Springfield musket may refer to any one of several types of

small arms A firearm is any type of gun that uses an explosive charge and is designed to be readily carried and operated by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see legal definitions). The first firearms originate ...

produced by the

Springfield Armory The Springfield Armory, more formally known as the United States Armory and Arsenal at Springfield located in the city of Springfield, Massachusetts, was the primary center for the manufacture of United States military firearms from 1777 until ...

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is the most populous city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, and its county seat. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ea ...

, for the

United States armed forces The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States. U.S. United States Code, federal law names six armed forces: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States Navy, Na ...

. In modern times, these

musket A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually dis ...

s are commonly referred to by their date of design followed by the name Springfield ("1855 Springfield", for example). However, U.S. Ordnance Department documentation at the time did not use "Springfield" in the name ("Rifle Musket, Model 1855", for example). They are sometimes incorrectly referred to as "

Springfield rifle The term Springfield rifle may refer to any one of several types of small arms produced by the Springfield Armory in Springfield, Massachusetts, for the United States armed forces. In modern usage, the term "Springfield rifle" most commonly ref ...

s". Rifles have grooves on the inside of their barrels. Smoothbore muskets do not. The term "

Rifled musket A rifled musket, rifle musket, or rifle-musket is a type of firearm made in the mid-19th century. Originally the term referred only to muskets that had been produced as a smoothbore weapon and later had their Gun barrel, barrels replaced with Ri ...

" originally referred to smoothbore muskets that later had their barrels rifled for use of the

Minié ball The Minié ball, or Minie ball, is a type of hollow-based bullet designed by Claude-Étienne Minié for muzzle-loaded, rifled muskets. Invented in 1846 shortly followed by the Minié rifle, the Minié ball came to prominence during the Crime ...

. This term was extended to include weapons that were produced with

rifled Rifling is the term for helical grooves machined into the internal surface of a firearms's barrel for imparting a spin to a projectile to improve its aerodynamic stability and accuracy. It is also the term (as a verb) for creating such groove ...

barrels, as long as the overall design was very similar to the original

smoothbore A smoothbore weapon is one that has a barrel without rifling. Smoothbores range from handheld firearms to powerful tank guns and large artillery mortars. Some examples of smoothbore weapons are muskets, blunderbusses, and flintlock pistols. ...

musket. Smoothbore muskets: *

Springfield Model 1795 The Springfield Model 1795 was a .69 caliber flintlock musket manufactured in the late 18th and early 19th centuries in the United States. The Model 1795 was the first musket to be produced in the United States by Eli Whitney at both the Springfi ...

– .69 caliber

flintlock Flintlock is a general term for any firearm that uses a flint-striking lock (firearm), ignition mechanism, the first of which appeared in Western Europe in the early 16th century. The term may also apply to a particular form of the mechanism its ...

smoothbore musket and first longarm to be manufactured at Springfield. *

Springfield Model 1812 Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queensl ...

– .69 caliber flintlock smoothbore musket. *

Springfield Model 1816 Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queensl ...

– .69 caliber flintlock smoothbore musket. *

Springfield Model 1822 Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queensla ...

– .69 caliber flintlock smoothbore musket. * * Springfield Model 1835 – .69 caliber flintlock smoothbore musket. *

Springfield Model 1840 Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queensl ...

– .69 caliber flintlock smoothbore musket. *

Springfield Model 1842 The US Model 1842 Musket was a .69 caliber musket manufactured and used in the United States during the 19th century. It is a continuation of the Model 1816 line of muskets but is generally referred to as its own model number rather than just a ...

– .69 caliber

percussion lock The percussion cap, percussion primer, or caplock, introduced in the early 1820s, is a type of single-use percussion ignition device for muzzle loader firearm locks enabling them to fire reliably in any weather condition. Its invention gave ...

smoothbore musket. *

Springfield Model 1847 The Springfield Model 1847 was a percussion lock musketoon produced by the Springfield Armory in the mid-19th century. History Muskets were designed for a dual purpose on the battlefield. They could be used as a ranged weapon, and they could also ...

– .69 caliber percussion lock smoothbore musketoon. Rifled musket: *

Springfield Model 1855 The Springfield Model 1855 was a rifled musket widely used in the American Civil War. It exploited the advantages of the new conical Minié ball, which could be deadly at over . It was a standard infantry weapon for Union and Confederates al ...

– .58 caliber

Maynard tape primer The Maynard tape primer was a system designed by Edward Maynard to allow for more rapid reloading of muskets. Invention Muskets in the early 19th century were flintlocks, which had a high rate of misfire and performed poorly in damp and humid w ...

percussion lock rifled musket. *

Springfield Model 1861 The Springfield Model 1861 was a Minié-type rifled musket used by the United States Army during the American Civil War. Commonly referred to as the "Springfield" (after its original place of production, Springfield, Massachusetts). It was the ...

– .58 caliber percussion lock rifled musket. *

Springfield Model 1863 The Springfield Model 1863 was a .58 caliber rifled musket manufactured by the Springfield Armory and independent contractors between 1863 and 1865. The Model 1863 was only a minor improvement over the Springfield Model 1861. As such, it is s ...

– .58 caliber percussion lock rifled musket.

References

{{reflist Springfield firearms 18th century in Springfield, Massachusetts Massachusetts in the American Civil War Military in Massachusetts 19th century in Springfield, Massachusetts

See also

References