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US Colt Alteration Mississippi Rifle Saber Bayonet & Scabbard

US Colt Alteration Mississippi Rifle Saber Bayonet & Scabbard

  • Product Code: EWB-1458-SOLD
  • Availability: Out Of Stock
  • $1.00


This is a VERY FINE example of the saber bayonet and scabbard adapter for the US M-1841 Mississippi Rifle as provided by the Colt’s Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company. In the summer of 1861 Colt’s purchased 11,368 surplus US M-1841 “Mississippi” rifles from the US government. The plan was to alter the guns to the new standard caliber of .58, adapt them for use with a saber bayonet and then resell them to the Federal Government at the rate of $18.50 each! 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 M-1855 style site that Colt used on their revolving rifles. An iron, trumpet shaped ramrod was added, replacing the original brass tipped ramrod and a special 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 and 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. 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.

. This bayonet & scabbard are in wonderful condition. The Collins & Company produced bayonet is unmarked except for the date 1861 on the ricasso near the blade and the mating number 568 on the top of the brass grip, just forward of the bayonet stud mortise. The blade is full length and retains about 85%+ of the original bright arsenal polish. There are some small, scattered areas of light peppering and pinpricking and some minor patches of oxidation on the blade. One larger area of minor oxidation is present on the side of the blade, near the ricasso, where the date is stamped. The ribbed brass grip and guard have a really gorgeous ochre patina that is completely untouched and un-cleaned. The original bayonet locking catch and spring are present and work perfectly. The spring retains about 50% of the original fire blue, and also shows some light patches of oxidation near the attachment screw. The brass mounted leather scabbard is in about FINE overall condition. It retains both the original brass throat and drag, and they have a lovely mustard patina to them. The mounts are retained by their original pins and are undamaged and free of any dents or mars. The leather scabbard body shows scattered crazing and some minor flaked finish loss, but is in fine, sturdy condition. The scabbard retains all of its original stitching, which is tight and fine throughout. The bayonet and scabbard is from the collection of noted Civil War researcher and author Paul D Johnson, who wrote Civil War Cartridge Boxes of the Union Infantryman and is currently completing a book on Civil War bayonets & scabbards.

Overall, this is a really great example of a Colt alteration Mississippi Rifle saber bayonet and scabbard, that would be a fantastic addition to you Colt altered rifle. It is from a famous and respected collection and would be hard to improve upon without spending a really large amount of money. This is one of those items that displays great and requires no apologies at all.

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Tags: US, Colt, Alteration, Mississippi, Rifle, Saber, Bayonet, Scabbard