Color case hardening on rifle musket locks

[keweenaw]

Good day all

Were any of the locks produced on M1855-1865 rifle muskets (including contract guns) color case hardened? All examples I have seen were polished bright. Were they issued bright or were the troops instructed to burnish them bright? I believe the M1841 "Mississipi" were color hardened and perhaps the Zouave (?). But what about the rifle muskets? Inquiring minds want to know.....
A number of years ago, I visited Springfield Armory and saw the "musket organ", the stack of unissued rifle muskets. They were all bright, but they also had a lot of residue on them from polishing.

Thanks

[R. McAuley 3014V]

This discussion has arisen before, and may still be in the archives somewhere. But both the U.S. Model 1841 and 1855 rifles were finished in the same fashion, with color case-hardened lock plates, and a special reddish-brown lacquered barrel. It's been some 40 years or so, but one of the earlier members of the N-SSA brought his USM-marked iron-mounted 1855 rifles to a national that was still in its original armory finishes, with color case-hardened lock, band springs, patchbox, nosecap, and butt-plate, reddish-brown lacquered barrel, blued barrel bands, and backsight. As to whether the rifle musket also had these same national armory finishes, the Model 1861 was finished in the white as a wartime expediency, and the color case-hardening of the locks only returned with the Model 1863, Type I.

[keweenaw]

Thanks. I have seen a lot of original color case hardening over the years on original guns, like Smith, maynard, etc. But not on rifle muskets. Yet, recently I have seen some pictures of M1861 locks that had color on them. I believe they were contract arms. Does what you say apply to them as well? Thanks

[R. McAuley 3014V]

The national armory finishes only applied to the arms produced by the two national armories at Harper's Ferry and Springfield. Contract arms always depended on the contract, though for Whitney's contracts and Remington's 1863 contract for "Harper's Ferry" rifles (what many today refer to as the Zouave) used cast steel barrels even though the Ordnance Department balked about them not being made of iron.

Interestingly, the 1861 Ordnance manual discouraged the burnishing of barrels (or other parts), because it tended to crook the barrel, besides destroying the uniformity of the exterior finish of the arms. But many officers instructed their commands to burnish the arms to make the whole unit uniform.

[Curt]

Hallo!

The 1857 production of the M1855 Rifle was essentially much like the M1851 and was brass mounted. Which continued into 1858. IIRC, sometime in 1858 when the brass was dropped in favor of iron, the color-case hardening colors were polished off and the barrels no longer browned.

It slips my memory, but the locks and hammers were still color-case hardening as a means of making the iron have a harder surface (ostensibly to prevent screw stripping). And not so much for the "beauty" of the mottled colors which seems to have gone in-and-out of fashion.

Curt

[keweenaw]

Good morning. What about rifle muskets, including contract rifle muskets? I have seen recently two contract locks that appear to have traces of color case hardening on them. Were any of them color case hardened?

[Kevin Tinny]

Some helpful info in 3/10/17 post listed at bottom of page.
Kevin Tinny

[keweenaw]

Some helpful info in 3/10/17 post listed at bottom of page.
Kevin Tinny

How do i find that post from over a year ago? Or, can someone copy it and post here?

[Kevin Tinny]

Hello, Keweenaw:

Your page presentation should show a large box at the bottom of your page view entitled "Similar Threads", where you can click on it. It is the second one.
"US Arsenal Case Methods".

Let us know, please. Thanks.

Kevin Tinny