1861 US Springfield ?

[brthho1209]

I recently acquired this percussion rifle.
its in rough shape but I believe it could be made shootable.
I’d be the shooter!
Asking for any help/knowledge on the 1861.
What I know;
no nipple. Can’t see female threads in the area. Maybe I’ll carefully clean the area.
no rod. What/ where should I get a rod?
no rear sight, apparently the rear sight has 1 screw into the barrel. hole is
lock works after I wiped down the rifle with Ballistol.
barrell exterior is rough.
bore condition unknown
crack in stock below action

I would like to be able to shoot the rifle and share it with family / friends .
If it is a original US Springfield 1861 that would be really be a piece of history.

 

[Salt River Johnny]

Awesome gun.

 

[BEP]

For the nipple, rear sight and ramrod try Lodgewood - lodgewood.com - or S&S Firearms - https://www.ssfirearms.com/default.asp . Both have reproduction parts for your Springfield. Some original parts are out there as well but are really pricy so you'll have to decide what route to go. Considering the overall condition of your gun (not knocking another man's firearm but let's be realistic) I'd go with the repro parts. She'll almost certainly restore to a shooter (may require a barrel reline, maybe not) but just not a collector grade. You can be proud to own it and with some work and a few hundred in parts and some elbow grease she'll fire again and shooting an original is a thrill. Good luck!

 

[RicM]

Great project rifle to restore as a shooter. If you havent already done so carefully remove the butt plate, sometimes though rarely an original owner left information hidden there. Like the above post try those places and his advice.

 

[Greyrider]

I have one in an 1862. I ended up having a new barrel made for mine with the 2 leaf flip up site in 62 cal. Smoothie. The inside of my barrel was shot. Pitted real bad and found a guy that makes custom barrels for these guns for shooting in matches. I had mine done for turkey hunting because back then all I shot was percussion guns.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

FYI, if a standard musket cap nipple is too loose ... Whitacre Machine Shop sells an over-size 3/8-24" replacement musket nipple for ~$15 plus shipping. You will need a tap drill for that thread size and at least a bottoming tap, IF you are experienced, else you will need a plug tap too. They run ~$8 each on eBay.

You must ensure full contact of the shoulder on the nipple to the top of the bolster, where if beat, may need to be filed square to the hole. I just had to do this on an 1863 Springfield I'm restoring.

Whitacre Machine Shop in Winchester, VA: http://whitacresmachineshop.com/
He also sells outstandinfg replacement barrels and has other items and services.

 

[gpsd55]

Gentlemen: The discussion in this post deals with the 1861 Springfield and "...How do they shoot out of the box?..."

I believe that although it is a worthwhile topic (for the General Muzzleloading Forum area), further discussion of safety and how different organizations handle it is not germane.

That said, I think the 1861 Springfield will shoot ok. I have not seen the sighting system on this model of rifled musket however, I will say that in my opinion the military sights on many replicas leaves a little to be desired for precision shooting.
I say this because many of them have soldered the rear sight in place rather than dovetailing it onto the barrel.

 

[TreeMan]

Gentlemen: The discussion in this post deals with the 1861 Springfield and "...How do they shoot out of the box?..."

I believe that although it is a worthwhile topic (for the General Muzzleloading Forum area), further discussion of safety and how different organizations handle it is not germane.

That said, I think the 1861 Springfield will shoot ok. I have not seen the sighting system on this model of rifled musket however, I will say that in my opinion the military sights on many replicas leaves a little to be desired for precision shooting.
I say this because many of them have soldered the rear sight in place rather than dovetailing it onto the barrel.

None of the replies have been out of line and they most definitely pertain to the OPs post and questions. Your post has nothing at all to do with answering the OPs questions. This gun is not a replica.

 

[Conquerordie]

M1861s made by Springfield, and not a contract maker are getting hard to find. Look at the top of the barrel near the breechplug and see if you can make out a date of 1861 there as well. A Springfield made in 1861 would have been rushed into service and assuredly was used in combat. It would be a shame to damage it after all it's been through. I love shooting these, but I'd just hang and enjoy this one. Lodgewood is your best bet for parts.

 

[brthho1209]

For the nipple, rear sight and ramrod try Lodgewood - lodgewood.com - or S&S Firearms - https://www.ssfirearms.com/default.asp . Both have reproduction parts for your Springfield. Some original parts are out there as well but are really pricy so you'll have to decide what route to go. Considering the overall condition of your gun (not knocking another man's firearm but let's be realistic) I'd go with the repro parts. She'll almost certainly restore to a shooter (may require a barrel reline, maybe not) but just not a collector grade. You can be proud to own it and with some work and a few hundred in parts and some elbow grease she'll fire again and shooting an original is a thrill. Good luck!

Thanks for the information, I’m going to lookup Lodgewood.
The 1861 is in rough shape. I’ll have to decide about repo parts or try and source original parts if available.

 

[brthho1209]

M1861s made by Springfield, and not a contract maker are getting hard to find. Look at the top of the barrel near the breechplug and see if you can make out a date of 1861 there as well. A Springfield made in 1861 would have been rushed into service and assuredly was used in combat. It would be a shame to damage it after all it's been through. I love shooting these, but I'd just hang and enjoy this one. Lodgewood is your best bet for parts.

The barrel exterior is in rough shape, I read these guns were not blued.
the metal is corroded.
I can’t make out 1861 on the barrel. Maybe I can use a brass wire brush and carefully remove some corrosion.
Thanks for replying.

 

[brthho1209]

FYI, if a standard musket cap nipple is too loose ... Whitacre Machine Shop sells an over-size 3/8-24" replacement musket nipple for ~$15 plus shipping. You will need a tap drill for that thread size and at least a bottoming tap, IF you are experienced, else you will need a plug tap too. They run ~$8 each on eBay.

You must ensure full contact of the shoulder on the nipple to the top of the bolster, where if beat, may need to be filed square to the hole. I just had to do this on an 1863 Springfield I'm restoring.

Whitacre Machine Shop in Winchester, VA: http://whitacresmachineshop.com/
He also sells outstandinfg replacement barrels and has other items and services.

The nipple is missing and no female threads are visible where the nipple screws in. Maybe I’ll take a brass bore brush and some cleaner and see what’s under the corrosion.
thanks for the information.

 

[brthho1209]

I have one in an 1862. I ended up having a new barrel made for mine with the 2 leaf flip up site in 62 cal. Smoothie. The inside of my barrel was shot. Pitted real bad and found a guy that makes custom barrels for these guns for shooting in matches. I had mine done for turkey hunting because back then all I shot was percussion guns.

I probably will not replace the barrel.
Thanks for the information on what is available if I wanted to replace the barrel.
Rite now I just want to be able to make the gun shootable without changing any possible original parts.

 

[brthho1209]

Great project rifle to restore as a shooter. If you havent already done so carefully remove the butt plate, sometimes though rarely an original owner left information hidden there. Like the above post try those places and his advice.

I’ll remove the but plate and let you know if any information is there.
That would really be interesting.
Thanks for the information.

 

[brthho1209]

Awesome gun.

I Agree!

 

[brthho1209]

I’ll remove the but plate and let you know if any information is there.
That would really be interesting.
Thanks for the information.

I cleaned out the slots on the but plate screws.
applied some wd 40, can’t turn the screws with some pressure and didn’t want to break off the screw heads.
Maybe the wd 40 will help if I leave it set? Didn’t want to use PB Blaster might damage what’s left of the wood finish.
NM is on the bottom of the stock in front of the rear sling swivel.

 

[Trot]

The very first thing to address are the threads for the nipple. These have to be in good shape, if not they need to be properly repaired before even thinking of shooting it. Next is the bore, if it is very rough and pitted, you may want to reconsider shooting it and relegate it to a wall hanger.

 

[brthho1209]

I ordered a 5/16 x 24 tap.
Will see if I can clean out the nipple threads.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[brthho1209]

update to my first post.
Friday I took the 1861 to Brownstone Trading Co.
Westminster MD
The owner of Brownstones ,Bradly has experience with the Springfield 1861 era rifles.
Bradly suggested the rifle could be a wall hanger.
I know the rifle is 160+ years old and has been used in The United States Civil War.
The rifle was given to me and I’m gonna spend a little to get her fixed up for shooting.
I’ll post information and some shooting in the future.

 

[brthho1209]

Additional Info
I used a brass brush on the lock and top of the barrell.
there is a eagle which I believe was Springfield’s trademark on the lock.
May be able to see some parts of 1861 on the barrell.

The bottom line to my whole post is this era of actual 1861 firearms is new to me for firearms.
I have shot for target and hunting reproduction muzzle loading guns.
Have cast lead round balls for revolvers.
May try and cast mini balls for the 1861.

Thanks for the information I’ve learned on muzzleloadingforum.com