Springfield Model 1861 Rifled Musket

About the Springfield Model 1861 Rifled Musket

The Springfield Model 1861 Rifled Musket was the principal infantry weapon of the Union Army during the American Civil War. A .58 caliber percussion-cap, muzzle-loading rifled musket produced at the Springfield Armory and by some twenty private contractors, it fired the hollow-based Minié ball through a three-groove barrel, giving it far greater accuracy and range than the smoothbore muskets it replaced. The combination of rifled muskets and Minié ammunition is widely credited as a major factor in the war's high casualty rates.

The marriage of the rifled musket and the expanding Minié ball gave Civil War infantry effective fire to several hundred yards, far beyond the smoothbore's reach, while Napoleonic close-order tactics lagged behind, contributing to staggering casualties.

Springfield Model 1861 Rifled Musket specifications

Rifling twist is approximately one turn in 72 inches (1:72). Some sources cite muzzle velocity up to ~305 m/s depending on powder load. Superseded by the Model 1863.