US Harpers Ferry Model 1855 Rifle-Musket
Harpers Ferry Armory · Rifle · Out Of Production · 1857
Also known as: Model 1855 Springfield, M1855 Rifle-Musket, Maynard Tape-Primer Musket
Overview
The US Harpers Ferry Model 1855 Rifle-Musket was the first regulation US longarm to combine the .58-caliber Minié ball with rifled barrel and the Maynard tape-primer ignition system. Produced at the Harpers Ferry and Springfield armories, it featured a 40-inch three-groove rifled barrel secured by three barrel bands and a long-range rear sight. The Maynard system fed a paper roll of percussion caps automatically as the hammer was cocked, though the tapes proved unreliable in the field and were soon abandoned in favor of standard percussion caps on the succeeding Model 1861.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 4500 g (158.7 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1422 mm (55.98") |
| Barrel Length | 1016 mm (40.00") |
| Action Type | Muzzleloader |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 1 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Internal |
| Effective Range | 274 m (300 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 549 m (600 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 2 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 3 |
| Frame Material | Wood |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Bright Steel |
Calibers
- .58 Caliber Minié Ball · primary — also known as .58 Minie, .58 caliber, Minié ball
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Muzzle Loaded
- Features: Maynard Tape Primer, Three Barrel Bands, Long Range Rear Sight, Angular Socket Bayonet Lug, Rifled Barrel
Variants
- US Model 1855 Rifle (33-inch barrel) — Short Rifle
- US Model 1855 Carbine — Carbine
Service history
Operators
- United States Army · adopted 1855 · as Model 1855 Rifle-Musket
- Confederate States Army · adopted 1861
Conflicts
- American Civil War (1861-1865)
Production
Estimated total produced: 66,289 · Production years: 1857-1861
Approximately 59,273 rifle-muskets and 7,016 carbines produced at Harpers Ferry and Springfield armories
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: James Henry Burton
Discontinued: 1861
Notes
The Maynard tape primer used a waterproof paper tape of caps advanced by a feed mechanism in the lock; the hammer's knife-edge lip sheared the spent portion. Approximately 59,273 rifle-muskets and 7,016 carbines were produced.
Background
The Maynard tape primer worked like a roll-cap toy pistol, advancing a paper strip of percussion caps automatically as the hammer rose, but the tapes swelled in damp weather and so often failed that soldiers loaded ordinary caps by hand anyway.