Model 1863 Percussion Contract Rifle

The Model 1863 Percussion Contract Rifle, commonly nicknamed the "Zouave", is a rifle that was manufactured by E. Remington and Sons for the United States Army during the American Civil War.^[1]

A musket,^[2] the firearm is a .58 caliber, muzzle loaded, percussion rifle.^[3] The firearm's design was intended to create a more maneuverable gun for Union soldiers.^[2] From the inception of its design, it was intended to be calibered in .58.^[4] It incorporates several features of the M1841 Mississippi rifle,^[4] especially elements of the long-range version of the M1841 Mississippi.^[5] The Model 1863 Percussion Contract Rifle features brass mounts and a patch box.^[5]

Contemporary official government documents referred to the rifle as the "Harpers Ferry Pattern".^[3] The works of firearm historian George D. Moller refers to the rifle as the "Remington 1862 Contract Rifle", while Flayderman's Guide to Antique Firearms and Their Values referred to the firearm as the "1863 Contract Rifle".^[5]

Approximately 12,000 were produced,^[3] which were delivered to the government between April 1863 and January 1864.^[5] The rifle is believed to have seen little use Civil War combat,^[2] and was not issued by the Army to any of its units.^[2][5] The exact users of the weapon and source of their "Zouave" nickname is unclear to modern historians.^[3] There is not evidence to substantiate that the so-called America "Zouave" units active in the Civil War ever made use of this particular musket.^[4]