***I must respectfully disagree. The term “Rifle” implies rifling.***
I agree with you. Rifles were used by some units. Those we call Kentucky Rifles are rifles, but some were smoothbores. I used to have an article on those smooth bore firearms and from the outside they looked just like a fancy rifle.
George Washington had a preference for smooth bore muskets because they could be loaded fast and they had a lug for a bayonet.
After civil war, many rifled muskets were sold to Bannerman’s where they were demilled by having the rifling removed and the bayonet lug ground off, then sold to the public. the reason was a farmer had more use for a shotgun than a solid ball rifle. I had the pleasure of holding one of those in my hand about 50 years ago.
The BRITISH took their .577 muskets and converted them to breach loaders using the Snider patent. The US army chose the 50/70 cartridge and it does not fit any .58 US or confederate .577 musket.
After the Civil War, the US army in the west received breach loading rifles. Some posts gave them to settlers heading west as they felt the settlers needed them more than the army at that time as the settlers were going into Indian Country.
US .50/70 breach loading rifles could be sold to the public as hunting rifles. Many traders bought them and traded with the Indians as the Indians loved that “needle gun” for buffalo hunts.
In the 1920s the US arsenals made the 1903 rifle for the US army. They also made a sporting version and sold it to the public but were forced to stop as they were cutting into the business of Remmington, Winchester and Savage. This is also the real reason why certain members of the Congress hated army surplus rifles in the 1960s.
I have been pro-SECOND AMMENDMENT since before that travesty the 1968 gun control act became law, and I am pro- now having owned more guns that would make a lib loose bladder control than you a even think of.
“I have been pro-SECOND AMMENDMENT since before that travesty the 1968 gun control act became law, and I am pro- now having owned more guns that would make a lib loose bladder control than you a even think of.”
Yeah, after I posted I looked at your profile and realized I had misread you. Sorry about that and thanks for the clarification. I have been a NRA member over 20 years...I signed up just before Clinton was elected. Most of my information comes from reading history acticles in the American Rifleman. Looks like I need to go back and read about the post civil war era again. I know that the development of cartridge ammunition made many “union” rifle muskets obsolete. I thought many were converted to breach loading cartridge. My memory of the article is obviously faulty.
Whatever, again my apologies for mischaracterizing you. :-)
Found an interesting NRA article about a conversion done on the 1861 Springfield Rifle Musket after the war: