Colt's 1861 Musket?

[72coupe]

I have an 1861 Colt's Musket. It is a signature model and is probably 40 years old but never fired. I took the barrel out of the stock Sunday and found this.

Does this look safe to you?

 

[Ephraim Kibbey]

That is scary! Someone, somewhere was watching over you.

 

[72coupe]

I have one of those Lyman bore scopes but it is not nearly long enough to look at that area of the barrel.

I have always been lucky but I have lived to be 69 by not doing stupid things.

 

[Curator]

The breech plug should be able to be unscrewed, After it is you may want to have the breech section Magnifluxed. Those barrels were not lap welded, so the line may be a machining mark and not a crack.

 

[Mike OTDP]

I'd put those pics up on the N-SSA BB, they can refer you to a gunsmith.

 

[AlexanderA]

Is it a crack, or is it a surface scratch? I tend to think it might be a surface scratch because of the way it continues from the barrel across the bottom of the breech plug.

It might be worth it to have a gunsmith pull the breech plug and find out for sure what is going on there.

 

[AlexanderA]

The guy that does a lot of barrel work for N-SSA members is Whitacre's Machine Shop. He's a great guy to work with. (He made the barrel for my hybrid repro / original M1842 musket.)

http://www.whitacresmachineshop.com/

 

[72coupe]

Thanks for the breech plug tip. It doesn't look like a scratch and it continues as a hair line several inches up the barrel. If I could get the breech plug out I could look inside with my bore scope.

 

[forward observer]

That is a worrysome discovery.

I hope it turns out to be just a surface abrasion, but it looks like a hairline split along with a piece that chipped out of the fracture although as Alexander A mentioned, it is odd that the crack would extend into the base of what must be the breech plug bolster. It's hard to believe that it got out of the factory in that condition

The Colt signature series (3rd gen) was only manufactured from 1994 to 2002 and the 1861 musket was only added in 1995, so your musket can't be any older than 21 years. I think this model was only offered for a year or two and of course 2002 was the end for all 3rd gens. Original MSRP for the standard model was $615. There was also a presentation model housed in a military style pine crate and a shorter artillery model, which are a bit rarer.*

I just let my subscription to the current Blue Book of black powder replicas expire or I could give you a current value. I'm pretty sure it's in the $850 to $950 range though.

Good luck

*from the Colt percussion Collectors and Price guide handbook #6 by Denis Russell, which deals specifically with Colt 2nd and 3rd gen percussion firearms.

 

[72coupe]

Thanks FO I thought it would be older than that. This 1861 is the 2 band model.

 

[forward observer]

Thanks FO I thought it would be older than that. This 1861 is the 2 band model.

Then that would be a bit more desirable. According to Russell, they were released in 1996 with an original MSRP of $700. Current value would go up accordingly. He doesn't give any production numbers for any of the 3rd gen Colts because production numbers are simply not available presently. When Colt Blackpowder Arms shut down in 2002, all the serial number records mysteriously disappeared. That's one of the reasons that Colt will not or can not issue factory letters for the 3rd gens while they will letter the 2nd gens. There's a lot more to it than that and It's a long involved story that I won't bother you with here.

Cheers

 

[4v50 Gary]

What curator suggested. Magnaflux it.

 

[72coupe]

I will be careful with it. I don't wont it to look like this gun.

 

[AlexanderA]

The Colt Signature Series 1861 Special is a bit of a strange animal. It was apparently assembled by Colt from Italian parts (made by Armi Sport / Chiappa). It's a hybrid of parts from the Armi Sport 1863 (seldom imported into this country) and their Enfield. Since the parts were not made in house by Colt, it's possible that this barrel missed the usual quality control checks.

 

[sharps59]

I have an 1861 Colt's Musket. It is a signature model and is probably 40 years old but never fired. I took the barrel out of the stock Sunday and found this.

Does this look safe to you?

i HAVE 2 of the colts 1861 2 ban musket had same question when i got them. the marks you see are milling marks. got my son's new 12 yrs ago. now, me mine 10 yrs. same marks
had bobby hoyt check them both. Now on another not. If you put a patch down the barrel it you fell it grabbing. you may have a threading problem. Some of these barrels had the breach thread to log. one of ours was good the other wants. Bobby took care of that problem for me.
when a get a chance I will pull my barrel take a pic and post it. Don't know exactly when I will have time. oh what looks like a chip is your indexing point when re assembling if I remember correctly

 

[72coupe]

Thanks Sharps. That is good news.

 

[sharps59]

FYI the load I use is 42gr of 3fffg goex w a rcbs hodgens 580. Both mine shot the same. They are sized 580. From a 584 mold. They clover leaf at 50 yrds.