1861 Springfield

[AR. Hillbilly]

Gonna be hunting for a 1861 Springfield or anything Civil War related. must be fire able.
will also be looking for a Navy soon after. Maybe reproductions. Depends on what I find on prices. For reenactment purposes.

 

[AlexanderA]

I would recommend the Pedersoli. This is the same as the former Euroarms, which was second in authenticity behind the (long-discontinued) Miroku. If you can find a used Miroku, buy it.

Avoid the Armi Sport. Too thick / heavy in both the stock and barrel.

Under no circumstances get a Remington Zouave for reenacting. These were not actually issued during the Civil War.

The reproduction bayonets (Indian-made) are junk. (You can bend them by hand.) Get an original bayonet to go with your reproduction musket. You can get one for less than $150.

ETA: Another choice would be the M1842 musket, either rifled or smoothbore. Here, the Armi Sport is excellent (rivals the originals), unlike their M1861 repro.

 

[gobsauce]

There's a Springfield locally, at Mesa Pawn. Saw it maybe three days ago? Looks fireable, bore wasn't bad either. Hammer notches all worked, trigger worked, etc.

 

[AlexanderA]

I might add that if you're getting into reenacting, you should probably budget $1,000 for your basic armament. And that's just a fraction of the total cost. This hobby is expensive.

And you cannot do this individually. You have to align yourself with a unit. They, in turn, will give you plenty of advice on how to get outfitted. They might even loan you the equipment, to start.

(Speaking as a former multi-time-period reenactor.)

 

[Jim Watson]

They, in turn, will give you plenty of advice on how to get outfitted.

An avid reenactor here has studied individual units and will speak on guns and gear appropriate to a company and a period.

 

[AR. Hillbilly]

Thanks to each of you. I belong to an SCV camp. They’re quite helpful. Also I live near Pea Ridge battlefield and plan to join a Unit there.
I’m just a beginner and have a lot to learn. The guys in my camp have me headed in the right direction.
Funny thing,
I went to the donut store this morning.
Beside it is a pawn shop. I went in to look about.
they just got I. 2 1851 Navy replicas. A short barrel and a long barrel. $119.00 each. brass frames. the short one was a little nicer but I think I want the longer one.

 

[StrawHat]

No such thing as an authentic brass framed Colt 1851, or any other 36 or 44 caliber Colt. Tethered were a very few bronze framed revolvers made by the Confederate armament suppliers but the Italians produce more in a week than they did in four years.


I would counsel you to talk with the unit you intend to join BEFORE you purchase anything. They maybe outfitted with Burnsides, Harpers Ferry’s or a wide variety of other long arms and will probably have certain hand guns that will be accepted. As far as edged weapons, the regiment that I associated with absolutely forbade them. Too many people got hurt during re-enactments so they got left behind. Same with ram rods.


Kevin

 

[AlexanderA]

Having once owned a pair of brass-framed Colt 1851 repros, I would advise you to avoid them. Pay a little more and get a steel frame.

 

[AR. Hillbilly]

Having once owned a pair of brass-framed Colt 1851 repros, I would advise you to avoid them. Pay a little more and get a steel frame.

Thank you

 

[AR. Hillbilly]

No such thing as an authentic brass framed Colt 1851, or any other 36 or 44 caliber Colt. Tethered were a very few bronze framed revolvers made by the Confederate armament suppliers but the Italians produce more in a week than they did in four years.
Will do


I would counsel you to talk with the unit you intend to join BEFORE you purchase anything. They maybe outfitted with Burnsides, Harpers Ferry’s or a wide variety of other long arms and will probably have certain hand guns that will be accepted. As far as edged weapons, the regiment that I associated with absolutely forbade them. Too many people got hurt during re-enactments so they got left behind. Same with ram rods.


Kevin

 

[Captain*kirk]

Seconds on the brassers for reenactors unless it's a Reb unit. Yankees never had any brass guns issued and the Reb ones were bronze. The brass Remington never existed in any form.

 

[Jackrabbit1957]

I would be curious to hear from actual brass frame pistol owners as to how well they hold up, details such as make and model, barrel to cylinder gap, any imprinting of the brass, what loads and projectile used.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Find the unit and they'll tell you what gun for that time period they reenact. Some units were reequipped as time progressed. If you're an infantryman, it's rare for them to have revolvers. In 1861 along with their musket, knapsack, blanket roll, haversack, cartridge box and belt, canteen, they were loaded down with pistols and bowie knives. Anything unncessary was discarded along the march as impediments to the march. So, forget the revolver (unless you're an officer).

Keep brass framed guns to 20 grains of powder.

 

[APG]

I have a Pedersoli 1861 Springfield and I love it. I'm not into the reenacting thing but I do get a kick out of watching others.

 

[AlexanderA]

I have a Pedersoli 1861 Springfield and I love it. I

Putting my Pedersoli side-by-side with my Euroarms, they're exact twins. Pedersoli must have bought the tooling from the defunct Euroarms. The only problem with my particular Pedersoli is that the front band is seated about 1/8" too far back in relation to the band spring, causing it to slide back and forth that distance. This is a "sample defect" -- either the shoulder on the stock was milled too far back, or the hole for the band spring was drilled too far forward. This is something I can fix by redrilling the hole.

Likewise, my Armi Sport M1842 musket (otherwise an excellent reproduction) came with the bayonet lug in the wrong place. I corrected this by unsoldering it and then re-silver-soldering it in the correct position.

The moral of these stories? Carefully inspect the musket for things like this before you buy. Such an inspection is not really possible if you buy by mail order. Then, you have to rely on the seller's return policy.

 

[dave951]

I quit reenacting years ago and then found the North South Skirmish Association. We shoot these guns with live ammunition in competition. Beats the stuffins out of blanks for me.

 

[AlexanderA]

I quit reenacting years ago and then found the North South Skirmish Association.

Reenacting and the N-SSA are two different worlds. Some individuals participate in both, but the mindsets are completely different.

When I was participating in reenacting, I would always attend the N-SSA Nationals in the spring and fall -- not to shoot, but to resupply myself at the sutlers'. So to that extent, at least, there's an overlap.

But, strangely, even my interest in reenacting was really in furtherance of my collecting. Deep down, it was all about gun collecting. (And gun collecting is not just about the guns themselves -- it also includes all the paraphernalia surrounding guns.)

 

[drobs]

N-SSA does look like fun, just wish we had some clubs west of the Mississippi River.

 

[dave951]

Reenacting and the N-SSA are two different worlds. Some individuals participate in both, but the mindsets are completely different.

When I was participating in reenacting, I would always attend the N-SSA Nationals in the spring and fall -- not to shoot, but to resupply myself at the sutlers'. So to that extent, at least, there's an overlap.

But, strangely, even my interest in reenacting was really in furtherance of my collecting. Deep down, it was all about gun collecting. (And gun collecting is not just about the guns themselves -- it also includes all the paraphernalia surrounding guns.)

While I did reenact for a number of years, my main interest has always been in the live fire side of things. Living history is ok, but in years as a reenactor, I've found that the level of knowledge regarding how to shoot these arms with live ammunition is hugely lacking in the reenactor side of things. Conversely, many N-SSA guys don't drill according to Hardee's and know little about the life of the average soldier in the War. The guys I generally hang out with in the N-SSA are knowledgeable in both worlds and are interested in working to promote black powder shooting sports.