U.S. Springfield Armory Joslyn Breech Loading Rifle (AL5156)

U.S. Springfield Armory Joslyn breech loading rifle. This was the first breech loading cartridge arm made by a national Armory. 3,007 Were manufactured from January to June 1865. The 35½” round barrel has an excellent bore. The bright metal is fine with light staining. The lock is marked “U.S./Springfield” to the front. The eagle is forward of the hammer and “1864” is at the tail. The breech block has some of its dark case colors. The stock is very good with sharp edges and a strong cartouche. The action functions correctly. These rifles were originally chambered for a .50-60-450 Rimfire cartridge made by Frankford arsenal. Springfield Armory converted 1,600 Joslyn rifles to .50-70 Centerfire. These were immediately sold to France for use in the Franco-Prussian War. After that, most were converted to shotguns. Therefore, full military examples are very scarce. This rifle is one of the .50-70 centerfire conversions. The key features, in addition to the .50-70 rechambering, are the mismatched serial numbers of the breech block and barrel, and the alteration of the breech block from rimfire to centerfire. This is a rifle rarely seen on the collector market.