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MODEL 1841 MISSISSIPPI RIFLE COLT MODIFICATION
SABRE BAYONET ADAPTER RING: A scarce appendage
specific to the Model 1841 Mississippi Rifles modified
by the Colt Firearms Company in 1861, this Sabre Bayonet
Adapter Ring is the type of accessory which disappeared
into history once it was separated from the rifle.
A product of Samuel Colt’s ingenuity, this bayonet
adapter ring was part of the modification of
approximately 10,000 Model 1841 Mississippi Rifles he
purchased in 1861 as obsolete weapons from the U.S.
government. Paying $10 each, Colt increased the caliber
from the original .54 to the then current standard .58,
fitted them with a sabre bayonet, and then sold them
back to the government for $18.50 each. In the well
earned skeptical view of government contracts we have
today, this is the sort of arrangement that would barely
pass the “smell test”. However, in the context of the
opening days of the Civil War as the Ordnance Department
scrambled to equip the burgeoning army responding to the
call to arms, this sort of contractual arrangement was
more the norm than not.
This bayonet adapter ring was a simple solution for
mounting the bayonet when no provision for doing so was
part of the original design of the Mississippi Rifle.
The split ring could be slid over the front sight and
positioned properly on the barrel where it was tightened
in place. The integral lug was then hand fitted to the
slot in the grip of the bayonet so the bayonet catch
would lock in place. Finally, due to the necessity of
keeping these hand-fitted parts together, the ring, the
bayonet and the barrel of the rifle were all stamped
with a matching assembly number. This ring does not
bear such a number, indicating this particular ring was
never fitted to a rifle, surviving as surplus to the
number needed at the time.
This is an overall very clean example with sharp edges
and showing no indication of wear or use. The surface
has some light pitting, but nothing that affects the
overall appearance of the piece. The tightening screw
is present and turns easily.
A relatively scarce accessory which could be matched to
your Colt modified Mississippi Rifle and Sabre Bayonet.
(0628) $350
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