Amoskeag Special Model 1861 Rifle-Musket
- Category
- Rifle
- Barrel
- 1016 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.08 kg
- Introduced
- 1862
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Amoskeag Special Model 1861 Rifle-Musket is a .58 caliber percussion-cap, muzzle-loading rifled musket produced under U.S. government contract by the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company of Manchester, New Hampshire, during the American Civil War. Built to the Colt-originated Special Model 1861 pattern rather than as an exact Springfield copy, it differed in detail with split round-faced barrel bands lacking retaining springs, a tulip-headed ramrod, and a distinct lockplate and hammer contour. Chambered for the hollow-based Minié ball fired through a three-groove rifled barrel, it delivered the same accuracy and range as the standard Union rifle-musket and served as a front-line infantry arm.
Amoskeag, a giant New England textile firm, retooled part of its Manchester works to feed the Union's insatiable wartime demand for infantry arms, joining Colt and Lamson, Goodnow & Yale in turning out the Special Model 1861 pattern alongside the government's own Springfield production.
One of three makers of the Colt-designed 'Special Model 1861' pattern (alongside Colt and Lamson, Goodnow & Yale). Lock markings read 'U.S. / AMOSKEAG MFG. CO. / MANCHESTER, N.H.' and are dated by year of manufacture. Rifling twist approximately one turn in 72 inches. Weight roughly 9 lb.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Amoskeag Manufacturing Company
- Category
- Rifle
- Country
- United States
- Status
- Out of production
- Produced
- 1862 to 1864
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 1016 mm
- Overall length
- 1416 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.08 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Muzzleloader
- Firing mechanism
- Percussion
- Trigger
- Single stage
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- White metal
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 290 m/s
- Effective range
- 274 m
- Maximum range
- 457 m
- Rate of fire
- 3 rpm
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Rifled barrel
Muzzle loaded
Percussion cap
Folding leaf sights
Socket bayonet lug
Ramrod
Split round faced barrel bands- Tulip head ramrod
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 1,612 rifles | 4.08 kg | 3.50 kg | Heavier than about 70% |
| Overall lengthAmong 1,557 rifles | 1416 mm | 1080 mm | Longer than about 90% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 1,659 rifles | 1016 mm | 584 mm | Longer than about 90% |
Answers
Questions about the Amoskeag Special Model 1861 Rifle-Musket
How much does the Amoskeag Special Model 1861 Rifle-Musket weigh?
The Amoskeag Special Model 1861 Rifle-Musket weighs 4.08 kg (9.00 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Amoskeag Special Model 1861 Rifle-Musket?
The Amoskeag Special Model 1861 Rifle-Musket is chambered in .58 Caliber Minié Ball.
How long is the Amoskeag Special Model 1861 Rifle-Musket?
The Amoskeag Special Model 1861 Rifle-Musket is 1416 mm (55.7 in) long overall, with a 1016 mm (40.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the Amoskeag Special Model 1861 Rifle-Musket?
The Amoskeag Special Model 1861 Rifle-Musket is made by Amoskeag Manufacturing Company (United States).
When was the Amoskeag Special Model 1861 Rifle-Musket introduced?
The Amoskeag Special Model 1861 Rifle-Musket was introduced in 1862 and discontinued in 1864.
How does the Amoskeag Special Model 1861 Rifle-Musket operate?
The Amoskeag Special Model 1861 Rifle-Musket uses a muzzleloader action, and its firing mechanism is percussion.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- Union Army / United States
- 1862
Provenance
Confidence in this record
70%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/amoskeag-special-model-1861-rifle-musket' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "amoskeag-special-model-1861-rifle-musket", "name": "Amoskeag Special Model 1861 Rifle-Musket", "manufacturer": { "id": "amoskeag", "name": "Amoskeag Manufacturing Company", "countryCode": "US", "foundedYear": 1831, "website": null, "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "updatedAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "version": "f6c93bd981ebbe929fe25e3fbf890d0daaa5ceed00ae41f55668650774a5d134" }, "category": { "id": "rifle", "name": "Rifle", "description": "Long-barreled firearms designed for accurate shooting" }, "country_of_origin": "US", "year_introduced": 1862, "barrel_length_mm": 1016, "weight_empty_g": 4082, "action_type": "muzzleloader"}