find Belgian Liege proofs on the barrel.

Also, a very nice American WW1 era Bolo Knife marked to the 2nd New York Artillery, which would have been a National Guard unit.
J.

 

[NH Civil War Gal]

Many American Civil War muskets ended up in Belgium in the years following the war. If you clean the paint off, don't be surprised if you find Belgian Liege proofs on the barrel.

Also, a very nice American WW1 era Bolo Knife marked to the 2nd New York Artillery, which would have been a National Guard unit.
J.

How and why was that? Did the US sell Civil War firearms to other countries as "used" equipment?

Note on cleaning - one of my cousins almost killed my aunt in the kitchen at the farm cleaning an "empty" shotgun. Blew a lovely hole in the ceiling and brought the rest of the plaster down.

 

[7thWisconsin]

The U.S. sold a ton of old guns to the French in 1870. The disaster of the first few weeks of the Franco-Prussian War resulted in a shortage of anything like modern firearms for the French army. Nations sold excess and obsolete equipment all over the place. That's why there are still people hunting with Enfields in Africa.

 

[Jobe Holiday]

7thWisconsin explained it quite well!
J.

 

[Ralph Heinz]

When it comes to taking a rifle like this apart, it would be best if you find someone who knows what they are doing with a lot of experience. You might meet a knowledgeable collector of Civil War arms at a gun show who could help you or find someone who knows how to restore a rifle like this properly.

To remove screws you can not use regular screw drivers as they have tapered tips which will slip around in the slot in the head of the screws and mar them. You must use "hollow ground" screw drivers which fit the slot perfectly. Gunsmiths have these screw drivers but hardware stores do not. That paint will further make removing screws difficult. That is why I recommend you not try this yourself but wait till you meet someone who knows how to do this and who can restore the rifle properly.

Once it is cleaned of all that black paint, you'll want to look for an original rear sight which sometimes comes up for sale on Ebay. The value of this rifle will depend on markings including the date on the lockplate which are now hidden by that black paint.

 

[Jobe Holiday]

Here's a curious question, do they have Gun Shows in Belgium?
J.

 

[Gold]

Here's a curious question, do they have Gun Shows in Belgium?
J.

No, i dont think that exist, only warfare for WW1/WW2