US Model 1851 Cadet Musket by Springfield Armory, no serial number, .57 caliber, 39 1/2" barrel with a good, lightly pitted bore. This musket has a slightly shortened, smoothbore barrel and has an 1851-dated Springfield lock. The barrel has an overall dark , plum-brown patina with heavy pitting at the breech, on the percussion bolster, and on the tang. The lockplate has a darker, blue-black patina, while the hammer has a mottled gray-brown patina with spots of heavier pitting along its length. The action is functional, but the mainspring is a bit weak. The walnut stock has light-moderate handling marks along its length, with a repaired break at the wrist, and a contoured chip missing from the top edge of the lockplate. There are some spots of mild surface oxidation on the steel buttplate, and a crisp unit/rack number on the tang: "D / 4 / 2." These muskets were very similar to the preceding Model 1847 Cadets, and were made for issue to state military schools; a small amount of rifled guns went to West Point. Total production amounted to about 4,000 examples.
This is an antique firearm and transfers with no federal restriction.
