CSArms Item Detail

Item No.:	9427	Price :	$9,500.00
Item :	RARE HARPERS FERRY MODEL 1855 U.S. PERCUSSION RIFLE

Description :

This is an original, Civil War, Model 1855 U.S. Percussion Rifle manufactured at Harpers Ferry in 1860. The rifle was 7 inches shorter than the rifle-musket with two barrel bands. It used a brass handled sword bayonet rather than the socket bayonet of the standard musket. The rifles were only manufactured at Harpers Ferry with only 8,700 produced. The Model 1855 Rifle and Rifle-Musket were the first U.S. types specifically designed to fire the new "Minie" ball ammunition. They were .58 caliber 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. These were the primary long arms 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. This carbine was produced fot the U.S. Military in 1860 prior to the destruction of the armory at Harpers Ferry by Confederate troops under the command of Stonewall Jackson. It has an inspector's cartouche on the left flat of the stock and most likely saw service with the Union Army. It is in very fine condition. The metal remains armory bright. The lock has developed a smooth brownish-pewter patina. There are a few speckles of brown overall. They are a little heavier around the nipple bolster and on the iron patcbox. The rifle has excellent mechanics with the lock and Maynard tape mechanism functioning perfectly. The gun has a very fine bore, bright with sharp rifling and just a few specks of corrosion along its length. The stock is in fine condition with a few small dings from use. The inspector's cartouche is strongly visible. It looks like someone may have put some tung oil or something on the wood, giving it a slightly more glossy appearance. This is a beautiful example of a scarce Civil War Rifle. Stock no. 25228

For CS Arms, Inc.
Shop Address:		Mailing Address:
9150 John S. Mosby Highway (Route 50) in historic Upperville, VA		Box 602 Upperville, VA. 20185
(540) 592-7273 or (540) 592-7274 E-Mail: sophiacsarms@aol.com