This is a VERY GOOD condition example of the bayonet adapter ring for the US Model 1841 Mississippi Rifle as produced by the Colt’s Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company. In the summer of 1861 Colt’s purchased 11,368 “surplus” US Model 1841 “Mississippi” rifles from the US government. The plan was to alter the guns to the new standard caliber of .58, add a long-range rear sight and adapt them for use with a saber bayonet. The company would then resell them to the Federal Government at the rate of $18.50 each, including the Collins & Company produced saber bayonet and scabbard. Colt was successful in their money-making plan, and by the summer of 1862 had sold 10,200 of the altered rifles back to their original owners. During the alteration process, Colt re-rifled the guns to .58 caliber, but retained the original style 7-groove rifling. They also added the 2-leaf Colt Root Sidehammer Model 1855 Revolving Rifle rear sight. An iron, trumpet shaped ramrod was added, replacing the original brass tipped ramrod and a special screw clamping adapter ring was added near the muzzle to allow the gun to accept a saber bayonet. The blued steel split adapter ring had a saber bayonet lug on one side and a tension screw on the other side. This simple system of altering the rifle for a bayonet was inexpensive and did not require complicated or time-consuming machining of the barrel or altering of the muzzle area of the rifle. The rings were numbered, and a matching number was stamped on the rifle barrel near the ring as well as on the top of the brass handle of the supplied saber bayonet. As noted, the saber bayonets were ordered from cutlery & tool maker Collins & Company and were unmarked except for the date “1861” on the blade near the ricasso and the number on the grip that matched the number of the bayonet adapter ring that the bayonet had been fit to.

The Colt bayonet adapter ring offered here is in VERY GOOD condition. The ring retains none of the original Colt blued finish and has a lightly oxidized brownish-gray patina with a couple of small patches of minor surface rust. The tension screw does retain some traces of faded blue. The metal of the ring and lug remains crisp with some tiny patches of minor pinpricking present along with the surface oxidation. The original tension screw is present as well and still turns easily to tighten or loosen the ring. The ring is numbered 5620, placing it in about the middle of the production run. The ring is .55” wide with an external diameter of 1.11” and an internal diameter of .92”. The rounded foot-shaped lug is .55” in length, .43” wide and is .12” thick. It stands off from the ring nominally .115” to allow the top of the hilt to clear when the mortise engages the stud. 

This is one of those items that is rarely found loose and available for sale. If you have a Colt altered Mississippi Rifle that is missing the adapter lug, or currently has a reproduction lug, this would be a fantastic way to upgrade and improve your rifle. This would also be a nice addition to your collection of Civil War era saber bayonets. It could also be used to modify a reproduction Mississippi Rifle to make it a more legitimate looking rifle for Civil War living history presentations.

ON HOLD