This is a relic condition Model 1841 "Mississippi" the measure 48" overall with a barrel measuring 33" in length. It is an early battlefield pickup, as evidenced by the condition of the stock and iron components. The "Mississippi" rifle gained it's name during the Mexican American War when future president of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis, was a Colonel of the Mississippi Rifles and wanted to arm his regiment with the new rifles. General Winfield Scott refused Davis's request, stating that the weapons had been insufficiently tested. Colonel Davis pled his case to President Polk, who agreed that the 1st Mississippi Regiment should be armed with the Model 1841 rifles. The Model 1841 was the first standard US rifle to be manufactured with a percussion lock system. The percussion system proved more reliable and weatherproof than the flint lock system it replaced. Many earlier flintlock weapons were converted to the percussion system. Early Model 41's were .54 caliber and had no bayonet lug. They had a small v notch rear sight. In 1855 the barrel was bored out to .58 caliber and a bayonet lug was added to the barrel to accept a sword bayonet. The rear sight was changed with a leaf sight graduated from 100, 300 and 500 yards. Ladder sights were added to some later Model 41's that were graduated out to 100 yards. Even though the "Mississippi" rifle was considered outdated by the time the Civil War broke out, many Confederate units were equipped with them. The 45th New York Infantry was equipped with them at the Gettysburg. It was better to have any rifled musket over a smooth bore! This rifle has a bore of .54 caliber, and is dark and very rusty. Not so much so that you can't still make out the rifling. The exterior of the barrel still has some bluing showing, but is suffering from moderate pitting from muzzle to breech. Somewhere along the line the end of the muzzle has been hammered on. Not sure what was going on there, but the pictures show the end of the barrel flattened and slightly out of round. The small front bead sight is still present. There is a small v notch rear sight. on the left side of the barrel are two inspector stamps, JAG and P. JAG stood for James A Greer, LT, USN, 1848. The lock plate is stamped Harpers Ferry 1847 behind the hammer and has an American Eagle over the letters US. The hammer and lock plate have a patina that matches the barrel. Believe it or not, the action still works on this one! The hammer holds in both half and full cock. But you do have to assist the trigger forward after dropping the hammer. The double strap front barrel band is iron and is heavily rusted. The rear barrel band, trigger guard and butt plate are all brass with a matching dull golden patina. The butt plate is stamped with US. The stock has seen it's better days. There are multiple breaks, cracks and wood loss. The pictures show all. The ramrod is missing and there are no sling swivels. We picked this one up at the Mansfield, Ohio show a while back, but didn't get any history with it. To bad too, this early Model 1841 could have been used during the Mexican American war. Either way, it definitely saw service in the Civil War. This one would look great in you Civil War long arm, Mexican War long arm or relic firearms collection. In good condition this would be a $3500 dollar gun. It's priced to move.