This topic came up with a friend recently and I was stumped. I know Armi and some other European companies make 1861 Springfield repros but I really don't know about the quality. Casual searches for custom shops making these came up blank. I believe Pedersoli makes one. Is there a high end maker of these repros, or do you have to just work with the imports?
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1861 Rifle Musket--The Best Repro?
- Thread starter Cosmoline
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Russ T Frizzen
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Try John Zimmerman at www.edsmart.com/jz/
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The Colts, both original and repro, aren't a '61 Springfield but a special that is closer to an Enfield. If you are serious about a shooter look for an original that you can have relined by Hoyt or Whitacer or one that has been rebarreled by them. An original is far superior to any reproduction and you will probably save money in the long way by going that way. Even relined and the with the lock reworked an original will continue to appreciate though not as fast as an unaltered one.
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Check out James River Armory they defarb the Italian muskets & fit them with Hoyt barrels, suitable for NSSA competition.
http://jamesriverarmory.com/?page_id=25
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59sharps
40 Cal.
And If I remember right the Colt signature seiries are Armi sports that were assembled here in the states by Colt. w/ the colt Sig. on the guard. That is all that is Colt about it.All screws and Nipple are metric. Both my son and I have them and they shoot great. My son won the N-SSA young Skirmisher w/ his.
I'm not sure if they are Armi Sport on not. They seem to be better quality than most Armi Sports I have had in my hands. I would rate them as about the best of the Italian imports. They are currently avaliable as the Amooskeg, a manufacturer who built this (Colt) pettern under contract. I didn't go into detail on these because the question was about a '61 Springfield and the Colt pattern is neither a '61 or a '63 Springfield. If one only wants a good Civil War gun to shoot and not a '61 specificly this is a good choice. I believe the James River guns are imported by them as smoothbores and Hoyt rifles the Italian barrels, another good choice value wise. I shoot an original '61 with a Hoyt lined barrel. Congratulations to your son, it requires a lot of hard work and devotion to win the Young Skirmisher Award.
Russ T Frizzen
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I don't think Colt had much of anything to do with these guns. They were handled by Lou Imperato in Brooklyn N.Y. If they don't have Italian proof marks on them then they were not made in Italy.
The Colt muskets were "Colt Signature" weapons. Like the Colt pistols in the signature line, they were assembled and finished in the US using Italian parts. That is how they got around the import marks.
Pedersoni Model 1861s are the same a Euroarms. Pederoli just markets them under their name.
Both of the main Italian M61 makers have their good points and their faults, but I think the Euroarms are the best of the two.
Pedersoni Model 1861s are the same a Euroarms. Pederoli just markets them under their name.
Both of the main Italian M61 makers have their good points and their faults, but I think the Euroarms are the best of the two.
JackAubrey
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I would really be ticked paying Pedersoli prices for an Armi or Eurosport!Best regards,Ja
Russ T Frizzen
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threepdr said:
They were assembled in the U.S.A., but not by Colt. Imperato had his own company in Brooklyn and they built them and stamped that goofy "signature" on the trigger guard bow. Signature Series quality is known to be unpredictable at best. And they were horribly overpriced when new.
Russ T Frizzen
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They were licensed by Colt and that was the extent of the connection. Colt seems to have disowned these guns--perhaps due to the quality issues. I had to practically rebuild my '60 Army because the timing was off so badly and the fit and finish made the India made guns look like Purdeys.
Russ T Frizzen
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Cosmoline said:
John Zimmerman's rifle-muskets are custom made to order and are top shelf. The imports aren't in the same class at all--you essentially get a brand new Civil War gun with proper markings and an American walnut stock.
This is a topic I'm wrestling with too. By way of introduction, I've been shooting BP revolvers for a little over a year and am now looking at rifles.
I bought a Miroku 1863 Springfield from Dixie this week, but promptly sent it back. Fit and finish wasn't what I expected, and the "DIXIE GUN WORKS" stampings (in what looked like individual letter stamps) kinda turned me off.
I like the '63 better than the '61 but there aren't many choices - Euroarms is about it; Armi makes one (which, as I understand it, was the basis of the Colt Signatures) but doesn't import it here.
This is simply not true. I'm not willing to pay over 50% more for a Pedersoli, but it's certainly not just a rebranded Euroarms.
I bought a Miroku 1863 Springfield from Dixie this week, but promptly sent it back. Fit and finish wasn't what I expected, and the "DIXIE GUN WORKS" stampings (in what looked like individual letter stamps) kinda turned me off.
I like the '63 better than the '61 but there aren't many choices - Euroarms is about it; Armi makes one (which, as I understand it, was the basis of the Colt Signatures) but doesn't import it here.
This is simply not true. I'm not willing to pay over 50% more for a Pedersoli, but it's certainly not just a rebranded Euroarms.
Russ T Frizzen
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You can often find a good used gun on one off the on-line auctions or in the classifieds on this forum. I have a second model '63 Springfield that I've had forever and had defarbed years ago and its a great gun and not built as clunky as some of the new ones are.
One of John Zimmerman's custom built Springfields is the way to go if you can swing the cost.
One of John Zimmerman's custom built Springfields is the way to go if you can swing the cost.
Thanks. I actually spoke with John yesterday, although the context was defarbed Italian guns.
I probably won't go that direction because the notion of 99.5% period-correctness doesn't hold much of any appeal to me. I'm not into any of the ACW events, I just want a gun that's accurate and fun to shoot.
I like the 'vibe' of ACW-era rifles and muskets, but I'm not necessarily beholden to them...the T/C Omega with the laminated thumbhole doesn't look that bad either, in a bipolar way!
I probably won't go that direction because the notion of 99.5% period-correctness doesn't hold much of any appeal to me. I'm not into any of the ACW events, I just want a gun that's accurate and fun to shoot.
I like the 'vibe' of ACW-era rifles and muskets, but I'm not necessarily beholden to them...the T/C Omega with the laminated thumbhole doesn't look that bad either, in a bipolar way!
