Please help me identify my grandfathers muzzleloader

[rprussner]

Hello everyone!

I'm sure you guys get this all the time but I'm truly hoping you will take the time to help me. Before I start, I will let you know I have done as much research as I possibly can to no avail. I've googled the stamps I've found on the muzzleloader but haven't had any luck.

My grandfather passed away a few years ago and out of all of his firearms the only one I wanted was this muzzleloader. He didn't pass on much information about it other than it was my great great great (and on and on) grandfathers. I found some stuff that talked about one of my grandfathers being in the Second Minnesota Volunteer Infantry in 1865. Not sure if it's from that era or not. At the end of the day I would just like to be able to identify the firearm in order to get a better understanding of it. Thanks in advance!

All of the information I can find is through the stamps on the muzzleloader. I have found the numbers 422, .66 (I think), VII, a couple proof marks possibly, 75, 8 , and so on. I will attach several pictures but if you need more please don't hesitate to ask. The barrel is roughly 31" long and it does have rifling.

 

[Mulebrain]

Possibly Austrian musket of the Civil War period.

 

[TreeMan]

Yep looks like a cut down Austrian Lorenz rifle. See if it still has rifling or if it’s been made into a smoothbore.

 

[rprussner]

Yep looks like a cut down Austrian Lorenz rifle. See if it still has rifling or if it’s been made into a smoothbore.

it does still have rifling although It is quite worn.

 

[ord sgt]

rprussner stated that it did have rifling.

 

[frankie]

Hello everyone!

I'm sure you guys get this all the time but I'm truly hoping you will take the time to help me. Before I start, I will let you know I have done as much research as I possibly can to no avail. I've googled the stamps I've found on the muzzleloader but haven't had any luck.

My grandfather passed away a few years ago and out of all of his firearms the only one I wanted was this muzzleloader. He didn't pass on much information about it other than it was my great great great (and on and on) grandfathers. I found some stuff that talked about one of my grandfathers being in the Second Minnesota Volunteer Infantry in 1865. Not sure if it's from that era or not. At the end of the day I would just like to be able to identify the firearm in order to get a better understanding of it. Thanks in advance!

All of the information I can find is through the stamps on the muzzleloader. I have found the numbers 422, .66 (I think), VII, a couple proof marks possibly, 75, 8 , and so on. I will attach several pictures but if you need more please don't hesitate to ask. The barrel is roughly 31" long and it does have rifling. View attachment 132220View attachment 132221View attachment 132222View attachment 132223View attachment 132224View attachment 132225View attachment 132226View attachment 132227View attachment 132228

You should be very proud to own that

 

[rprussner]

You should be very proud to own that

i definitely am! It is one of the items that I’ve told my wife to grab if there’s ever a fire in the house! I found an old document online about the second Minnesota volunteer infantry that had my grandfathers name listed as one of the volunteers. Earlier on in the document it talked about how they had given away foreign imported weapons to volunteers to keep during one of the years my grandfather was serving. This document is actually a record that was written in the late 1800’s. Based off of that information, I feel pretty comfortable thinking that this was acquired from the time he served and has stayed in my family ever since.

 

[Trot]

I'm not sure it is a Lorenz, may be Prussian, or some other model Austrian?

 

[Eras Gone]

I think it us an Austrian M1842. It was converted from tubelock to standard percussion when it was imported. These were about .71 cal and many were also rifled during the conversion. Of course this one has been cut off for sporting use sometime after the War.

Most of these older imports were out of service and replaced with new rifle muskets by mid War in the Union Army. You might do some research on the 2nd Minn and see what they were issued at different times during their service.

 

[frankie]

i definitely am! It is one of the items that I’ve told my wife to grab if there’s ever a fire in the house! I found an old document online about the second Minnesota volunteer infantry that had my grandfathers name listed as one of the volunteers. Earlier on in the document it talked about how they had given away foreign imported weapons to volunteers to keep during one of the years my grandfather was serving. This document is actually a record that was written in the late 1800’s. Based off of that information, I feel pretty comfortable thinking that this was acquired from the time he served and has stayed in my family ever since.

The stories that that could tell. One of a kind, irreplaceable. Thanks for showing.