Fayetteville rifle

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The Fayetteville Rifle was a 2 banded rifled musket of rifle length produced at the Confederate States Arsenal in Fayetteville, North Carolina. The machinery which produced these weapons was primarily that captured at the United States Arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia , which was previously used to produce the US Model 1855 Rifle.

The weapon was produced in .58 caliber from 1861 until the capture and destruction of the arsenal by Union forces under General W.T. Sherman on March 11, 1865.

The first examples were manufactured using assorted M1855 lock blanks and are mounted in iron with high and medium high lockplate humps. Later examples are mounted in brass with a graceful "S" shaped hammer. Only the very early examples are known to have a patchbox.

The rifle was made both with and without a special bayonet lug which allowed the use of a sword bayonet.

The weapons are highly collectible and pristine examples will command prices in excess of $25,000.