manufactured from 1816 - 1860

Made by Harpers Ferry Armory and Springfield Armory; c. 1816 -1840 then converted by private contractors
to percussion; c. 1840-1860. Total quantity converted unknown. 42" round 69 caliber smoothbore barrel. No
front or rear sight. Bayonet lug on top of barrel at muzzle. Three barrel bands retained with barrel band retaining
springs. Steel ramrod with button shaped head. Iron mountings. Metal parts finished bright, browned, or
combination; the lockplate casehardened. The conversion ("French Style" or commonly known as "drum and
nipple") consisted of removing all external lock parts then plugging all threaded holes; a drum type bolster (with
nipple) was then threaded into the enlarged touchhole; then, the hammer was replaced with one that resembled a
civilian fowling piece. This method was believed to have been performed through the early 1850s.

Production

The US model 1816 musket, the last flintlock martial arm to be produced,
had a colorfull history spanning over 50 years and two major armed conflicts.
It had the highest production of any US flintlock musket, attesting to it's
general reliability and sturdiness in the field.

The earliest models of the 1816, including those dubbed the "Type I" musket,
usually dated around 1817, featured a flat beveled lockplate and steel pan.
There seems to be some variations between the placement of the
bayonet lugs on the barrel, with some being produced for the
1812 bayonet and others for the 1816.

The next change of the '16, the "Type II" muskets, produced 1822-31,
are often referred to as the "National Armory Brown".
It was called thus because of the browned finish on all metal parts
except the lock and the sling swivel on trigger guard.
These are often mistaken for "M1822" or "M1822" muskets.

The "Type III" muskets, produced 1831-44, are referred to as the
"National Army Bright" models. Differences included a
strengthened sling swivel and a bright finish on all metal parts.

In total, all US government productions of the M1816 are:
325,000 muskets produced at Springfield, MA,
and 350,000 muskets produced at Harper's Ferry.

Contract Manufacturers

J. Baker, Philedelphia - Type III
P. & E.W. Blake
E. Buell - Type I
A. Carruth - Type I
Brooke Evans - Type I
W.L. Evans - Type III
R. & J.D. Johnson - Type III
D. Nipples - Type III
H. Osborne - Types I, II, III
L. Pomeroy - Type I, III
N. Starr - Type III

Detailed Information

Detailed technical information on the M1816
Including lock assembly, stock wood andinletting,
barrel specifications and furniture

Stock

The 1816 stock is shaped from solid walnut.
Originals were produced one-piece.
Inletting should accomodate for the buttplate, complete lock, sidelock,
trigger/triggergaurd, barrel, ramrod, and barrel band springs.
Inspector's markings were near the sidelock.
The most common marking, "JP", was from was James Perkin (circ. 1815)
or Jacob Perkins (circ.1819-21), but was most probably James Perkin.

Flint Lock

The original flint locks were marked either:
"HARPERS/FERRY/(date)" or "SPRING/FIELD/(date)".
The lock was produced to accept a standard 1" flint.
The hammer, top jaw, and screw were made of steel, as was the frizzen.
The pan was of brass.
All internal parts - the mainspring, sear, sear spring, frizzen spring,
and tumbler, as well as the corresponding screws, were produced of
steel and in many respects resembled the French Charleville which,
after successfull use in the Revolution, became a model for future US. muskets.
The lockplate was unremarkable, measuring 6 5/8 inches long.

Percussion Lock

There is much to say on this subject because there were a myriad of
percussion conversion 1816 locks.
The standard procedure was first to fill the unnecessary screw holes
on the lockplate. This included the screw holes for the frizzen, pan, etc.
Then, the pan was ground flush with the lockplate.
Hence, many 1816 locks still have a small brass semi-ring near the nipple.
The rest of the lock depended on who converted the musket.
The most interesting conversion, Remington's, utilized a
Maynard tape priming conversion.
There were many necessary modifications to the lock, including the
addition of the tape compartment and hardware.
The hammer on this conversion was akin to the Model 1855/61 muskets.
The lock was often marked "1822", so it is often mistaken for the phantom "1822" musket.
On the other hand, the conversions performed by US Arsenals and many
private contractors were very simple.
Filling the screw holes and grinding down the pan, a distinctly military-style
hammer was added and all the internal parts were kept the same
(the frizzen spring and corresponding parts were removed)

Barrel

The barrel on the 1816 was 42 inches long and .69 caliber.
The bayonet lug was located on the top of the barrel,
(interestingly, this was reversed on the 1842 musket, then brought back in 1855).
Remington percussion conversion barrels were rifled and had long-range sights.
Flintlock barrels had a vent hole on the side, and conversions had either drum or
bolster conversions.

Ramrod

Original US specifications, used on all flint and many percussion models,
called for a standard button-head ramrod held in place by a retaining spring.
Thus, many models have this feature.
However, many contract conversions, including the Remington,
featured a trumpet-style ramrod.
This may be credited to the fact that on the 1842 musket, this was standard,
so Remington was required to keep modern.

Furniture

The barrel bands on the 1816 were very interesting.
The top barrel band was a typical military band of the period.
A brass sight was on top. The middle barrel band contained the sling swivel.
The lower band was quite unremarkable with the exception of the small
tail on the underside.
They were made of steel. All were finished bright.

The sidelock was "J" shaped and was designed to hold the lock in place.
It was produced of steel and finished bright.
There often seems to be some discrepancy if this particular piece was
laid into an inlet or simply srewed on top of the stock.

The buttplate was produced of steel and finished bright,
although field regulations did not require soldiers to keep them that way.
The plate had a screw hole in the back and on the buttplate tang.

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