Rear Sights Added To Muskets

[hobbler]

Searching for info on rear sights added to muskets.
Found this... http://www.horsesoldier.com/products/firearms/longarms/23902

If you know of any examples of sights added to the barrels or to the rear bands on muskets please do add some info.
Thanks.

[Maillemaker]

It was quite common for smoothbore muskets to be converted into rifled muskets by rifling them, and then rear sights were added.

Steve

[Curt]

Hallo!

In brief....

The advantages of the "Minie" type projectile had been known for a few years before it was adopted in 1855. But in 1855, it was decided to start work at Harpers Ferry to rifle and add "long range" rear sights to some 17,500 suitable .69 muskets. This included suitable M1822's, M1840's, and M1842 muskets which had been altered from flintlock to caplock. Plus, Springfield joined in 1856 along with HF to make 14,182 (of which 4,363 were rifled only and not sighted.

These are generally known (now) as "rifled muskets," or sometimes "rifled and sighted muskets.

But the term was, and is, loosely used. For example, Fuller's classic book, The Rifled Musket is actually about rifle-muskets not "rifled-muskets."

With the pressing need for updated arms caused by the outbreak of the CW in 1861, the federal government also gave out contracts for rifled-and-sighted muskets such as to Hewes & Phillips or Philip Justice (P.S. Justice).

Curt