Springfield Model 1840 flintlock musket
Musket
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The Springfield Model 1840 was a flintlock musket manufactured by the United States during the mid-19th century. The .69 caliber musket had a 42-inch (110 cm) barrel, an overall length of 58 inches (150 cm), and a weight of 10 pounds (4.5 kg). More than 30,000 were produced by the Springfield and Harpers Ferry armories and two independent contractors between 1840 and 1846 (D. Nippes and L. Pomeroy).[2]
| Springfield Model 1840 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Type | Musket |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1840–1865 |
| Used by | |
| Wars | |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1840 |
| Manufacturer |
|
| Produced | 1840–1846 |
| No. built | c. 30,000 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 9.8 lb (4.4 kg) |
| Length | 58.0 in (1,470 mm) |
| Barrel length | 42.0 in (1,070 mm) |
| Cartridge | Paper cartridge, buck and ball/musket ball (.65/16.510 mm) undersized to reduce the effects of powder fouling |
| Caliber | .69 in (17.526 mm) |
| Action | Flintlock/percussion lock (conversion) |
| Rate of fire | User dependent; usually 2 to 3 rounds per minute |
| Muzzle velocity | 1,000 ft/s (300 m/s) to 1,400 ft/s (430 m/s) |
| Effective firing range | 50 to 100 yd (46 to 91 m) (smoothbore)[1] 200 to 400 yd (180 to 370 m) (rifled)[1] |
| Maximum firing range | 150 to 300 yd (140 to 270 m) (smoothbore)[1] 800 to 1,000 yd (730 to 910 m) (rifled)[1] |
| Feed system | Muzzle-loaded |
| Sights | A front sight cast into the upper barrel band, rear sight (percussion/rifled conversion) |
The Model 1840 was a minor improvement over the Springfield Model 1835, and therefore was not dramatically different from the older musket. The Model 1840 featured a longer bayonet with a clasp and a stock with a comb. The designers of the Model 1840 anticipated that the musket would eventually be rifled, and made the barrel thicker than the earlier Model 1835 accordingly. The various modifications to the Model 1840 made it slightly heavier than the Model 1835.[3]
The Model 1840 was the last flintlock musket produced at Springfield and Harpers Ferry armories. Many were converted to percussion lock due to better reliability and weather resistance before they made it to the field. Although produced as a smoothbore musket, most of the Model 1840 muskets had their barrels rifled later, as the designers had expected to fire the newly introduced Minié ball. However, despite having a thicker barrel, the increased breech pressure generated by the new expanding projectile was too great for the conversion process to hold and rifled Model 1840 muskets were rather issued standard .69 caliber round balls.[3]
See also
