Springfield M1861, .58 Caplock USA, 1861-1863
5 Springfield M1861, .58 Caplock 3d+2 pi+ 3 120/1,200 9.3/0.086 1 1(20) 10† -6 4 $450 3 [1]
The U.S. Army adopted the Model of 1861 as its standard rifle-musket. It was a close copy of the British Enfield P/1853 (p. 25) and served the Union during the American Civil War. Between 1861 and 1865, the Springfield Armory made more than 265,000, while 640,000 were acquired from private contractors. The Confederate States copied it and used it widely. In fiction, U.S. Army soldiers employ them in Cold Mountain, The Gangs of New York, Gettysburg, and How the West Was Won. The Comanche braves have them in The Searchers. The M1861 rifle-musket had a 40” barrel and mounted a 1.3- lb. socket bayonet (Reach 1, 2*). It used paper cartridges (High- Tech, p. 86) with Minié bullets (High-Tech, p. 109). The cartridges were interchangeable with those of the Enfield. Without cartridges, reloading takes 40 seconds, or 60 seconds with ordinary balls. The wartime Model of 1863 (1863-1864) was slightly cheaper but otherwise identical to the M1861 rifle-musket: Cost $400. Some 273,000 were made. Scout Breck Coleman anachronistically uses it in The Big Trail. From the late 1860s, many of these rifles were converted to fire metallic cartridges, typically the .50-70 Government. The most common conversion was developed by Erskine Allin and made at Springfield Armory as the Model of 1868 (1868-1873): Malf. 17, Dmg 4d+2 pi+, Wt. 10/0.086, Shots 1(3), Cost $500. The Springfield-Allin M1868 was in front-line service until 1892, with some state militias using it until 1919! This soon became a popular civilian weapon, since the government sold them as surplus for 10% of the cost during the entire late 19th century. “Buffalo Bill” Cody (Old West, p. 101) used an Allin conversion named “Lucretia Borgia” during his years as a cavalry scout. His record-breaking killing spree of more than 4,200 buffalos in 1867 and 1868 was racked up with this weapon.
The U.S. Army adopted the Model of 1861 as its standard rifle-musket. It was a close copy of the British Enfield P/1853 (p. 25) and served the Union during the American Civil War. Between 1861 and 1865, the Springfield Armory made more than 265,000, while 640,000 were acquired from private contractors. The Confederate States copied it and used it widely. In fiction, U.S. Army soldiers employ them in Cold Mountain, The Gangs of New York, Gettysburg, and How the West Was Won. The Comanche braves have them in The Searchers. The M1861 rifle-musket had a 40” barrel and mounted a 1.3- lb. socket bayonet (Reach 1, 2*). It used paper cartridges (High- Tech, p. 86) with Minié bullets (High-Tech, p. 109). The cartridges were interchangeable with those of the Enfield. Without cartridges, reloading takes 40 seconds, or 60 seconds with ordinary balls. The wartime Model of 1863 (1863-1864) was slightly cheaper but otherwise identical to the M1861 rifle-musket: Cost $400. Some 273,000 were made. Scout Breck Coleman anachronistically uses it in The Big Trail. From the late 1860s, many of these rifles were converted to fire metallic cartridges, typically the .50-70 Government. The most common conversion was developed by Erskine Allin and made at Springfield Armory as the Model of 1868 (1868-1873): Malf. 17, Dmg 4d+2 pi+, Wt. 10/0.086, Shots 1(3), Cost $500. The Springfield-Allin M1868 was in front-line service until 1892, with some state militias using it until 1919! This soon became a popular civilian weapon, since the government sold them as surplus for 10% of the cost during the entire late 19th century. “Buffalo Bill” Cody (Old West, p. 101) used an Allin conversion named “Lucretia Borgia” during his years as a cavalry scout. His record-breaking killing spree of more than 4,200 buffalos in 1867 and 1868 was racked up with this weapon.
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