Rare .54 Caliber Harpers Ferry US Model 1841 Type IIC Mississippi Rifle Alteration with Ohio Surcharge

American Civil War

.54 caliber. 33" round barrel secured by two flat brass spring-retained bands. NSN. Browned barrel, color casehardened lock and hammer, brass furniture, walnut stock. Single shot percussion muzzleloading rifle. Lock marked with a {SPREAD-WINGED EAGLE}/US forward of the hammer and in three vertical lines HARPERS/FERRY/1851 at the tail. Breech plug tang dated 1850. Mismatched dates on these arsenal alternated rifles are not uncommon as they were fully interchangeable guns. Breech with correct small V/P/{Eagle Head} proof and an AW/P inspection mark. Counterpane with no visible inspection marks and none visible inside the patchbox cut-out either. Patchbox cut-out with the three router pilot holes found on Harpers Ferry made 1841 rifle stocks. Spare cone in patchbox. Buttplate without the "US" on the tang, as is correct. Triggerguard tang numbered 14, and counterpane stamped with an OHIO ownership mark. Type IIC long range ladder rear sight that is graduated 2, 3, 4, 5 on the left sidewall, marked 6 through 9 on the ladder and 10 on the left edge of the upper sight notch. 1855 Rifle style iron front sight blade on low base. Rifle equipped with Harpers Ferry added saber bayonet lug on the right side, 3.5" from the muzzle without a guide key. As a result the upper band is the shorter 2.5" variant used by Harpers Ferry on the guns that received saber bayonet lugs on the barrel, replacing the original 3.375" long upper band. Retains original sling swivels and a full-length swelled steel tipped ramrod with good threads at the end. These all steel ramrods were added to some Harpers Ferry modified rifles that were intended to utilize conical ammunition. During the production run at Harpers Ferry a total of 25,207 Model 1841 rifles would be produced between 1844 and 1855. Of those, nearly 9,000 would be altered at Harpers Ferry to accept bayonets and would receive new, long-range rear sights. This is one of those mid-production alterations and according to Moller one of 1,050 rifles altered in fiscal year 1856 that received the new Type IIC rear sight. These were the first rifles to receive the new 1855 pattern front sight, rather than relying on the original brass blades. These rifles also saw the elimination of the 1" guide key from the saber bayonet lug. He notes that only 250 of these rifles remained in .54 caliber, with the other 800 being reamed up to .58 caliber. This is a lovely condition rifle in a very rare configuration that would be a fine addition to any advanced Mississippi Rifle collection, as most collectors do not have a .54 caliber Type IIC Rifle in their collection. A correct pattern saber bayonet for this rifle is being offered in the timed online sale that accompanies this live sale.

This lot is located in Cincinnati.

The Collection of John Vagnetti