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Bridesburg Model 1861

History of the 1861 Britsburg Model

The Bridesburg Model 1861 rifled rifle was manufactured for the U.S. government during the American Civil War. Production was subcontracted to the famous Springfield Armory - the Britsburg Machine Works in Pennsylvania, USA - run by Alfred Jenks and his son Barton. By the time of the Civil War, the surname had been successfully associated with the cotton and wool industries, providing valuable machinery to the booming American market.

The Model 1861 production facility will peak at 5,000 prototypes to fulfill government orders. The Jenks family built a brand new factory in 1863 for the sole purpose of making the 1861 model.

The Model 1861 followed many of the rifled rifle designs of the time. She carried a 40-inch barrel with three straps equally spaced. The pushrod was fitted with tulip head steel and mounted under the muzzle of the barrel. The sight consists of a rear two-leaf folding part located in front of the fire-action part, and also has a single front sight behind the muzzle.

The ignition hardware - using a shock-based ignition system - consists of a lock plate and hammer mounted on the right side of the body. The rifle body is made of black walnut, has an integral rifle-style grip, and the stock is enlarged and curved inward to facilitate shooting from the shoulder. The stock is closed with a butt cap.

The trigger is located in a circular trigger guard under the fire system. The stock plate, lock plate, barrel and trigger guard are made with the same bright scheme as the arsenal.

As a rifled rifle, the Model 1861 was muzzle loaded and therefore required a pushrod. Ammo caliber is. 58 and rifles are single shot weapons only.

The Bridesburg Model 1861 takes its name from the model year it was introduced (1861) and the location of its manufacturing plant, of course Bridesburg, Pennsylvania. The Bridesburg Model 1863 appeared shortly after, with minor improvements and detailed elsewhere on this site.