Springfield Model 1863

Key Information

Springfield Model 1863
Type	Rifled musket
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1863–1865
Used by	United States Confederate States
Wars	American Civil War American Indian Wars
Production history
Designed	1863
Manufacturer	Springfield Armory Various private contractors
Produced	1863–1865
No. built	c. 700,000
Variants	Type I, Type II
Specifications
Mass	9 lb (4.1 kg)
Length	56 in (1,400 mm)
Barrel length	40.0 in (1,020 mm)
Cartridge	Paper cartridge, Minié ball undersized to reduce the effects of powder fouling and for the skirt to get grip of the grooves when firing
Caliber	.58 (14.7320 mm)
Action	Percussion lock
Rate of fire	User dependent; usually 2 to 4 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity	1,000 ft/s (300 m/s) to 1,400 ft/s (430 m/s)
Effective firing range	200 to 400 yd (180 to 370 m)
Maximum firing range	800 to 1,000 yd (730 to 910 m)
Feed system	Muzzle-loaded
Sights	Flip-up leaf sights
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The Springfield Model 1863 was a .58 caliber rifled musket manufactured by the Springfield Armory and independent contractors between 1863 and 1865.

The Model 1863 was only a minor improvement over the Springfield Model 1861. As such, it is sometimes classified as just a variant of the Model 1861. The Model 1861, with all of its variants, was the most commonly used longarm in the American Civil War, with over 700,000 manufactured. The Model 1863 also has the distinction of being the last muzzle-loading longarm produced by the Springfield Armory.

The Model 1863 was produced in two variants. The Type I eliminated the band springs and replaced the flat barrel bands with oval clamping bands. It also featured a new ramrod, a case-hardened lock, a new hammer, and a redesigned bolster (percussion chamber). Several of these modifications were based upon Colt's contract Model 1861, known as the "Colt special". 273,265 Type I variants were manufactured in 1863.

The Type II is sometimes referred to as the Model 1864, but is more commonly referred to as just a variant of the Model 1863. This version re-introduced band springs, replaced the clamping bands with solid oval bands, and replaced the three leaf rear sight with single leaf sight. A total of 255,040 of these were manufactured from 1864 to 1865. After the war, many surplus rifles were sent south of the border to Mexico to arm the Mexican army in their fight against the Frech in the 1861-67 War

By the end of the Civil War, muzzle-loading rifles and muskets were considered obsolete. In the years following the Civil War, many Model 1863 muskets were converted into breech-loading "Trapdoor Springfields". The breech-loading weapons increased the rate of fire from three to four rounds per minute to eight to ten rounds per minute. The Model 1863 could be converted to breech-loading for about five dollars, at a time when a new rifle would cost about twenty dollars. The conversion of Model 1863 rifles therefore represented a significant cost savings to the U.S. military. The US Military adopted various models like the Springfield Model 1866.

• Springfield rifle
• Springfield musket
• Rifles in the American Civil War

• Earl J. Coates and Dean S. Thomas, An Introduction to Civil War Small Arms
• Ian V. Hogg, Weapons of the Civil War

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