Rare US Springfield "Hunters" Musket???

[billywebb]

I apologize in advance for another eBay thread, but was there ever such a thing as an 1863 US Springfield "Hunters" Musket? In all seriousness, I have been reading and studying the Civil War and it's weapons for most of my years but I somehow missed this one... or did I? Any thoughts or opinions would be appreciated. I see no one has bid on it which may say something in itself.

eBay 2250437122 - 1863 US Springfield "Hunters" Musket

[Bill Huber]

Re: Rare US Springfield "Hunters" Musket???

I apologize in advance for another eBay thread, but was there ever such a thing as an 1863 US Springfield "Hunters" Musket? In all seriousness, I have been reading and studying the Civil War and it's weapons for most of my years but I somehow missed this one... or did I? Any thoughts or opinions would be appreciated. I see no one has bid on it which may say something in itself.

eBay 2250437122 - 1863 US Springfield "Hunters" Musket

From the pics it looks as if someone "sporterized" the Springfield by shortening the forestock. I've never seen a Springfield done this way, but have seen many bolt-action weapons like the Mauser and '03 Springfield that have been modified in a similar fashion. Looks like a repop that someone has modified.

[Vuhginyuh]

Re: Rare US Springfield "Hunters" Musket???

Bentonville Battleground NCSHS displayed a critter similar to this for years. It was a Springfield altered and used by a Federal veteran as a fowlerafter the war. The soldier's family gave it to Col. Hershel Rose of Smithfield NC, who was the original steward of the battlefield. The Rose/Wilkins family donated the piece to the State when the site was officialy developed.

The piece was displayed because at the time it was thought to be the only extant example of an arm used at Bentonville.

Correct me if I am wrong but I do believe I remember seeing in a ca. 1900 Sears (& Roebuck?) catalog '61 and '63 Springfields already coverted to ''hunters models'' or sold a kit with a white poured metal nosecap and brass ramrod thimbles to convert one at home.

[RockCityGuard]

Re: Rare US Springfield "Hunters" Musket???

I tend to agree that it is a cut-down or 'sportorized' version.

Here is a link to a picture of a cut-down 1852:

http://www.gunsamerica.com/guns/976451251.htm

I did find an 1863 model that looks much like the one on ebay but it says nothing about being a "hunter's" model.

http://www.gunsamerica.com/guns/976475143.htm

[Tim Prince]

Re: Rare US Springfield "Hunters" Musket???

More than likely this is a Bannerman cut down gun sold as a shotgun after war. The pictures are so bad that it is hard to tell but it could even be a Bannerman "Quaker Gun" which were wall hangers made up of cut down musket parts and often had a black painted wooden barrel. I've bought a couple of the Quaker guns over the years for pennies just for the hardware- lock & action, butt plate and barrel bands if they are still there. If the gun were pristine it might be worth $200-$300 for the parts. It's trash and I think that the seller is trying to pass it off as the Civil War version of the Trapdoor Forager shotgun which is a very rare and expensive Indian War era gun.

[cwarren64]

Re: Rare US Springfield "Hunters" Musket???

My Dad has one of these cut down model 63 springfields. The sights were removed and the rifle groves bored smooth for a shot gun look. The folks my Dad bought it from back in the 70's when we lived in NC said it was an old surplus gun Sears sold back in the day. So it fits with the early 1900's catelog mentioned earlier.
I actually used it when I first started reenacting as a kid back in the early 80's for my uber-squared away dismounted cav impression. Ah the good old days. The pics are always good for a good laugh.
Warren Clark
3VA, IVR

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Rare US Springfield "Hunters" Musket???

Hallo Kameraden!

Indeed...
These pop up every now and again, and are post war "Bannerman/Sears" type surplus offerings found in their catalogs for years.

They have many "names" such as "farmer's shotguns" and "poorman's shotguns," etc., etc.

These surplus types can be found as intact 40 inch barrelled versions with the rrifling bored smooth, the front sight filed down, and the rear sight replaced with a flush-fitting dovetail filler- all the way down to intact as well as cut-down barrels"half stocks" with wooden ramrod tubes or thimbles soldered to the barrel- or even fancier versions with poured pewter nosecaps.

And as stated, they used to be a great buy for "restorations" and custom builders particularly for the usuable parts. These are getting hartder to find, not only due to time and attrition, but also due to smarter dealers and sellers using a "Civil War" connection to try to inflate the price (and parts dealers who look to "salvage" perhaps $2,000-$3,000 off a small initial investment).

Curt-Heinrich Schmidt

[KentuckyReb]

Re: Rare US Springfield "Hunters" Musket???

Here in Indiana, at Spring Mill State Park, they have this huge old 4-story mill turned into a museum. The houses in the 'village' were moved in from other locations in the area, with a lot of the stuff found in the houses being put on display in the cases. There's a '42 in one of the cases with the stock cut down like this, probably for a fowler/shotgun like the others mentioned. One of the workers said it was up in the loft of the oldest house moved to the property. I always liked to speculate how it ended up in the house.

The item appears to have been pulled off Ebay or something...

[billywebb]

Re: Rare US Springfield "Hunters" Musket???

Posted by KentuckyReb: The item appears to have been pulled off Ebay or something...

eBay must have considered it an "assault weapon"... :)

Thanks to all who replied above for clearing this up for me...