Veteran Arms 1795 Springfields

[cpt dan blodgett]

Has anyone out there seen or held one of these?  At $575 I am considering doing life sized crossed muskets on one of my walls.
If they are a POS, not interested in undertaking the project

[harleydavis]

In the Civil War world, the India imported muskets generally do not have a great reputation. I did not witness this first hand, however, at Gettysburg this year, one of the lads from my Confederate unit had his barrel burst on an India made musket (to be fair, I do not know if it was a Veteran Arms version). Thank god he was in the rear rank and no injuries occurred (except to his shorts!!). There are 2-3 others in the unit that have India mfg'd muskets with no troubles at this time. A cursory examination of the burst barrel did not reveal any obstruction in the barrel but the metal appeared to have a porous appearance. Personally, I would not fire one live and would even be concerned of blank usage. For hanging on the wall, perfect. Just my 2 pennies worth, others mileage may vary.

[ndnchf]

If you just plan to hang it on the wall, it will serve the purpose, but I would be wary of firing it.  I had an indian made 1816 springfield, but sold it because it was a POS.  Here is what I did to get a nice 1795.  I bought a Miroku (japanese) made replica Charleville musket off Gunbroker.  The 1795 is an almost direct copy of the Charleville except the markings and ramrod.  I took it to John Zimmerman and he made it into a Harpers Ferry model 1795.  It has all the correct markings and looks beautiful.  He did a super job and it cost under $200 for the conversion work.  I now have a top quality M1795 for just a couple hundred  more than an Indian made clunker.

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[cpt dan blodgett]

Thanks for the info.  Pretty much broke the bank doing the 150th Anniversary of Gettysburg so this project will simmer on the back burner for a while, will keep my eyes open for a pair of Charlevilles

[ndnchf]

Yeah, I understand the $$ issue. 
One thing to consider when looking for a Charleville.  The Italian made Charleville is pretty easy to find used and its a well made piece. The Japanese (Miroku) made Charleville is very well made as well.  But it is closer to the original, being slim and trim compared to the Italian version.  For some reason, just about all the Italian made muskets are thicker in the breech area than originals.  They also use European walnut that is more dense and heavy.  If you have an opportunity to handle a Japanese made version, you'll be amazed at the difference.  Same thing goes for the Japanese made model 1861 and 1862 made Springfields.  They are much lighter than their Italian cousins.