Model 1842 Pistol Pattern Piece
date: label: date made
content: 1842
name: label: maker
content: Springfield Armory
notes: label: Description
content: Physical Description:
label: Description
content: This .54 caliber smoothbore percussion U.S. Model 1842 Pistol is a pattern piece made by the Springfield Armory. It has a swivel type steel ramrod with a button head and a threaded end screw. It has a brass barrel band with a strap extension joining the side plate. The brass backstrap extends to the tang. It has a brass blade front sight, and all metal parts finished bright except for the blued trigger.
label: Description
content: It is stamped “USM” on the side plate, barrel band, lock plate, trigger guard and tang. The stock by the trigger guard is stamped “S”. The lock plate is stamped “SPRING/FIELD/1842” and “US” under an eagle. The barrel is stamped “US MODEL 1842”, “No 11”, “V” and “P”.
label: Description
content: History:
label: Description
content: On April 26, 1782 Congress approved the construction of the Springfield Armory as a “good and efficient magazine for the reception of the public ammunition.” It began creating many pistols for U.S. government and military use.
label: Description
content: The “USM” and “S” markings all over the pistol identify it as a pattern piece. Pistols like this were sent to contractors from the Springfield Armory so that they could produce identical pistols.
label: Description
content: References:
label: Description
content: Flayderman, Norm. Flayderman’s Guide to Antique American Firearms…and their Values, Gun Digest Books, Iola, 2007. 9th edition.
label: Description
content: Gardner, Robert E. Col. Small Arms Makers: A Directory of Fabricators of Firearms, Edged Weapons, Crossbows and Polearms, Crown Publishers Inc, New York: 1963, p. 185.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Massachusetts, Springfield
setName: label: See more items in
content: Military and Society: Armed Forces History, Military
label: See more items in
content: Military
label: See more items in
content: The Bitter Collection of Firearms
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: The Adriana and Edwin W. Bitter Family Collection
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1987.0014.33
label: accession number
content: 1987.0014
label: catalog number
content: 1987.0014.33
label: collector/donor number
content: P187L
objectType: label: Object Name
content: pistol
label: Object Name
content: pistol, percussion
label: Other Terms
content: pistol; Firearms; Army; Percussion Fire; .54 In; Smooth Bore; Muzzle Load; Sa
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: metal (part material)
label: Physical Description
content: wood (part material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 14 in; 35.56 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall: 2 1/4 in x 14 3/4 in x 6 1/8 in; 5.715 cm x 37.465 cm x 15.5575 cm