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Item No.:	9012	Price :	SOLD
Item :	EXCELLENT, HARPER'S FERRY MODEL 1855 RIFLE MUSKET

Description :

This is an original, Civil War, U.S. Model 1855 Rifle-Musket manufactured at Harper's Ferry Armory in 1860. The Model 1855 was the first U.S. Musket specifically designed to fire the new "Minie" ball ammunition. It was .58 caliber, rifled, and 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 the later Model 1861 Rifle-Musket. This was the primary musket in the hands of the troops at the beginning of the Civil War. The Model 1855 soldiered on throughout the conflict, side by side with the later types. Harper's Ferry made only 12,158 of this type before being occupied and destroyed by the Confederacy. This musket is in excellent condition. It retains nearly 100% of its armory bright finish, with just a tiny speck or two of patina. The bore and mechanics are excellent. I believe the stock has been lightly cleaned and there is a filled repair to a small chip on the right side of the butt at the toe of the stock. There is a BB sized, filled spot on the right side near the middle band. Both repairs are quite minor. There is a bit larger repair of professional quality to the wood in the area between the hammer and the tang. There are no inspector's cartouches on the stock. This could indicate Confederate assembly from the parts taken when the Armory was captured by Jackson, but there is no way to know. This is a superb example of a Harper's Ferry Model 1855 Rifle Musket. Stock no. 24103

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