Cap to flint conversion

[Jason.45]

Well I'm looking at getting my first black powder long gun (have a .45 flint Kentucky pistol), and I'm afraid no one makes quite what I want.
The reason for this is likely that what I want isn't in the least historically accurate.
I'd like a flintlock musket, but with a rifled bore. And by musket, I mean I military style long gun that will accept a bayonet.
I like bayos, and the guns that mounted them, and I love flintlocks (and am absolutely uninterested in cap-locks), but I also want the accuracy of the rifled bore.
Not really something that many folks would likely be interested in, seeing as standard issue rifled muskets came around slightly after the transition to cap-locks, but it is what I'd like.

So what I'm thinking is trying to get ahold of a 1861 Springfield repro, and converting it to flint.
Now I know that many flint smoothbores were converted to cap-lock, but I'm not entirely sure of the feasability of going the other way.
I'm guessing that the entire lock would need to be replaced, and assuming that the drum screws into the breech, then that would need to be replaced with a vent of some sort, but past that...?
Anyone have any advice?
Thanks.

 

[Tkendrick]

Only thing I can think of that comes close is the 1803 Harpers Ferry, and I don't believe it was set up for a boyonet.

If you are going to be historically accurate, I don't know how your going to make that happen. I'm not really up on that particular subject.

Maybe one of the Austrian or French muskets, but I'm not recalling anything.

 

[Jason.45]

I'm not really trying to be historically accurate, won't be doing much with it besides shooting targets and maybe a deer if I get lucky.

Mostly wondering if anyone had attempted something similar.

 

[JV Puleo]

Believe it or not, it was done. The Belgians converted M1861 Springfields to flintlocks, for sale in their African colonies, using left over flint components from the Napoleonic wars. The only example I've even seen a picture of was, I believe, on this forum a year or two ago. I believe that Francis Bannerman sold some around the turn of the century.

The only American, bayonet equipped muzzleloading flintlock rifle that pops into my head is the M1817 Common Rifle. I don't believe there is a commercial reproduction of this and having one made might cost as much as buying an original. (I shoot an original, albeit converted by the Watertown Arsenal around 1852) The problem is that virtually all smoothbore muzzleloaders that were rifled were also converted to percussion at the same time. Why don't you buy a reproduction flint musket and have it rifled? That would seem the easiest way but, if you do, remember that in period most flint breeching was not considered strong enough when used with the much heavier conical bullets - hence, most official (i.e. government) conversions included a new breech when the gun was also rifled.

 

[Jason.45]

That's very interesting indeed. Makes sense for a rifle going to the colonies.
Also interesting about the conicals/flintlock idea. I wonder if that would hold true with a modern repro lock.
One of the things I'd like to use are Minie-balls for the speed of loading (for target shooting), but I'll probably use a PRB for hunting anyway.

I hadn't thought about getting a smoothbore rifled. I'd think that would be prohibitively expensive. Any idea of some 'smiths who might have such a service? I'm going to need to do some more research it seems.

 

You might want to consider the Baker rifle. See:
http://www.militaryheritage.com/baker.htm

It ain't cheap. $600 plus another $200 for a rifled barrel. They also sell the bayonet, but I did not see a price.

 

[Ray-Vigo]

In fact percussion came into vogue in the US even a little before rifling for military weapons. If you look at the Springfield 1842, it's percussion smoothbore. Rifling seemed to come relatively late to line infantry weapons, as opposed to specialty rifles. Rifling of course went way back, but for general formation infantry smoothbores actually lasted into the percussion era. Many of these 1842s later were converted to rifled barrels.

A rifled Brown Bess or a rifled Charleville would make an interesting piece. You'd be able to reenact with it because of how it looks and functions with just powder, but then you'd be able to go to hobby shoots with it because the rifling allows a good degree of accuracy. It'd be a sleeper at meets-- people would see it an think it's a smoothbore, but when the ball goes dead center at 50 yards, you'd take them all by surprise.