Wickham Philadelphia Model 1816 Percussion Conversion

Description

Wickham Philadelphia Model 1816 Percussion Conversion

 

U.S. Model 1816 musket converted to percussion by Philadelphia contractor M.T.Wickham utilizing the threaded side-bolster alteration system.

 

The lock is marked U.S. / M.T. Wickham beneath the bolster with “Phila 1825” at the rear of the lock plate. The barrel tang is also stamped 1825 and retains U.S. and inspector proof marks near the breech.

 

Metal surfaces display a consistent peppered patina while the stock retains a pleasing deep color with faint remnants of the original inspector cartouche opposite the lock. Both sling swivels remain intact and the musket retains its button-tipped ramrod. Alterations such as this were part of the widespread effort to modernize earlier flintlock muskets as percussion ignition replaced the flint system in the mid-nineteenth century.

 

Converted Model 1816 muskets were among the most common stop-gap arms of the 1840s through early Civil War period. Originally produced as flintlocks, they were modernized through cone-in-barrel, side-bolster, or braised-bolster systems in order to extend their useful life after percussion ignition superseded the flint mechanism. These conversions are historically significant because they document the long service life of early U.S. military arms and the enormous demand for shoulder weapons in both state and national service.

 

Inventory Number: RIF 300