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.
Last edited by R. McAuley 3014V; 03-30-2018 at 09:47 PM.
First Cousin (7 times removed) to Brigadier General Stand Watie (1806-1871), CSA
1st Cherokee Mounted Rifles | Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation 1862-66
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