(<< Back)

Item No.:	8938	Price :	SOLD
Item :	HARPER'S FERRY MODEL 1855 U.S. PERCUSSION RIFLE

Description :

Here is an original, Model 1855 U.S. Percussion Rifle manufactured by Harpers Ferry in 1861. There is an excellent chance that this rifle was assembled by the Confederacy from parts captured at Harpers Ferry when it was burned in April of 1861. The 1855 Rifle was a percussion, .58 caliber, single-shot muzzle loader with a 33" barrel. It is fitted with the Maynard Tape Primer Device. This allowed, in theory, a new cap to be advanced to the percussion cone each time the musket was cocked, eliminating the need to manually cap the weapon for each shot. In practice it did not work well, and was eliminated on later designs. The M1855 rifle used a long saber bayonet, which was fitted to a lug on the right side of the barrel. Harpers Ferry produced about 8,700 of these rifles. The number assembled by the Confederacy from captured parts is not known. This rifle is in very good condition. It is iron mounted, with the exception of the nose cap, which is brass. These rifles were originally finished bright. The barrel on this rifle has a smooth, dark brown patina, except for the breech area around the bolster, which shows significant pitting. The lock and iron stock mountings have a pewter coloring with a heavy scattering of dark brown patina spots. The lock mechanism and Maynard Device work well. The bore is not terrible for a Civil War gun. There is some pitting present, but the rifling remains strong and visible along the bore's length. The stock is in good condition. there are the usual dings and scratches from use. There is a large chip of wood missing between the lock plate and the barrel tang, behind the hammer. The initials "W.H.C." are proudly carved into the left flat panel of the stock. The rifle is fitted with a leather sling, but I do not believe it is original. Though the sling is well aged, I don't like the hook. It may be for a later rifle, like the Trapdoor Springfield. Also, this rifle has the early attachable, double ring, crosshair front sight in the patchbox. These are extremely rare and this one is almost certainly a reproduction. It is tightly wedged in the cut out of the patchbox and I could not get it out to examine it closely. From what I can see, it's a repro. All in all, this is a good representative example of a fairly scarce rifle. Stock no. 23742

HOME | ABOUT US | TERMS | WANTS | LINKS

Contents & Photos Copyright © 2001- 2024 CSArms, Inc., All Rights Reserved.

Site design by Sam Lisker