A very nice M1855 rifle musket made with brass stock tip, 1858 type long range rear sight, and no patchbox, and dated 1858 on the lockplate. The walnut stock is very good, a nice deep brown, with good surface overall but some slight staining from old oil on the bottom forward of the triggerguard and some dried varnish on the butt. The wood fits the metal tightly and there are just minor handling marks, but no visible cartouches.

The metal is in the bright, with V/P/ [eagle head] barrel proofs that are a little rubbed but very visible at the left breech, but no visible barrel date on top. The metal around the nipple shows just light speckling from firing, however, and no serious pitting. The lock shows a crisp 1858 date at rear and “U.S. / SPRINGFIELD” forward that shows a little rubbing but is legible. The primer door has a sharp Springfield eagle with just a little rubbing on the shield on its chest. The mechanics are crisp and the internal parts for the Maynard primer are there.

The 1855 series of arms included a number of innovations to U.S. weapons, encompassing rifles, rifle muskets, pistol carbines, rifled carbines, sword bayonets, and others. The 1855 rifle musket was the precursor to the Model 1861 and introduced the .58 caliber percussion rifle of musket length as the standard long arm of line infantry, utilizing the Maynard tape priming system to eliminate the use of individual percussion caps and the Minie ball expanding bullet to speed loading and increase accuracy. Springfield made a little over 47,000 of them from February 1857 through June 1861. They saw extensive service in the war.

In Willyard’s nomenclature this rifle musket is the Springfield Model 1855 Rifle Musket Type-2, still made with the brass stock tip but with the smaller 1858 style three-leaf rear sight marked for 100, 300, and 500 yards. The contemplated change to this sight from the older long-range sight had halted mounting of any sight in mid-January 1858. Delays in producing the new sight led to renewed installation of the old long-range sight on some of the roughly 5,000 accumulated barrels starting in May, but in August 1858 the new sights began to be fitted. The lock plate date of 1858 suggests the barrel date is 1858 as well. The manufacture of locks tended to run ahead of barrels, however, and it is possible the barrel bore a date indicating manufacture in early 1859 when there were still some 1858 dated locks to be used. All of that accords with the stock, which still has the brass stock tip. This changed was officially changed to iron in April 1859 and began to appear in August or September, about the same time an iron patch box was placed in the buttstock.)

All bands, springs, sights and swivels are present. The ramrod is a modern reproduction, but the correct type. The bore is very good and mechanics are excellent. This would make a fine addition to a display showing the chronology of U.S. arms, arms used by the pre-war U.S. army, or in the early Civil War by the flood of new soldiers when these were the most advanced long arms available in any quantity.    [sr]

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