Swiss Pattern 1842 Kadet Percussion Musket – Conversion – Belgian? French? – Pre 1898 Antique

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Original price was: $800.00.Current price is: $750.00.

1 in stock

Description

Product Description:

The Swiss Modell 1842 Kadettengewehr Kadet Percussion Musket is a smooth bore muzzle loader intended for the youth cadet corps of Switzerland. It is smaller in size than the standard issue Infanteriegewehr Modell 1842 which was one of the first standardized service rifles of the Swiss military.

The 1842 pattern would become very successful throughout the world and would be manufactured by a number of countries for their own use and for export. The Modell 1842 would eventually be updated or converted with rifling as the 1842/59 and later with a Milbank-Amsler receiver in 1867.

This musket is a bit of a mystery. It is definitely of the pattern of the Swiss Modell 1842. The bore has not been rifled. The caliber is 14.5mm (.57 cal) with a barrel length of 29-3/8 inches. Overall length is 43-1/8 inches. However it has been altered at least once if not more during its life.

The stock has the same profile of the standard cadet however the butt stock has been shaped to give more of a cheek rise. The fore end does not have the middle barrel band flexible retaining pin and appears to have just been straight pinned in the middle (pin is missing). The middle band does not have a sling loop. The barrel bands are not correct to the 1842 Kadet and possibly came from a 1817/42 conversion but could be from another model of the era. Of particular note is the cutout for the trigger guard. It appears that there is a second cutout in the stock for the trigger plate closer to the trigger. As a result the fitment of the trigger guard on this musket has a slight gap behind the trigger.

The barrel features a front sight that is not only incorrect to the cadet but is also canted about twenty degrees to the left. In removing the barrel from the stock we discovered that there is a small square a few inches down from the muzzle that would be more in line with where the front sight should be. There is no rear sight. This raises the question as to whether this may have been a practice musket build for an apprentice, a cheaply constructed musket for export, or possibly converted/altered/repaired by the owner(s) over the years.

The last note of distinction is that unlike a true Modell 1842 Kadet this musket features almost no proof marks or identifying marks of any kind. Usually these muskets would have at minimum a number and proof stamp, most often Belgian or Swiss, as well as other proofing for powder. There are no numbers, proof marks, or stamps that would indicate country of manufacture. The only marking to be found is “F I” on the bottom of the trigger guard.

Given this mix of evidence it is difficult to ascertain the exact model this is. It was imported from Switzerland and has the traditional profile of the Modell 1842 but the mix of parts could also be from Belgium or France. It could have been cobbled together from other cadets or built as a project by an apprentice or former owner. Though many of these found their way to the United States and were converted and used during the American Civil War there is no evidence that this example was one of those.

The overall condition of this musket is fair. The finish on the stock is good showing wear and minor dings and scratches common for a musket of this age. The wood itself has minor cracking at the side plates and there is some shrinking at the tang. There are signs of minor woodworm damage (small pin size holes) in a few places on the stock but they are few in number.

The barrel finish is gone and rust staining is prevalent over the entire barrel. Remarkably there is very little in the way of pitting on the barrel. The smooth bore is fair and shows rust throughout. The muzzle does have some dings. The lock plate is good but shows rust staining and wear as does the hammer.

The brass of the three barrel bands shows wear and tarnish. The front barrel band has the most dings and the middle barrel band does not have a sling loop and is missing the pin. The brass trigger guard has only minor wear and tarnish. The sling swivel at the trigger has rust/patina. The trigger is rust stained with patina. The butt plate has tarnish and very minor rust spotting as well as minor dings. The Ram Rod is rust stained in spots. Pins are missing at middle barrel band and at side plate.

This musket has been tested for function and the lock, hammer, and trigger work normally. This musket has NOT been test fired.

Additional information

Weight 7 lbs
Dimensions 48 × 3 × 6 in

Markings

F I – Bottom of trigger guard.

Sale!

Swiss Pattern 1842 Kadet Percussion Musket – Conversion – Belgian? French? – Pre 1898 Antique

Original price was: $800.00.Current price is: $750.00.

1 in stock

Product Description:

The Swiss Modell 1842 Kadettengewehr Kadet Percussion Musket is a smooth bore muzzle loader intended for the youth cadet corps of Switzerland. It is smaller in size than the standard issue Infanteriegewehr Modell 1842 which was one of the first standardized service rifles of the Swiss military.

The 1842 pattern would become very successful throughout the world and would be manufactured by a number of countries for their own use and for export. The Modell 1842 would eventually be updated or converted with rifling as the 1842/59 and later with a Milbank-Amsler receiver in 1867.

This musket is a bit of a mystery. It is definitely of the pattern of the Swiss Modell 1842. The bore has not been rifled. The caliber is 14.5mm (.57 cal) with a barrel length of 29-3/8 inches. Overall length is 43-1/8 inches. However it has been altered at least once if not more during its life.

The stock has the same profile of the standard cadet however the butt stock has been shaped to give more of a cheek rise. The fore end does not have the middle barrel band flexible retaining pin and appears to have just been straight pinned in the middle (pin is missing). The middle band does not have a sling loop. The barrel bands are not correct to the 1842 Kadet and possibly came from a 1817/42 conversion but could be from another model of the era. Of particular note is the cutout for the trigger guard. It appears that there is a second cutout in the stock for the trigger plate closer to the trigger. As a result the fitment of the trigger guard on this musket has a slight gap behind the trigger.

The barrel features a front sight that is not only incorrect to the cadet but is also canted about twenty degrees to the left. In removing the barrel from the stock we discovered that there is a small square a few inches down from the muzzle that would be more in line with where the front sight should be. There is no rear sight. This raises the question as to whether this may have been a practice musket build for an apprentice, a cheaply constructed musket for export, or possibly converted/altered/repaired by the owner(s) over the years.

The last note of distinction is that unlike a true Modell 1842 Kadet this musket features almost no proof marks or identifying marks of any kind. Usually these muskets would have at minimum a number and proof stamp, most often Belgian or Swiss, as well as other proofing for powder. There are no numbers, proof marks, or stamps that would indicate country of manufacture. The only marking to be found is “F I” on the bottom of the trigger guard.

Given this mix of evidence it is difficult to ascertain the exact model this is. It was imported from Switzerland and has the traditional profile of the Modell 1842 but the mix of parts could also be from Belgium or France. It could have been cobbled together from other cadets or built as a project by an apprentice or former owner. Though many of these found their way to the United States and were converted and used during the American Civil War there is no evidence that this example was one of those.

The overall condition of this musket is fair. The finish on the stock is good showing wear and minor dings and scratches common for a musket of this age. The wood itself has minor cracking at the side plates and there is some shrinking at the tang. There are signs of minor woodworm damage (small pin size holes) in a few places on the stock but they are few in number.

The barrel finish is gone and rust staining is prevalent over the entire barrel. Remarkably there is very little in the way of pitting on the barrel. The smooth bore is fair and shows rust throughout. The muzzle does have some dings. The lock plate is good but shows rust staining and wear as does the hammer.

The brass of the three barrel bands shows wear and tarnish. The front barrel band has the most dings and the middle barrel band does not have a sling loop and is missing the pin. The brass trigger guard has only minor wear and tarnish. The sling swivel at the trigger has rust/patina. The trigger is rust stained with patina. The butt plate has tarnish and very minor rust spotting as well as minor dings. The Ram Rod is rust stained in spots. Pins are missing at middle barrel band and at side plate.

This musket has been tested for function and the lock, hammer, and trigger work normally. This musket has NOT been test fired.

Weight 7 lbs
Dimensions 48 × 3 × 6 in

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