Springfield M1855

Last Updated on Tuesday, 21 July 2009 16:58 Written by Administrator Thursday, 02 July 2009 15:57

The Springfield M1855 is a 19th century rifled musket that was manufactured by the Springfield Armoury in Massachusetts, USA. The M1855 was widely employed during the American Civil War. About 60,000 units of the M1855 were manufactured during the 19th century.

Older muskets were mostly flintlock guns will a smooth-bore. However by 1840s, these were replaced with percussion-cap systems. These were not only more reliable but also more resistant to adverse weather. Soon smooth-bore barrels were replaced with rifled-barrels. The rifled barrel increased the range and accuracy of the musket tremendously. The Model 1855 had an effective range of 800 to 1000 yards.

The Springfield M1855 had .58 barrel. Older Springfield muskets had .69 calibre barrels and so the M1855 had a smaller calibre bore when compared to the older guns. However, it was more accurate when a minie ball was used with it.

The Springfield M1855 also used an improved percussion cap system called the Maynard tape primer. Instead of using individual percussion caps, the Maynard tape allowed a percussion cap located on the tape to be loaded every time the hammer was pulled back. However, the powder and the ball had to be loaded manually every time the gun was to be fired.

The Springfield M1855 was expensive and time-taking to manufacture and so many troops went to war with other weapons such as the traditional smooth-bore muskets that were completely underpowered when compared to the M1855. Subsequently, the Union Army adopted the M1861 which used a simpler percussion cap and sights. Another version was also developed. It was designated as M1863 and had a stronger hammer for better firing.

During the American Civil War, more than 650,000 Springfield rifles were obtained by the US Army. More than 20 contractors manufactured these rifles. Other guns were also used but the Springfield rifle was the main weapon of the US Army.

Over the years, several other rifles were developed and subsequently they replaced the Springfield. The quest for more firepower led to the development of rifles with internal magazines and they became the next weapon of choice.

---

Share this on