Use of Model 1863 Springfield Rifles

[hamsalad]

I don't see a lot of these in the hobby and I was wondering if there was just a lack of producers of this weapon, or limited use in the field. I am guessing it is a mixture of the two but more likely the former. Any research you can post about it would be appreciated. Thanks

[GrumpyDave]

Re: Use of Model 1863 Springfield Rifles

Most of them didn't hit the field until mid to late 1864. (If my memory serves me). And, they were very unit specific. So, no reason to buy one.

[David Fox]

Re: Use of Model 1863 Springfield Rifles

I believe (oh, fatal words!) many of Sherman's infantry was re-equipped with '63s at Savannah before beginning their 1865 march through the Carolinas.

[LibertyHallVols]

Re: Use of Model 1863 Springfield Rifles

Assertions with no citations...

Please Note: Tisk, tisk...

;-)

"In God we trust. All others must have data."

[CompanyWag]

Re: Use of Model 1863 Springfield Rifles

It wasn't always the case that more 1861s were available than 1863s. Ironically it used to be other way around.

I may be dating myself, but when I first started out in this hobby and for a long time the only repro Springfield 3-banders available were the Navy Arms 1863 and later the Dixie `63 and `64 (aside from the Mike Yeck 1861 which was not so widely available). Why Navy and Dixie decided to offer this later pattern rather than the more historically correct 1861 is a mystery to me. But then, why did the Italians focus on cranking out "Zouave" rifles so long ago?

For years, I committed the sin of carrying an original 1861, but later retired it when I converted a Dixie 1864 to an 1861 using parts from Lodgewood. Within a year or so, the Dixie Miroku 1861 came out followed by the ArmiSport and Euroarms rendering my conversion efforts pointless.

[LibertyHallVols]

Re: Use of Model 1863 Springfield Rifles

...I converted a Dixie 1864 to an 1861 using parts from Lodgewood. Within a year or so, the Dixie Miroku 1861 came out followed by the ArmiSport and Euroarms rendering my conversion efforts pointless.

Pointless? I don't think so! None of the repros were/are perfect. I'm going to quite a bit of effort for a "correct" '61, myself. We'll see how it goes. Like Tom Petty says, "The waiting is the hardest part".

[CompanyWag]

Re: Use of Model 1863 Springfield Rifles

Pointless? I don't think so! None of the repros were/are perfect. I'm going to quite a bit of effort for a "correct" '61, myself. We'll see how it goes. Like Tom Petty says, "The waiting is the hardest part".

Indeed. I recently acquired a Miroku 1861 that is now on the workbench alongside an original providing measurement comparison for some stock re-contouring as well as other "adjustments".

[hireddutchcutthroat]

Re: Use of Model 1863 Springfield Rifles

Paul beat me to it, but years ago when I started '61s were just coming on to the market. There were a couple of guys in my first unit that did their best to convert '63s to Colts, Amoskag, and LG&Y's.

As a side note there is an excellent description in Soldiering of USCT troops with the "latest pattern of Springfield".

[jake.koch]

Re: Use of Model 1863 Springfield Rifles

David,

I am not disputing what you posted, however if that is the case about Sherman's men getting the newer Springfields in Savannah they got them dirty awful quick. There is an account in "Nothing but Victory" about some bummers coming across a group of fresh Union troops from the Coast in North Carolina and taking them by suprise. The new guys thought they were captured by the Rebs because Sherman's men were in such rough condition. The account noted they "traded" uniforms and equipment before parting ways and especially rifles as theirs were filthy and covered with rust. I guess moving through swamps would make it hard to keep the rust at bay!

[GrumpyDave]

Re: Use of Model 1863 Springfield Rifles

Here's the provenance, strait from Springfield: (my memory was right.)

The U.S Model 1863 Type II, also known as the Model 1864, was the U.S. Army's last regulation muzzle-loader. Over 250,000 rifle-muskets of this pattern were completed at Springfield Armory, and these long arms saw extensive use in the last year of the Civil War. The Type II is nearly identical to the Model 1863 Type I, but saw a return to band springs rather than screws as a means to secure barrel bands. The barrel bands themselves were solid rather than split, as in the Type I. In addition, a single-leaf rear sight replaced the earlier two-leaf sight, and some parts which had been blued on the Type I were without finish on the newer design.

The town of Springfield, Massachusetts, located on the banks of the Connecticut River, was settled in 1636 by emigrants from Roxbury. The town was nearly destroyed during King Philip's War in 1675, but it was quickly rebuilt. As early as 1776, Continental Army colonel and future Secretary of War Henry Knox recommended the establishment of public laboratories, magazines, arsenals and foundries in secure locations for the production and repair of arms, ammunition, and other ordnance stores. Both George Washington and the Continental Congress concurred with this recommendation, under which an ordnance depot was established at Springfield in 1777.

The town's access to raw materials, sources of water power, and transportation, as well as its inland location which provided security against seaborne attack, made Springfield an ideal location. Over the following year, buildings were rented or erected for use as barracks and storehouses. In addition to ordnance stores, the depot at Springfield also handled other aspects of army supply, including equipment, uniforms, tents, food, and fuel.

The end of the War for Independence also brought a decline in military activities at Springfield. In 1794, an Act of Congress directed that national armories be established for the fabrication of small arms. President Washington selected Springfield and Harpers Ferry, which was then located in Virginia, as the sites for these facilities. In addition to the advantages that contributed to the presence of a Revolutionary War depot in the town, many skilled armory workers were still living nearby. The government acquired nearly 300 acres and constructed a dam to furnish power to the armory complex, as well as shops, offices, and storehouses. The first permanent structure to be constructed on the site was a brick powder magazine, which was torn down in 1842. Additional buildings have been constructed as necessary over the years since.

Production of arms at Springfield began in 1795, with 245 muskets manufactured during that year, and approximately 80,000 were turned out before production was discontinued in 1814. The Model 1795 muskets were the first standardized U.S. martial arms to be produced and were patterned after the French Model 1763 Charleville musket. Harpers Ferry Armory also produced a Model 1795 musket, but these were distinctly different from those manufactured at Springfield.

The first known Springfield Armory-marked specimens were manufactured in 1799, and feature dated lockplates which bear an eagle stamp and the word "Springfield." The Model 1816 was first standardized U.S. martial arm to be manufactured at both Springfield and Harpers Ferry. These arms enjoyed the longest production run in U.S. history, lasting until 1844, with nearly 700,000 muskets turned out during this period. Both armories also produced the Model 1842 percussion musket and Model 1855 percussion rifle-musket. These arms are significant in that the Model 1842 was the last U.S. regulation .69 caliber smoothbore, as well as the first to be made at both armories with completely interchangeable parts, while the Model 1855 rifle-musket was the first rifle-musket to be produced by the United States, the first to be produced in the new regulation .58 caliber, and the last arm to be produced at both government armories.

In addition to commonly produced arms, each armory was the sole producer of certain other designs, such as the Model 1855 percussion pistol-carbine and various musketoons and cadet muskets that were produced solely at Springfield, or the Model 1803 flintlock rifle, and the Model 1841 percussion, or "Mississippi" rifles, both of which were produced only at Harpers Ferry. Model 1861 and 1863 rifle-muskets, which were based on a modification of the earlier Model 1855, were produced in great quantities throughout the Civil War. These were the last muzzle loading, paper cartridge percussion arms to be produced by the U.S. Erskine S. Allin, Springfield's Master Armorer, designed a method for converting many of these into metallic cartridge breech loaders. This conversion consisted of a modification to the breech to permit the installation of a "trap door" breechblock with a self-contained firing pin. The famous .45-70 government caliber "trap door" Springfield rifles and carbines of the Plains Indian Wars were based on Allin's work, and these accounted for much of the Armory's production during the 1870s and 1880s.

Springfield Armory was also involved in improving the state of the art in military rifle design, and toward this end, limited-production long arms including the Ward-Burton, Lee Vertical Action, Hotchkiss, and Chaffee-Reese rifles were manufactured there. These efforts culminated in the 1890s with the Army's adoption of the smokeless powder Krag-Jorgensen bolt-action repeating rifle as its standard longarm. These rifles, as well as carbine versions, were manufactured at the Armory through the turn of the century. The Spanish-American War proved the superiority of the German-designed Mauser, and the .30-'06 caliber U.S. Model 1903 bolt-action rifle, which was built at Springfield Armory and Rock Island Arsenal under a license from Mauser, replaced the Krag-Jorgensen as the Army's new standard rifle.

Over one million were manufactured before production was discontinued in 1941, and many of these, as well as rebuilt or contract model Ô03s, saw action in both World Wars. Prior to the First World War, Springfield also manufactured the M1911 .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol under license from Colt, and throughout this period, Armory workers continued to experiment with, produce, test, and maintain various other ordnance materiel including rifles, pistols, machine guns, and related equipment.

During the interwar years, John Garand, a Canadian-born design engineer and Springfield Armory employee, worked on a design for a new gas-operated semi-automatic rifle. After overcoming several problems, both with his designs and with Army brass, the U.S. Rifle .30 caliber M1 was adopted by the Army in 1936. The Marine Corps followed suit, and during the Second World War, over three and one-half million M1s were produced at Springfield. An additional 500,000 were manufactured by Winchester Repeating Arms Co.

This rifle, which General George S. Patton called, "the greatest battle implement ever devised," gave American troops a significant edge over their German and Japanese enemies, most of whom were still equipped with bolt-action arms. After the war, Springfield ceased manufacture of the M1 and turned its efforts to the overhaul and long-term storage of these rifles. The outbreak of war in Korea in 1950 caused a resumption in production at the Armory, as well as by International Harvester and Harrington & Richardson. The return of peace brought a second and final discontinuation of M1 production. Springfield Armory's continuing efforts at advancing military rifle designs yielded a series of improvements to the M1, culminating in production of the 7.62mm NATO caliber selective-fire M14 rifle, which replaced the Garand in the Army's inventory.

In 1968, the Ordnance Department ceased operations at Springfield Armory. The Armory grounds, buildings, and museum, with its extensive arms and accouterments collection, have become Springfield Armory National Historic Site and are now maintained by the National Park Service.

[GrumpyDave]

Re: Use of Model 1863 Springfield Rifles

More...

The Springfield Model 1863 rifled musket is a .58 caliber rifled musket produced by the Springfield Armory between 1863 and 1865.
The Model 1863 was only a minor improvement over the Springfield Model 1861. As such, it is sometimes classified as just a variant of the Model 1861. The Model 1861, with all of its variants, was the most commonly used longarm in the U.S. Civil War, with over 700,000 manufactured. The Model 1863 also has the distinction of being the last muzzle loading longarm produced by the Springfield Armory.
The Model 1863 was produced in two variants. The Type I eliminated the band springs and replaced the flat barrel bands with oval clamping bands. It also featured a new ramrod, a case-hardened lock, a new hammer, and a redesigned bolster (percussion chamber). Several of these modifications were based upon Colt's contract model 1861, known as the "Colt special". 273,265 Type I variants were manufactured in 1863.
The Type II is sometimes referred to as the Model 1864, but is more commonly referred to as just a variant of the Model 1863. This version re-introduced band springs, replaced the clamping bands with solid oval bands, and replaced the three leaf rear sight with single leaf sight. A total of 255,040 of these were manufactured from 1864 to 1865

[Pritchett Ball]

Re: Use of Model 1863 Springfield Rifles

Soldiering:The civil War Diary of Rice C. Bull...March 23rd, 1865...
"The troops at the bridge were colored men and they made the mistake of thinking when they first saw us that were were also negro's....Their uniforms were new, and well fitted, bright and clean, their shoes were black and shining; their guns were the Springfield latest model and almost sparkled with brightness..."

http://books.google.com/books?id=SLYTAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA29&dq=the+story+of+a+common+soldier+of+army+life+in+the+civil+war&output=text

THE STORY OF A COMMON SOLDIER OF ARMY LIFE IN THE CIVIL WAR 1861-1865
By LEANDER STILLWELL

"We were glad to get the Austrians, and were quite proud of them. We used these until June, 1863, when we turned them in and drew in lieu thereof the Springfield rifle musket of the model of 1863. It was not as heavy as the Austrian, was neater looking, and a very efficient firearm. No further change was made, and we carried the Springfield thenceforward until we were mustered out.

Do we forsake the 1863/64 too often?

Kevin Dally

[Pelikan]

Re: Use of Model 1863 Springfield Rifles

The simplest explanation for reproducing the 1863 first is the same reason the '63 came into being originally: the '63 was easier and cheaper to produce--no cleanout screw, simpler barrel bands, simplified sights. Fewer parts means less machining, materials, and labor--and lower costs.

[dixieflyer]

Re: Use of Model 1863 Springfield Rifles

Man, I wish I still had mine. Back when I started in '81 that and the Euroarms Enfield were the only 3-bander repros out there. I picked mine up used at a local black powder shop. Wish I still had it.

[LibertyHallVols]

Re: Use of Model 1863 Springfield Rifles

That excerpt appears to be specific to the '63 Type II (aka '64). Is that the variety that is reproduced?
(band springs, not screws, etc)

If so, that would make sense that it would not have been widely available.
However, the US M1863 (Type I) would have been available in 1863.

Thanks!