Richmond Rifle Musket
Confederate States Armory, Richmond · Rifle · Discontinued · 1861
Also known as: Richmond Armory Rifle-Musket, C.S. Richmond Model 1862, Richmond Type II Rifle Musket
Overview
The Richmond Rifle Musket was a .58 caliber percussion, muzzle-loading rifled musket and the most numerous longarm produced by the Confederacy during the American Civil War. Built at the Richmond Armory on rifle-making machinery captured at the Harpers Ferry Armory in 1861, it was a close copy of the U.S. Model 1855 rifle-musket, distinguished by its humpback lock plate left by the original Maynard tape-primer dies. Roughly 31,000 rifle muskets were turned out between 1861 and 1865, making it the iconic infantry arm of the Confederate soldier.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 4309 g (152.0 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1422 mm (55.98") |
| Barrel Length | 1016 mm (40.00") |
| Action Type | Muzzleloader |
| Firing Mechanism | Percussion |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 1 rounds |
| Magazine Type | None |
| Muzzle Velocity | 290 m/s (951 fps) |
| Effective Range | 550 m (601 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 900 m (984 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 3 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | 3 Grooves, Right-Hand Twist |
| Number of Grooves | 3 |
| Frame Material | Iron |
| Barrel Material | Iron |
| Stock Material | Walnut |
| Finish | Bright Iron With Case-Hardened Lock |
Calibers
- .58 Caliber Minié Ball · primary — also known as 0.58 in, 14.7 mm, .58 Springfield
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Muzzle-Loaded Paper Cartridge
- Safety mechanisms: Half-Cock Hammer Notch
- Features: Muzzle-Loading Rifled Barrel, Percussion Caplock Ignition, Distinctive Humpback Lock Plate From Model 1855 Maynard Tape Primer Dies, Manufactured On Machinery Seized From Harpers Ferry Armory, Socket Bayonet Lug
Production
Estimated total produced: 31,000 · Production years: 1861-1865
Approximately 31,000 rifle muskets plus about 5,400 carbines and 1,350 short rifles built at the Richmond Armory; the largest production total of any Southern-made wartime longarm.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Discontinued: 1865
Notes
Produced in Type I through Type IV configurations as wartime shortages forced simplification of brass furniture and barrel-band fittings. The Richmond Armory also produced carbines and short rifles on the same machinery.
Background
When Virginia seized the Federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry in April 1861, the captured rifle-making machinery was shipped to Richmond, where it became the heart of the Confederacy's most productive small-arms plant. The tooling still carried the dies for the U.S. Model 1855's Maynard tape primer, leaving the Richmond's lock plate with a distinctive 'humpback' bulge even though no tape primer was ever fitted.