Civil War Rifles
Civil war rifles are a popular collector's item, both for Airsoft players and for antique hunters. For those searching for a bit of history for their home, authentic civil war rifles can add a valuable item to any collection. The distinctive appearance of these old guns, with long barrel and a high percentage of wood versus metal, have an appealing look that is shared with revolutionary war rifles.
While there are still original civil war rifles that can still be fired, most of the guns in existence are maintained for show or collections. They are no longer used for combat or hunting, as these weapons are known for a lower level of accuracy and chance of miss fire.
On the Airsoft field, replica civil war rifles do not suffer from the problems of the original guns. Sharing the same wood based design, these replica civil war rifles look like the original guns, and have a similar rate of fire to maintain realism. However, these guns are much more accurate, benefiting from nearly two hundred years of technological advancement. As well, the Airsoft replica civil war rifles do not have the penetration abilities of the original guns, making them much safer for use on the field.
When you are selecting which types of civil war rifles to acquire, you will need a basic understanding of the different types of guns that were available during the war. The most common brand of rifle, and the one most known by the common person, is the Springfield. With models ranging between the 1835 and the 1863, this brand of rifle saw the most use during the war. It was manufactured and crafted for both sides of the combat. In addition with use in the Civil War, the Springfield also saw use in the Mexican-American war.
Other models of Civil War rifles include the Brunswick, Colt, Fayetteville, Henry, M1819, M1841, Minie, Enfield, Richmond, Sharps, Spencer and Tarpley. Due to the predominance of the brand, however, the Springfield is the most common.
For the collector, a high quality Springfield can be quite valuable, but one of the other models, due to their rarity, can fetch a much higher price.
Airsoft players can purchase replica Civil War rifles from virtually any era-specific vendor. Like the original guns, the Springfield models are much easier to acquire than other types. If you are interested in collecting Airsoft replicas, you may need to special order the less common models.