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Needham Conversions are basically M1861, M1863 muskets converted to Breech Loading. The following components are different from a typical M1861/1863:
Hammer Wedge Attachment:
All Needham Conversions have a M1863 hammer regardless if the stock/lock is a M1861 or 1863. The hammer is modified by slicing off the percussion cap striker. In it’s place is beak or wedge. This wedge when fired goes through a slot in the receiver and provides a glancing blow to the firing pin. The hammer itself, a M1863, is the same on every Fenian Needham Conversion.
The most rare are the two flat Pin hammers. The most common is the single round head pin
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Hammer Numbers:
The vast majority of Needhams have a number stamped on both the hammer wedge and the shank of the hammer. I don’t believe the Needhams were built in sequential order but some hammer/wedges may have been built stamped consecutively.
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Lock Make:
This is a little tricky. Bridesburg is by far the most common lock plate name. Springfield is the 2nd most common but trails far behind Bridesburg. Any of the other contractors are rare but Bridesburg is the most favored even though it is the most common. The reason is a Bridesburg would be the most likely to have have been used in the three raids.
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Lock Date:
The most rare and most favored, in my opinion are the forward date Bridesburgs. These are also the most rare of any combination of make/date. The least favored, again my opinion only, are the 1864 dated Bridesburgs. The 1864 dated while they may have cut stocks, they will not have any forward dates or O’s on the lock or stock.
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“O” On Lock and/or Stock:
The O has been a mystery for quite some time. It has been thought to be a mark of rejection. I think just the opposite, it is a mark of acceptance from the Ordnance Department. Either way the O has only been seen on two makes of Needhams, Bridesburg and New York. But it should be noted Brideburg sold locks to Sarson and Roberts(New York). The O is also seen on stocks on some Needhams dated from 1861 to 1864 always under the cartouche of Charles G. Curtis. Many Fenian Bridesburgs have this O on the stock and/or lock. Out of 177 Needhams in the database 27 have a known O on the lock and 18 have an O on the stock.
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Irish Nation or Irish Republic?
Out of 177 Needhams in the database, 54 have a known IN and 18 have a known IR. Research has shown that IN was the stamp of one faction of Fenians and IR is the stamp of another faction. There are far more IN’s than IR’s. Not all Needhams have this stamp. That does not mean it is not a true Needham. The Fenians also bought muskets after their 1866 raids that were for whatever reason not stamped. But having the stamp does add more historical and worth to the Needham
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Cut/uncut and Straight or V-Cut:
Some Needhams have a cut under the rear or middle barrel band. These are the most favored of all the Needhams. The stocks were cut on some Needhams by the Fenians to enable them to be transported in smaller cases to help avoid detection by authorities. The Fenians first experimented with straight cuts, pegged or not pegged and the V-Cut. They finally settled on the V-cut as the standard. The V-Cut is by far the most common. I have a straight cut in my collection and 5 with the V-Cut.
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Breech Block Screw
The Breech Block contains the firing pin. There are two types, Type I and Type II. It is not conclusive what type came first. The first type is closest to the center of the block and the Type II is closer to the front edge. The most common by far is Type II. I only have one in my collection that is a Type I. In my database of 177 Needhams there are 27 known Type I’s and 55 known Type II’s.
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