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Hallo!
Harpers Ferry got tooled up and started production of the U.S. Model 1841 Rifle in 1846 (aka the Mississippi Rifle, the Windsor Rifle, the Jaeger Rifle, or the Harpers Ferry Rifle). But by 1854, the U.S. was about to adopt the .58 "Burton" ball a variation of the BKA Minie ball. Before the adoption of the new .58 Model 1855 RM and M1855 Rifle (first produced in 1857), someone had the idea that the M1841 could be salvaged and altered to be on par with the new M1855 Rifle by reboring them to .58 from .54, adding a long range rear sight, and a mount for affixing a bayonet (all lacking on the M1841 Rifle). The M1841 rife would become the base or basis for the widest numbers of variations in U.S. military service. Some 9,000 Harpers Ferry made rifles between 1854 and its destruction in 1861 were altered. Not to mention thousands altered by a variety of contractors including Colt in a confusing number of ways and versions. And, in 1859 Secretary of War John Floyd sent 10,000 unaltered and altered M1841's to federal arsenals in the South in response to rumblings of conflict. Which was a nice gift to the Confederate Army when it captured the arsenals and armories. But when the Civil War started in 1861, about half of the Harpers Ferry and government contractor altered M1841's were still "new" sitting in their boxes in various government arsenals. But they did not stay there for long. This represents one of the 1854-1855 alterations done at Harpers Ferry but using one of roughly 97,500 M1841's made by Eli Whitney. It was one I had been "working" on for a pard starting with an old 1980's EuroArms repro for parts. Part time, on the back burner of a cold and dark stove, for a few years. But I do get by with a little help from my friends (Thanks Todd, for the barrel work). And as some 18th century powder horns read: "Make no more fun, for the horn is done."
Curt
Harpers Ferry got tooled up and started production of the U.S. Model 1841 Rifle in 1846 (aka the Mississippi Rifle, the Windsor Rifle, the Jaeger Rifle, or the Harpers Ferry Rifle). But by 1854, the U.S. was about to adopt the .58 "Burton" ball a variation of the BKA Minie ball. Before the adoption of the new .58 Model 1855 RM and M1855 Rifle (first produced in 1857), someone had the idea that the M1841 could be salvaged and altered to be on par with the new M1855 Rifle by reboring them to .58 from .54, adding a long range rear sight, and a mount for affixing a bayonet (all lacking on the M1841 Rifle). The M1841 rife would become the base or basis for the widest numbers of variations in U.S. military service. Some 9,000 Harpers Ferry made rifles between 1854 and its destruction in 1861 were altered. Not to mention thousands altered by a variety of contractors including Colt in a confusing number of ways and versions. And, in 1859 Secretary of War John Floyd sent 10,000 unaltered and altered M1841's to federal arsenals in the South in response to rumblings of conflict. Which was a nice gift to the Confederate Army when it captured the arsenals and armories. But when the Civil War started in 1861, about half of the Harpers Ferry and government contractor altered M1841's were still "new" sitting in their boxes in various government arsenals. But they did not stay there for long. This represents one of the 1854-1855 alterations done at Harpers Ferry but using one of roughly 97,500 M1841's made by Eli Whitney. It was one I had been "working" on for a pard starting with an old 1980's EuroArms repro for parts. Part time, on the back burner of a cold and dark stove, for a few years. But I do get by with a little help from my friends (Thanks Todd, for the barrel work). And as some 18th century powder horns read: "Make no more fun, for the horn is done."
Curt
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