needing info on a musket

[nova treasure]

i got this musket at a auction ,they had no info on it but the auctioneer said it looked like it had a date of 1864 on it and I figured it was a 58 caliber springfield rifle. i bought it without getting the opportunity to really look at it. once i got it in my possession i noticed it had what looked like a trapdoor conversion. any help identifying it or added comments would be appreciated.

thanks, Bill

 

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[Joturkey]

That is a cool old gun, I never find ones like that, original condition guns seem so rare these days, I'm into M1 Garands myself, but definitely dont clean and try to shoot this one.................it will go badly.

 

[Retired Sarge]

You would have to look at all the markings etc, but it appears to be what you think it is. Which is a Springfield Model 63 sometimes called the Model 64 with the 1866 trapdoor conversion. The experts will be along shortly to verify or debunk the theory. You'll have to verify that it is a real one versus a reproduction one!

Springfield Model 1863 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The National Firearms Museum: U.S. Springfield Allin Conversion Model 1866

 

[Joturkey]

Cant be a repo, wear on the stock and front handguard from handling and firing are crystal clear.

 

[ynpto804]

If it doesn't offend, did you get a good deal?

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Sometimes I know the answer from memory, and sometimes I just know where to find the answer. Since you can closely eyeball every little detail on your rifle in real-life, and we cannot, check through the very good close-up photos here to find the exact match-up: Muskets, Trap Door Conversions

 

[NOLA_Ken]

It looks good to me for a model '63 conversion, I see it's missing the sights and the middle barrel band which might be fairly easy to find and replace, the breech locking lever might be a bit difficult but could probably be tracked down to make the gun complete.

I would suggest using a washcloth soaked in gun oil to remove all the surface rust and a soft toothbrush to gently clean the hard to get areas, followed with an oiled soft cloth to keep it from rusting any more. The stock looks a bit dry too, so it would probably be a good idea to do something about that also, I like to use mink oil on the old wood, it brings the color back and also helps to seal it and preserve it.

It's a nice find for sure and I'd love to have it on my wall!

 

[Chisos]

There should be some marks underneath. Date, emblem?

 

[nova treasure]

Sometimes I know the answer from memory, and sometimes I just know where to find the answer. Since you can closely eyeball every little detail on your rifle in real-life, and we cannot, check through the very good close-up photos here to find the exact match-up: Muskets, Trap Door Conversions

Springfield 1864, Allin Conversion 1866, "Second model trap door",

thanks for the reference page,

 

[nova treasure]

It looks good to me for a model '63 conversion, I see it's missing the sights and the middle barrel band which might be fairly easy to find and replace, the breech locking lever might be a bit difficult but could probably be tracked down to make the gun complete.

I would suggest using a washcloth soaked in gun oil to remove all the surface rust and a soft toothbrush to gently clean the hard to get areas, followed with an oiled soft cloth to keep it from rusting any more. The stock looks a bit dry too, so it would probably be a good idea to do something about that also, I like to use mink oil on the old wood, it brings the color back and also helps to seal it and preserve it.

It's a nice find for sure and I'd love to have it on my wall!

thanks alot for the info, i am always happy to bring something home from the CW era.

 

[nova treasure]

If it doesn't offend, did you get a good deal?

not offended at all, i am very proud to say i bought it for $55.00

 

[ABruce]

Bannerman's put together lots of *******ized rifles with surplus Civil War and later Trapdoor parts. I don't know if this is one of them, but if you can't find it in a book, it's possible it may be one.

 

[nova treasure]

Bannerman's put together lots of *******ized rifles with surplus Civil War and later Trapdoor parts. I don't know if this is one of them, but if you can't find it in a book, it's possible it may be one.

About 99% its original, i bought it at a personal home auction and it was elderly man that passed and it was from his estate. Lucky for me there was hardly no one there interested in the gun. It looks like all the markings are in order for original and the wear to the rifle seems right for the muskets age.

 

[Retired Sarge]

About 99% its original, i bought it at a personal home auction and it was elderly man that passed and it was from his estate. Lucky for me there was hardly no one there interested in the gun. It looks like all the markings are in order for original and the wear to the rifle seems right for the muskets age.

Glad to hear that, my remark about making sure it was real was not so much a negative stab at it, just that so many weapons are messed with over the years. Also see a lot that are humped up to look old and so forth. With the gun in your hands you can see things that we can't. As a collector I hate finding ones that are messed with, love them to be as issued when possible. Glad to hear that is as complete as it is, congrats on a great find!

 

[Joturkey]

Glad to hear that, my remark about making sure it was real was not so much a negative stab at it, just that so many weapons are messed with over the years. Also see a lot that are humped up to look old and so forth. With the gun in your hands you can see things that we can't. As a collector I hate finding ones that are messed with, love them to be as issued when possible. Glad to hear that is as complete as it is, congrats on a great find!

That says it all, like my Garands " sorry to go off topic a little" there is a lot of junk passed off for top dollar to be original and they always seem to find buyers that arent aware, the flip side with military guns is a new collector will take sandpaper to stock, take all the cartouches off to try and make their 70 year old gun look like new, I have seen many cherry Garands turned into junk this way.I will only buy an old rifle if I know its all original, I think all the sratches, dents, etc give them character, thats why I think Novas gun looks cool.