The M-1845 Lock and Receiver

The heart of the M-1845 musket is the lock and receiver mechanism.  In these photos you can see it in great detail.  For clarity we show the weapon with the lock in both its cocked and resting position.

You can also see the nipple that the percussion cap is placed over in these photos.  We do not yet possess a percussion cap for comparison but we are working on obtaining one.

Receiver Markings and Trigger

The M-1845 musket is covered with a variety of markings.  In this section you will be able to see most of them.

Directly below you can see the markings that are found on the bottom of the brass plate that makes up the rear trigger guard.  The bottom right photo highlights the marks near the rear sling swivel (located in front of the trigger).

In addition to the above markings you can find the arsenal mark and the year of manufacture stamped on the right receiver plate.  When translated the Cyrillic letters spell T.O.Z. which loosely means Tula Weapons Factory.  The final picture in this section shows the left side of the receiver housing.  This side of the weapon has a brass plate stamped with the year the weapon was made and smaller letters.

Muzzle and Musket Front End

A close-up of business end of the weapon can be seen in the photo at right.  It is a VERY large muzzle (.70 caliber) when compared with modern weapons.

Below you can see the front end of the weapon.  It should be noted that both the metal retaining band and cleaning rod are not original to the rifle, but were added at some point in the weapon's history.  You can also see the bayonet mount in the bottom right photograph.