Hi folks I have a 1795 Springfield musket that my FIL found in the wall of an old farmhouse he was remodeling. It has been converted to percussion and 11" cutoff the barrel the middle band has been removed and the end one moved back. Online research tells me that the percussion conversion was common back in the day and that the confederates often did it during the civil war. Research also tells that many of these guns were shortened and used as shotguns buy farmers and hunters after the war. The stock is stamped USTATES under neath just behind the trigger guard and US on the right side as well as on the lock, the gun is fairly clean although rusty brown but very little pitting. I would like to shoot this gun but with shot not a ball and I would first like to shoot with just a light powder load behind a wad of paper. How do reannacters do it? I do shoot black powder quite often both percussion and flint long rifles as well as 1851 navy 36 cal. so I am not totally new but never a smooth bore. I was thinking first try would be 50 gr fff behind a wad of news paper. then go from there.
1795 Springfield Musket converted to percussion and shortened
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ThomasT
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I think you are on the right track. Good looking gun too.
Thanks for the quick reply I am anxious to shoot it the gun powder and paper sit on the table waiting. I will post back with results. BTW I have a bunch of .310 balls for my 32 cal flint. would they work as buck shot maybe 3 or 4 balls or should I just buy real shot.
Well that was fun, It fired as it should with 50 grs. of fff behind a wad of news paper. Found out you wouldn't want to do that in fall with dry leaves on the ground LOL. The paper laid on the snow smoldering about 20 ft down range. I am happy it works now that I finally tried it and cleaned it the gun will go back on the wall where I think it will stay, my curiosity is satisfied. Thanks again for your response.
Shanghai McCoy
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Nice piece of history there and a good save by your FIL. 
Heck, I'd take it out and see what it will do with a round ball for deer then shot for turkeys.
Heck, I'd take it out and see what it will do with a round ball for deer then shot for turkeys.
AlexanderA
Member
Before firing it with any kind of projectile, I would pull the breech plug and see what the internal condition of the barrel is. The breech end of the barrel might have been weakened by 200 years of corrosion. If you can't easily pull the breech plug, I would just leave it alone and not fire it.
Jackrabbit1957
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A further word of caution, pull the nipple drum before attempting to remove the breech plug.
AlexanderA
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Yes, that looks like a drum-type conversion, but I'm not sure the drum is easily removable. It might be welded in place. Or 200 years of corrosion has "welded" it in place. (Same for the breech plug, actually.)
You need to determine if the nipple drum impinges on the breech plug. Run the ramrod down the barrel and see exactly where the breech plug ends. The face of the breech plug might be behind the nipple drum, in which case you could remove the breech plug on its own.
Attempting to do this kind of disassembly might cause irreparable damage. If you run into problems, it might be best to just leave it alone and keep the gun as a relic.
ThomasT
Member
I don't think I would try to remover anything except maybe be nipple. I bet everything is welded together by age and rust.
But that wouldn't stop me from shooting it with light loads. Maybe 50grs of powder and 3/4 oz of bird shot.
But that wouldn't stop me from shooting it with light loads. Maybe 50grs of powder and 3/4 oz of bird shot.
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