What became of the millions of civil war rifle-muskets?

[Widows Son]

I would think they would be more around nowadays than there seems to be.

 

[Daveboone]

Many were sold off as surplus to be sold very cheaply, much as Mausers, Springfields, etc. were....the diff. is that at the end of the war they were rapidly becoming obsolete. They were frequently bought as a very inexpensive all purpose gun, going duty as a shotgun, varmint gun, barn gun etc. and were very hard used. Many scrapped, etc. There were alot of them out there, but were considered of little worth and as all tools, once worn out, discarded. Luckily my granfather found a nice example of an 1863 springfield in the local hardware store for about ten bucks, and I own it now.

 

[Uncle Miltie]

A number of them went to me....

 

[Dale Allen Raby]

They can still be had, but many of them are not in shooting condition any longer. I've heard that the Crown muskets used by the Confederacy are more common... especially down South, but no confirmation on that. Some folks actually still shoot them. I'm not that brave.

 

[TobJohn]

Many Enfields in American stockpiles were sold to Japan.

 

[andy52]

Some of the Springfields were converted to trap doors I do not know the numbers though.

 

[64Springer]

I know of one extremely nice '64 Springfield that's no longer in circulation.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Of course, there is the fence along Gravois Road in front of the Anheuser-Busch Estate that used musket barrels as the upright spindles for the fence.

 

[Bnewberry]

U.S grant had a fence made out of some as I recall. I also read that a lot went into concrete as rebar.

 

[Rebel jim]

I worked at the Naval Ammo facility in Yorktown Virginia, the Military has ware houses full of weapons going back to the Civil War. We are talking brand new Springfields still in the box wrapped in original paper.

 

[Grenadier1758]

@Bnewberry, That's the fence in St. Louis County in front of Grant's Farm at the Anheuser-Busch Estate.

 

[tenngun]

Metal drives of the first and second world wars ate a lot of scrap. I oft wonder how many goof guns went in to the furnace, as ‘they weren’t no good for nothing’

 

[Eutycus]

Google Bannerman. Frank Bannerman got a hold of alot of "surplus" after the war.

 

[Widows Son]

Thank you for your replies gentlemen.

Nowadays the word “million” doesn’t make the emotional and mental impression that it used to. However it is a spectacular amount when made tangible. Considering the million Springfields made domestically and 900,000 Enfields and 300,000 Lorenz imported, that’s a hell of a lot of rifles!

 

[ord sgt]

My wife's aunt has a Liege musket. Many have been discarded by uncaring people.
Long ago, when I was in grade school, we had "show and tell" in class. I remember one of my classmates bringing a long rifle that his father found in a local dump. Tossed there by one of those uncaring people. If it happens to one, it happened to many. Shame.

 

[dave951]

Learn the history of Bannerman. He was the original "Lord of War". You could do one stop shopping at Bannerman's to equip an entire army, albeit with surplus and obsolete arms.

 

[Daveboone]

Many a rifle ended its life as a crowbar, etc. For generations, the family "meat gun" was a tool. When worn out, it was discarded. Back in the fifties, my dad would frequently be given old firearm relics, which (sadly now to think) he mostly scavenged the parts from and discarded the barrel and stocks. Only in relative modern times have we had the luxury and the wealth to "collect" things...be it cars, firearms, knives, etc. When I was a kid, you commonly saw " car graveyards". Rarely now. what wasnt salveageable was scrapped, the valued /intact are restored.

 

[Greyrider]

I have an 1862 Springfield I had a new barrel made I used for turkey hunting. Haven’t used it for 3 years don’t know what they are worth.

 

[earlwb]

Like already mentioned the military had a large number converted into cartridge guns such as the trapdoors for example. Some were converted into a cartridge rifle for a Canadian revolutionary group as well (Fenian Raids Canada). But many were sold off as surplus. Others were sold off as scrap to be recycled too. The soldiers mustering out could buy their guns for little to nothing too. Plus a bunch were sold or given to foreign governments too.

 

[vintovka]

I think many that were in bad shape were parted/scrapped out. Stocks to firewood. Barrels to rebar. Bannermans castle reportedly held together with thousands of musket barrels as rebar. Still falling apart due to bad concrete. There's stories about folks being killed when heating up still loaded barrels to forge them into fence posts and other reuses Then theres all the arsenal crates of barrels, locks and other parts I saw at the MGM prop sales.