Original 1861 Springfield - Looking for Restoration

[59thOVI]

Hello!

Thanks for stopping to read my post.

I have just been given a original 1861 Springfield. It is in need of restoration. The lock work fine and holds well on both half and full cock. The sights and barrel bands are frozen. The butt stock and butt plate are marred. Overall, the stock is in relatively good condition. The bore isn't bad and the rifling is visible. All exposed surfaces of the metal are solid but heavily pitted and has that black/bronze patina.

I would like to get some restoration work done to make it ready for live fire without losing its historical value.

Can anyone point me to an expert in this type of restoration?

Thank you!

[YOU DON'T KNOW ?]

Clean to medal with a soft cloth and break free. No abrasive. Use a good furniture cleaner and soft cloth on the wood. Clean the bore with brake free and a bronze brush and Cotton patches. That's it. You can try to loosen stuck parts with break free, by applying and let it sit. Let someone experienced look it over to see if it's shootable. Black powder ONLY. You can't improve it by doing anything else. Cleaning with abrasives on metal and sanding wood will only lessen it's value. Once the wood is clean from cleaner and cloth you can apply small amounts of boiled linseed oil, in very thin coats. That will help. Clean the lock with break free and apply some good gun oil to the inside works. You'll no doubt need to replace the nipple to shoot it. Get help from someone experienced!

[geezmo]

Post a few detailed photos of the areas you are talking about to give a better idea of condition. What state are you in? Maybe a member in your area can reach out to you. Also, go to the home page, click on the calendar tab and see if there are any shoots scheduled near you this year. Someone can give better advice by seeing it.

[59thOVI]

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[geezmo]

Not as bad as I expected. I would pretty much follow You Don?t Know?s advice. Remember this, less is better. You don?t want to do anything you can?t reverse. You will want to get the sling swivels, sight leaves, nipple and clean out screw freed up and movable. Don?t force them, they will break. Looks like someone tried at some time to move the lower sling swivel. It is bent but thankfully not broken. You don?t want to polish that metal up bright and silvery. It will look like crap with the dirty pits. If you are not familiar with shooting and cleaning these you should hook up with someone who is. If you are actually from Ohio, as your screen name implies, there are a lot of knowledgeable and experienced shooters out there. Maybe one of them will jump in here.

[geezmo]

I just enlarged the photo of the lock. It looks to me like the date is 1861. That is a big plus. 61 dated Model 1861?s are pretty hard to come by. There are way more 62 dated Springfields out there. Is there a matching date on the top of the breech of the barrel or is it obliterated by the pitting?

[59thOVI]

No markings visible on the breech

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