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| Springfield Model 1842 | |
|---|---|
 Springfield Model 1842 Musket | |
| Type | Musket |
| Place of origin | United States of America |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1844–1865 |
| Used by | |
| Wars | |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1842 |
| Manufacturer | |
| Produced | 1844–1855 |
| No. built | 275,000 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 9.8 pounds (4.4 kg) |
| Length | 58 in (1,500 mm) |
| Barrel length | 42 in (1,100 mm) |
| Cartridge | Paper cartridge,musket ball undersized (.65/16,510 mm) to reduce the effects of powderfouling |
| Caliber | 0.69 in (17.5 mm) |
| Action | Percussion lock |
| Rate of fire | User dependent; usually 2 to 3 rounds every 1 minute |
| Muzzle velocity | 1,400 ft/s (430 m/s) |
| Effective firing range | 100–300 yd (300–900 ft; 91–274 m)[1] |
| Maximum firing range | 400 yd (1,200 ft; 370 m)[1] |
| Feed system | Muzzle-loaded |
| Sights | Afront sight cast into the barrel band |
TheUS Model 1842 Musket was a .69calibermusket manufactured and used in the United States during the 19th century. It is a continuation of theModel 1816 line of muskets but is generally referred to as its own model number rather than just a variant of the Model 1816.
The Model 1842 was the last U.S.smoothbore musket. Many features that had been retrofitted into theModel 1840 were standard on the Model 1842. The Model 1842 was the first primary U.S. muskets to be produced with apercussion lock; however, most of the Model 1840 flintlocks ended up being converted to percussion locks before reaching the field. Thepercussion cap system was vastly superior to theflintlock, being much more reliable and much more resistant to weather.
Like all Model 1816 derivatives, the Model 1842 has a .69 caliber smoothborebarrel that was 42 inches (110 cm) in length. The Model 1842 had an overall length of 58 inches (150 cm) and a weight of ten pounds (4.5 kg).
A great emphasis was placed onmanufacturing processes for the Model 1842. It was the firstsmall arm produced in the U.S. with fully interchangeable (machine-made) parts. Approximately 275,000 Model 1842 muskets were produced, manufactured at theSpringfield andHarper's Ferry armories between 1844 and 1855. Model 1842 muskets were also made by privatecontractors. However, these were few in number. Some were made byA.H. Waters andB. Flagg & Co, both ofMillbury, Massachusetts. These were distinguished by having brass furniture instead of iron. A.H. Waters went out of business due to a lack of contracts inNew England, and Flagg entered into a partnership withWilliam Glaze ofSouth Carolina. They relocated the machinery to thePalmetto Armory inColumbia, South Carolina. Instead of "V" over "P" over the eagle's head, these guns were usually stamped "P" over "V" over the palmetto tree. Most of the output of thePalmetto Armory went to the statemilitia of South Carolina. There were only 6,020 1842 type muskets produced on that contract and none were made there after 1853.
Like the earlier Model 1840, the Model 1842 was produced with an intentionally thicker barrel than necessary, with the assumption that it would likely be rifled later. As the designers anticipated, many of the Model 1842 muskets had their barrels rifled later so that they could fire the newly developedMinié ball. Tests conducted by theU.S. Army showed that the .69 caliber musket was not as accurate as the smaller borerifled muskets. Also, the Minié Ball, beingconical and longer than it was broad, had much more mass than around ball of the same caliber. A smaller caliber Minié ball could be used to provide as much mass on target as the larger .69 caliber round ball. For these reasons, the Model 1842 was the last .69 caliber musket. The Army later standardized on the .58 caliber Minié Ball, as used in theSpringfield Model 1855 andSpringfield Model 1861.
Both the original smoothbore version and the modified rifled version of the Model 1842 were used in theAmerican Civil War. The smoothbore version was produced without sights (except for a cast one on the barrel band). When Model 1842 muskets were modified to have rifled barrels, sights were usually added at the same time as therifling.
The 1842 musket was effectively used during the American Civil War.[2]
| Preceded by | United States Army rifle 1842–1855 | Succeeded by |
