1851 Whitney question

[Sprglde]

Hi. A friend has an opportunity to buy this gun but needs some more info on it and an idea of it's value. The story he's been told is it's a rare 50 caliber. I've looked around the web and can't find anything specific to this one so any info will be appreciated, thanks.

 

[gemmer]

Hi. A friend has an opportunity to buy this gun but needs some more info on it and an idea of it's value. The story he's been told is it's a rare 50 caliber since only 250 of these 50's were made before the gov't decided they wanted larger calibers. I've looked around the web and can't find anything specific to this one so any info will be appreciated, thanks.

It's an altered 1841 Mississippi rifle with the muzzle turned down to accept a socket type bayonet. There were no .50 cal versions produced. It's either in its original .54 caliber or rebored to .58 cal.

 

[Conquerordie]

It's muzzle being turned down means it is one of about 2200 Mississippi rifles that were altered by Frederick Grosz in 1861-1862 for the state of NY. They were issued and used by troops during the Civil War. At some point it was either purchased or somehow acquired by the state of NJ, hence the NJ stamp on the barrel.

 

[Sprglde]

Interesting, thanks. Any ideas on it's value?

 

[Conquerordie]

Interesting, thanks. Any ideas on it's value?

Google it and you'll see a few past sales. If it's a private sale, offer less than what you see the dealers selling them for. Value comes down to how badly your friend wants it.

 

[Sprglde]

I've googled the heck out of this, there's so many variables that prices are all over and it's hard to determine for us not in the know bout this stuff.
My gf got a Springfield that her ex bought at a premium and after I had a friend familiar with them look it over we found out it's not the gem it was alleged to be.
I respect the knowledge here so any input on it's value will be a good place for him to start.

 

[Conquerordie]

Prices are crazy for Civil War rifles and everything else Civil War. If it were me, I'd pay $1000, if I really wanted $1200. But that's just me. Only if the barrel has the same date as the lock, and there are no replacement parts. To me the pics look like it's in its original shape, but make sure the dates match. These things all affect the value. As with any gun, do your research before you purchase.