Civil War Era Musket

[hosman321]

Wow, thanks for the links wayward. I'm really excited that it's older than I thought it was. I will post pics on the firearms forum of pics of markings and the pics you showed. So, the little "V" and other markings on the barrel are from an 1816 or are they from later ones? Just want to make sure those aren't later because then the weapon wouldn't be 1816, right?

[waywardangler]

I do not think the marks will add $ to your musket.  When these muskets were converted, parts were replaced and replaced parts would have had different dates and marks.  They used what they had at these arsenals to update flintlock muskets to the more modern percussion cap.  When breechloading guns came into use, muzzleloaders fell way by the wayside.

Your gun started life as an 1816 model but after modifications it no longer is.  It is the date on the lock (1843 or 1848).

[talesofthesevenseas]

Congratulations Hosman!! That is WAAAAAAY cool!

[regularjoe2]

Cool , hosman !

Glad to see the shootin' iron question(s) answered !

If it were mine , I'd swab out the barrel with some nitro solvent & be certain that there's no gunpowder residue in it (very corrosive to metal) & check to be sure the barrel is EMPTY (with a flashlight shone thru the percussion cap nipple) .
A good semi-regular oiling following cleaning should help your gun to protect itself for years to come ( I usually just treat the metals on antique guns the same as modern weapons ) , esp. in our "dry & arid" portion  of the PacificNorthwest .

[waywardangler]

Blackpowder is best dissolved with hot water, then followed by an oily cloth to swab the bore.  Easiest way to do this was to run a surgical tube over the nipple to a bucket of hot tap water, then put a wet patch down the barrel with the ramrod and running it up and down the barrel causing a suction of hot water to be sucked in and out of the bucket up into the barrel.  Change out the water in the bucket until it runs clean. Works like a charm.  Run some dry patches down the barrel until dry, then run an oily one for the last swab.

[hosman321]

Thanks for the advice guys! They have a few more interesting points on the other forum, if anyone cares to see.
http://www.thefirearmsforum.com/showthread.php?p=680612&posted=1#post680612

[fancypants]

Thanks for posting the link to your thd in that forum , hosman321 .

Interesting stuff !

[Oceans64]

Ha! Hosman!!  I was just thinking about your musket. Just I found a couple of bayonet’s for sale...

Interesting thread..

[hosman321]

I just want to know what the heck it is already, ya know? Did someone slap a bunch of parts together for a parade prop at the turn of the century or was it really used in the civil war? Did it really start as an 1816? Sigh. I bought a bayonet for it months ago and it doesn't fit. Maybe someone on that site will trade me for one that will fit. I'm going to ask them if the bayonet looks like a repro or an original. But not yet, one thing at a time lol.

[talesofthesevenseas]

If it were a prop it would not have a hole drilled through from the pan (where the powder is sparked) through to the inside of the gun where the packed powder is ignited behind the ball. Firing reproductions are very easy to identify as repros. The just don't look old. I think you've got the real McCoy, but my experience in this area is limited to a handful of repros and authentic antiques. I would suggest taking it to your local gunshop and making it very clear that you don't want to sell, just ID it.

[Oceans64]

This is totally my opinion and not based on (much) fact but here goes...  If you read about the history of reenactments on Wiki (which is always right lol) you find that they happened early on by the Veterans of the war - then not much until turn of the Century  and then not popular until the 1960's CW Centenial (I posted the Wiki info below if interested).  Keep in mind we didn't celebrate the war afterwards like the Revolution when reenactments were common.  Most Veterans were tired, cronically ill and many in the South were broke not to mention we were stunned by a Presidential assassignation and many of the promises made to the South (by Lincoln) were not even close to being honored... There was not much reason to reenact anything especially by someone in Alabama.

Not saying it didn't happen just saying it seems more likely that the gun was used in the war then repurposed for a reenactment… but I could be wrong.  I just don’t think they were common.

From Wiki:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Civil_War_reenactment

Reenacting the American Civil War began even before the real fighting had ended. Civil War veterans recreated battles as a way to remember their fallen comrades and to teach others what the war was all about. The Great Reunion of 1913, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, was attended by more than 50,000 Union and Confederate veterans, and included reenactments of elements of the battle, including Pickett's Charge. Modern reenacting is thought to have begun during the 1961–1965 Civil War centennial commemorations. Reenacting grew in popularity during the 1980s and 1990s, due in large part to the success of the 125th Anniversary reenactment near the original Manassas battlefield, which was attended by more than 6,000 reenactors. That year, Time magazine estimated that there were more than 50,000 reenactors in the U.S.
In 1998, the 135th anniversary re-enactment of the Battle of Gettysburg took place near the original battlefield. There have been several estimates on the number of participants, but it is widely agreed that it was the largest re-enactment ever held anywhere in the world, with between 30,000 and 41,000 re-enactors participating. This event was watched by about 50,000 spectators.

[hosman321]

Thank you for the info and opinion oceans! A reenactment weapon would explain the hodge podge of parts and the confusion everyone is having. I appreciate everyone's time and opinions! I certainly know nothing about muskets so I am learning a lot. The other forum is getting me excited thinking it's a confederate musket that was converted. I guess confederate weapons are more rare. But they haven't responded in a couple days so I don't know. Not that it matters much but here's a pic of where the bands are. I just realized that my description wasn't clear so thought I'd post. Thanks again everyone, I'll post if they say something exciting. Oh, and someone on the other forum mentioned that it could be a Bess conversion. How would I ever know if it was a Brown Bess??

[Oceans64]

I am dying to tell this story - and it's a bit off topic but here goes...  One of my GGGpa's was a Union Soldier (Capt).  He was in Richmond after the fall.  He wrote a letter to the State of Maine detailing some of his service.  He mentioned that the catridge boxes they used had the initials VMM stamped on them and the ladies would walk by and say those initials stood for Very Mean Men!!

Make me laugh every time I think about it!!

But back to the subject...  Most of the comments are going over my head with regards to parts and their use but I would bet you have the real deal unless that Alabama paper was put on there later. My thought is that if it was put on later for purpose of reenactment, it would be in much better condition...

[hosman321]

lol your story was very on-subject! I really, really need to do a geneology and find out my family history. My mom and I started one with a geneology lady at a church but we only got back to about 1900 or so. Didn't learn much. I'd love to find out if any of my relatives served in the civil war or even the revolutionary war. But I know nothing about geneology and I'm no good at research.

[Oceans64]

If you like you can PM me a name, place of residence and approx date and I can probably find out something from Census records.  Getting to the Civil War is (usually) easy.  The Rev War can be difficult.  I have one from the Rev War but for the past 15 years I can't get past him...Learned alot about history trying tho!