Day 3: U.S. Springfield Model 1795 Flintlock Musket Type I

The NRA celebrates the spirit of the holiday season in our 12 Days of Firearms series! To kick off the month of December, we’ve handpicked 12 legendary firearms found in the galleries of the NRA Museums, showcasing one each day for 12 days.

The Model 1795, patterned after the French Charleville musket, was the first U.S. military arm to be produced at Springfield Armory. There are three basic types of Model 1795 musket that may be identified, and some features are common to all three. Type I muskets, including this example, were manufactured between 1799 and 1806.

Due to the hand workmanship of these long arms and the lack of clear definition in inspection and acceptance regulations on the part of the U.S. War Department, variations exist in configuration and markings.

Approximately 85,000 Model 1795 muskets were manufactured at Springfield Armory during the 21-year production run. That's more than 4,000 per year, or 11 guns a day - no small feat for the late-18th and early-19th century! Springfield Armory made a countless number of firearms for the United States from 1777 until it closed in 1968.

For more photos and information about the U.S. Springfield Model 1795 Flintlock Musket Type I, visit http://www.nramuseum.org/guns/the-galleries/a-prospering-new-republic-1780-to-1860/case-7-early-american-military-arms/us-springfield-model-1795-flintlock-musket-type-i.aspx