Is there an exact date of change when Springfield Armory changed over from the M 1861 to the M1863? Did the entire production line shut down on say, Jan. 1 1863 to change over? I've never seen a M1861 with Springfield markings dated 1863, or a M1863 of Springfield manufacture dated 1862.
Apparently the change from type I to type II M1863 was on a gradual basis, as I've seen type I's dated 1864 and type II's dated 1863 as if the change came on a machine by machine basis while the production line continued in late 1863-early 1864.
Bookmarks