Why is so difficult to find an 1842 Springfield smoothbore reproduction lately? Been looking, and all I find is the INDIAN muskets.....can't ever find a decent original. What gives?
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I think the Italian manufacturers have just about given up on muzzleloading long guns except for an occasional run of the Trade Gun Fusil in 20 gauge.Why is so difficult to find an 1842 Springfield smoothbore reproduction lately? Been looking, and all I find is the INDIAN muskets.....can't ever find a decent original. What gives?
The China Virus really hit Italy really hard. I don’t think the Italian replica makers and other businesses ever really recovered totally from losing so many of their skilled employees. The death toll in Italy was several times higher per capita than it was here. The Chinese government refused to close the Wuhan to Italy air corridor between Italy and China for political and financial reasons because Chinese nationals have bought up so many of the old-line garment and leather goods businesses. The Wuhan / Italy corridor was the only one China left open because their business men ( many of whom were virus carriers ) wanted to be able to travel at leisure between the two countries and the Italian government was afraid to say NO.Why is so difficult to find an 1842 Springfield smoothbore reproduction lately? Been looking, and all I find is the INDIAN muskets.....can't ever find a decent original. What gives?
They were heavily used in the Civil War, but mostly in the very early part of the war.Would I be disappointed if I bought a Pedersoli 1816 conversion (which you can get at DGW) instead of the 1842? Were they used as much in the Civil War?
If I can find a good shooter under $2k this summer, I might go this route! Because I'm also looking into getting a custom fowler made too......After wanting an Armi Sport M1842 for years after hearing how nice they were, and not being able to find any just like you, I decided to just get an original:
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I couldn’t be happier. Love it!
I often wondered how much the 1816s were used in the CW. I have an original my dad found under the front porch of a two flat in Chicago in the late 1940s or early 1950s. He was helping some friends move and did a final check so nothing was left behind. The friends didn't know it was there and gave it to him. The lock is marked Harpers Ferry 1824, it was arsenal converted to percussion, and cut down in length about a foot. The metal is pretty pitted but I can still make out some rifling in the barrel so I think it was one of the muskets converted in the 1850s. I'll try to get some photos up.They were heavily used in the Civil War, but mostly in the very early part of the war.