- Ad Type
- For Sale
- Price
- $460
- Manufacturer
- Other / Not Listed
- Caliber
- Other / Not Listed
- City
- Portland
- State
- Oregon
- Zip Code
- 97232
The 1795 Springfield; America's first domestic military weapon. Long after the Revolutionary War, Congress finally got off its collective arse (I know, Congress taking forever, I was shocked too, so unlike our modern politicians...), and decided it was time to stop importing French arms, and produce a domestic one. They all but copied, to the inch, the French 1766 Charleville, which saw so much action in the American Revolution as one of the American's primary weapons, and produced the 1795 'contract musket'. It had no markings, no dates, it was as bare bones as could be, for the new nation of the USA could barely afford to pay its soldiers, much less equip its armory with proper stamps. While it might be simple, it is based off one of the best muskets ever made. Barrel bands instead of pinning allow a soldier to dis-assemble and clean it in the field, a novelty at the time. The .69 caliber barrel allowed for more cartridges to be carried per man, without losing much of the stopping power of the English .75 caliber muskets. I have five two for sale.
$460, per kit. You can't even buy an AR15 for that anymore.
These are all echoes of history forgotten by most. They are brand new kits, so you don't have to worry about whether the previous owner oiled it, or cleaned it, or kept it from rusting. It is a fresh slate. Regarding the work to be done:
-Stain the stock. These stocks are made of teak, whereas historically they would be made of walnut. While teak is a tough wood, it doesn't 'look' right. A simple $6 can of walnut stain from Home Depot fixes this. Alternatively, I never bothered to stain my personal muskets. It doesn't affect performance at all.
-Drill the touch-hole. You'll need a vise, a 1/16" drill bit, and a drill. I can walk you through the process over email, or in person.
-Clean up the grease. These are packed in some serious grease to survive their journey overseas without damage or rust. It's just like any other gun grease, just more robust.
-Stamps. These aren't necessary but are historically accurate. There are several companies around the USA offering their services to stamp everything properly as it would have appeared at the time.
I can happily point you to shops selling bullets, powder and flint, but for those taking this to its extreme, all of these are easy to find on your own. Roofing companies often give lead sheeting away free, a lead bullet mold is $30 on Ebay, you can produce your own powder with $40 of equipment, and flint can be found along most rivers. I have fired homemade powder, homemade lead and found-on-the-ground flints before, and gotten my shots down to a nickel a shot. Get that price out of your AR!
Own a piece of history. This is one firearm you'll want to mount over the fireplace, and take with you to the range every time. Everyone has an AR-15 and a Glock, and this forum is choked with them, all exactly the same. How dull! How many of your friends own a genuine flintlock? How many of your friends hold a piece of American history? I thought so.
$460, per kit. You can't even buy an AR15 for that anymore.
These are all echoes of history forgotten by most. They are brand new kits, so you don't have to worry about whether the previous owner oiled it, or cleaned it, or kept it from rusting. It is a fresh slate. Regarding the work to be done:
-Stain the stock. These stocks are made of teak, whereas historically they would be made of walnut. While teak is a tough wood, it doesn't 'look' right. A simple $6 can of walnut stain from Home Depot fixes this. Alternatively, I never bothered to stain my personal muskets. It doesn't affect performance at all.
-Drill the touch-hole. You'll need a vise, a 1/16" drill bit, and a drill. I can walk you through the process over email, or in person.
-Clean up the grease. These are packed in some serious grease to survive their journey overseas without damage or rust. It's just like any other gun grease, just more robust.
-Stamps. These aren't necessary but are historically accurate. There are several companies around the USA offering their services to stamp everything properly as it would have appeared at the time.
I can happily point you to shops selling bullets, powder and flint, but for those taking this to its extreme, all of these are easy to find on your own. Roofing companies often give lead sheeting away free, a lead bullet mold is $30 on Ebay, you can produce your own powder with $40 of equipment, and flint can be found along most rivers. I have fired homemade powder, homemade lead and found-on-the-ground flints before, and gotten my shots down to a nickel a shot. Get that price out of your AR!
Own a piece of history. This is one firearm you'll want to mount over the fireplace, and take with you to the range every time. Everyone has an AR-15 and a Glock, and this forum is choked with them, all exactly the same. How dull! How many of your friends own a genuine flintlock? How many of your friends hold a piece of American history? I thought so.
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