1863 Savage Rifle Musket Captured & Collected “Q” Marked / SOLD

1863 Savage Rifle Musket - Inventory Number: CON 541 / SOLD

A Rifled Musket that Saw Service in US and CS Service!

Captured & Collected “Q” marked

Outstanding Condition Example

Savage Revolving Firearms Company U.S. Contract Model 1861 Civil War Rifle-Musket, made in 1863 in Middletown, Connecticut. Savage was a major contractor in the Civil War who supplied the government with some 25,520 such muskets for the army. The Model 1861 was the primary infantry weapon of the American Civil War for the Union. The Federal army was not prepared for war in 1861. Quite a few of its arms were in southern hands, and the two armories, Springfield, Massachusetts and Harpers Ferry, Virginia, could not make the standard rifle-musket quickly enough to supply the army. Early in the War, Harpers Ferry was captured, and the machinery was sent to the south. The result was that the Union turned to contractors. Model 1861 was contracted out to over 20 different companies aside from the national armory at Springfield. Compared to the total production numbers of over a million, production of the Savage contract was limited to 25,520 making these scarce and desirable.             

In their desperate need for serviceable military arms, the Confederate Ordnance Bureau developed a system to recover, clean, repair, inspect, and reissue arms captured from Union soldiers and gleaned from the battlefield. Over 200,000 small arms of all types were eventually processed, with inspection stamp letters A, F, Q, T, and Z applied to the reissued guns, typically just in front of the trigger guard. This example is a Model 1861 Springfield with a Confederate cleaned and repaired inspector marking “Q” in front of the trigger guard.  

Barrel is bright, smooth, and clean. Barrel measures 40” long and features standard two-leaf rear sight and bayonet lug / front blade sight. Top flat of breech is stamped “1863” and viewer’s proof marks “V / P / eagle head” are on the left facet of barrel. Bore is clean and bright with strong rifling.

Lockplate is strongly stamped in front of hammer with a spread-winged eagle motif above “U.S.” Just forward is the two-line maker address “SAVAGE R. F. A. Co. / MIDDLETOWN, Ct.” A clean date “1863” stamped on lockplate behind hammer. Mechanics strong and tight. Steel ramrod with threaded tip, original barrel bands (Possibly from Richmond as the “U” does not line up with the band springs, sling swivels, and trigger guard assembly are all original and in place. The Butt plate has clearly stamped “U.S” on tang. All gun metal components are in very good condition with a bright, clean finish.  The stock is unsanded and has standing grain.  The absence of a cartouche as well as the metal fit indicated that this is a confederate manufactured stock.  The nipple retains a hue of the original blued finish.  The action is tight, and the markings are crisp.  It would be hard to improve on a gun used on both sides of the conflict in this condition. This is one of the 2 best we have encountered with the C&C marking.

Inventory Number: CON 541 / SOLD