Springfield Model 1840 flintlock musket

Model 1840 musket
Springfield Model 1840 flintlock
Type	musket
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1840-1865
Used by	United States
Wars	Mexican-American War, American Civil War
Production history
Designed	1840
Produced	1840-1846
Number built	30,000
Specifications
Weight	10 lbs.
Length	58 inches
Caliber	.69 musket ball
Action	flintlock
Rate of fire	2-3 round/min
Effective firing range	100 to 200 yards max 50 to 75 effective
Feed system	muzzle-loaded

The Model 1840 flintlock musket was produced at Springfield Armory. The .69 caliber musket had a 42" barrel, an overall length of 58", and a weight of 9.8 lbs. More than 30,000 were produced by the Springfield Armory and two independent contractors between 1840 and 1846.

The Model 1840 was a minor improvement over the Springfield Model 1835 musket, and therefore was not dramatically different from the older Model 1835. The Model 1840 featured a longer bayonet with a clasp and a stock with a comb. The designers of the Model 1840 anticipated that the musket would eventually be rifled, and made the barrel heavier than the earlier Model 1835 accordingly. The various modifications to the Model 1840 made it slightly heavier than the Model 1835.^[1]

The Model 1840 was the last flintlock musket produced at Springfield Armory. Many were converted to percussion lock before they made it to the field. Although produced as a smooth bore musket, most of the Model 1840s had their barrels rifled later, as the designers had anticipated.

See also

• List of individual weapons of the U.S. Armed Forces
• Springfield musket
• Musket

References

1. "Guns on the Early Frontiers" by Carl P. Russell, Published by U of Nebraska Press, 1980