William Mason Rifle-Musket – Dated 1864 Confederate “Z” Stock Mark

William Mason Rifle-Musket – Dated 1864 Confederate “Z” Stock Mark - Inventory Number: CON 594

This is a William Mason rifle-musket, dated 1864, a contractor-produced variant of the U.S. Model 1861, notable for its rare “Z” stamp impressed into the underside of the stock—a mark commonly attributed to Confederate inspection or post-capture inventory identification.

William Mason of Taunton, Massachusetts, was one of several Northern arms contractors who supplied rifle-muskets to the U.S. government during the Civil War. This .58 caliber, percussion, muzzle-loading firearm features a 40-inch barrel, three iron barrel bands, and a walnut stock with standard military configuration. The lock is marked: “U.S. / Wm. Mason / Taunton / 1864”, and the barrel is stamped with the matching date near the breech.

The deeply struck “Z” marking on the underside of the stock has been linked by collectors and historians to Confederate forces—either as an acceptance or inspector’s mark applied after capture, reissue, or clandestine acquisition through battlefield recovery a true veteran which served on both sides North and South. Though not officially documented in surviving Confederate ordnance records, such markings are regarded as strong evidence of Southern use or appropriation.

This weapon stands as a rare surviving example of the complex journey many Civil War arms took—manufactured in the North, possibly issued to Union troops, then ultimately falling into Confederate hands.

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Inventory Number: CON 594