|
MODEL 1866 SPRINGFIELD RIFLE TOOL: An
early Indian War Period US Army M1866 Combination Tool
issued to the troops to maintain and service the M1866
Springfield Trapdoor .50/70 caliber Rifle. Modified
from the M1855 Rifled Musket Tool by milling the cone
wrench into the unique two-pronged spanner wrench to
accommodate the spanner nut on one end of the hinge pin
screw and the spanner nut retaining the spring loaded
firing pin on the M1866 Rifle.
The Model 1866 “2nd Allin Conversion” Rifle
served the frontier troops very well at such famous
actions as the Wagon Box Fight, the Hayfield and
Beecher’s Island. The M1866 Combination Tool was not
produced in any great numbers to begin with and as the
M1868 Rifle was adopted, many of the M1866 tools were
modified further by removing the two-pronged screw
driver blade as it was no longer required. Further, the
prongs on the spanner wrench are often found broken on
these tools as the wrench was improperly used in
attempting to remove the special rear sight screw – a
task this tool was never intended for. The survival
rate of the standard M1866 Tool is very low,
particularly in this condition, and this specimen would
make an exceptionally rare addition to your Indian War
Collection. This M1866 Tool shows no use, the original
arsenal blue is present, and the spanner wrench prongs
are intact. (0907) $95
|
