Springfield Model 1816 Musket

About the Springfield Model 1816 Musket

The Springfield Model 1816 was a .69 caliber smoothbore flintlock musket and the standard U.S. military shoulder arm of the early-to-mid 19th century. Manufactured by Springfield Armory, Harpers Ferry Armory, and numerous private contractors between 1816 and 1844, it was produced in greater numbers than any other U.S. flintlock musket. Strongly influenced by the French Charleville pattern, it featured a straighter stock and grip than earlier models. Hundreds of thousands were later converted from flintlock to percussion ignition and saw service through the American Civil War.

The Model 1816 soldiered on far past its prime: tens of thousands were dug out of arsenals, converted from flint to percussion, and pressed back into service for the Civil War decades after they were first stacked away.

Springfield Model 1816 Musket specifications

Total production across all makers is estimated at roughly 675,000 units. Many surviving examples were converted to percussion lock in the 1840s-1850s.