Springfield Model 1812 Musket

The Springfield Model 1812 was a .69 caliber flintlock musket manufactured by the United States in the early 19th century.

The War of 1812 revealed many weaknesses in the earlier Springfield Model 1795. The Model 1812 was an attempt to improve both the design and manufacturing process of the musket. The design borrowed heavily from the French Charleville Model 1777. The Model 1812 arrived too late to be of use in the War of 1812 but would later become standard to regular infantry and militia units.

The Model 1812 was a .69 caliber smoothbore musket, with a 42-inch (110 cm) barrel and a 54-inch (140 cm) stock, and a total length of 58 inches (150 cm). The Model 1812 was produced only at Springfield Armory and by independent contractors: the Model 1795 would continue in production at Harpers Ferry Armory into 1819.

The Model 1812 was produced in a quantity of almost 30,000 between the years 1814 and 1816.

Some Model 1812 muskets were converted to percussion lock firing mechanisms as the percussion cap system was much more reliable and weather resistant than the flintlock system used on the Model 1812 in its original configuration.

It was replaced by the Springfield Model 1816. However, the Model 1812 remained in service for many years, and was even used in the American Civil War, mostly by the Confederate forces. By the start of the Civil war, the weapon was considered to be old and obsolete but was needed to fill arms shortages.

See also

• Springfield musket

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