Springfield Armory M1816 Type II

[WESTbury]

The 1823 dated Springfield Armory M1816 musket shown below was converted to percussion at Watertown Mass Federal Arsenal. We know that because of the alpha-numeric code stamped into the inside surface of the altered brass pan, bottom of the barrel, inside surface of the hammer, and top of the buttstock comb near the buttplate tang. Also, Springfield only altered unissued M1816 muskets manufactured after 1832 which were stored in the arsenal building at the Armory. This musket retains nearly all of the brown finish which is one of the defining characteristics of the Type II M1816.

For a more in depth discussion and more photos of percussion altered Springfield muskets, see pages 109-131 of my book, Springfield Armory Infantry Muskets 1794-1844. It is posted in the Recent Books section of this forum.