Every Standard Issue US Military Rifle Since the American Revolution

The British Land Pattern Musket – more commonly known as “Brown Bess,” a nickname of unknown origin – was the most commonly used firearm in the American Revolution. British-made versions of the flintlock musket were carried by both sides in the conflict, though the Continental Army also carried versions that were domestically manufactured by gunsmiths who copied the design. Brown Bess was used again by opposing U.S. and British forces in the War of 1812.

During the Revolutionary War, France supplied the Continental Army with over 25,000 Model 1763 Charleville muskets and thousands of additional Charleville 1766. These muskets fired slightly smaller projectiles than the Brown Bess musket, chambered in .69 caliber compared to .75. They had a maximum effective range of only about 100 yards and could be fired at a rate of three rounds per minute by an experienced soldier.

Though manufactured in France, General George Washington had the Charlevilles stamped as U.S. property in an effort to reduce theft.

From the late 18th to the mid-19th centuries, the United States military was outfitted with several models of the Springfield U.S. musket. These muskets borrowed many of the design elements of the Charleville muskets supplied by the French, and were even chambered for the same .69 caliber musket ball.

Manufactured primarily at the Springfield Armory in Massachusetts, the Springfield U.S. Model 1795 musket was the first official musket of the U.S. military. Initially produced as flintlock, many Springfield muskets were eventually converted to function with a percussion cap – a new technology at the time that improved reliability, weather resistance, and ease of loading.

The U.S. Model 1842 musket is recognized as the first regulation musket in the United States built to be used exclusively with a caplock system, rather than the antiquated flintlock design. Mass produced, these guns also had interchangeable parts, making for easier repairs. Armories at both Springfield and Harpers Ferry produced about 275,000 Model 1842 between 1843 and 1855.

The Model 1842 musket was widely used in the Mexican-American War and by both Union and Confederate forces in the Civil War.

The Model 1855 Springfield musket was the first U.S. regulation firearm to use a rifled barrel rather than the less accurate smoothbore barrel. Also, rather than a ball, the Model 1855 fired a conical bullet, further improving accuracy and range. The Model 1855 rifled musket replaced the Model 1842 as the standard issue Army firearm in July 1855. From 1857 to 1860, the Springfield and Harpers Ferry armories produced nearly 54,200 M1855 rifle muskets.

The M1855 had a flawed percussion firing system, however, and was ultimately replaced by the improved Model 1861, which was the standard issue firearm during the Civil War. Originally produced by the Springfield Armory, the U.S. government contracted 20 other private gunmakers, which, together, produced an estimated 1 million M1861 rifle muskets throughout the war.