Here is a perfect example of what I was hoping to get at in my post on May 16th concerning what to look for with date and component relationships of Springfield Armory flintlock muskets.
This musket has a lock dated 1809 and a buttplate dated 1808. The date on the lock is the year in which the lock was made. In contrast the 1808 date on the buttplate is the year in which the musket was assembled, per Armory standard practice.
The triggerguard is the design developed in 1809. The lock has the integrally forged flashpan developed in 1809. Neither the triggerguard or the lock would be on an
as assembled at Springfield Armory Model 1795 Type III musket.
So what exactly do we have here? This particular musket is, probably, a great example of one the many muskets assembled by a private contractor using surplus components purchased at one of the many U.S Ordnance Dept. auctions of obsolete and defective musket components conducted in the 18 teens or 1820's and sold to various states. They are interesting and collectable as private contractor produced arms. There are many such examples in the market place. It is a great looking musket and the deep patina suggests it has noT been "fiddled with" in many, many years.
BUT NEVER SAY NEVER. There is always the possibility that the buttplate could have been replaced during the working life of the musket. The way to determine that would be to disassemble the musket to see if
all the components have matching Assembly Numbers.
In any event, this musket very definitely did not leave Springfield Armory with these mixed components.
