Ran across a 1863 type 2, chopped, in an antique store for what I think is a pretty dang good price if it's legit. Anyone know a field expedient way to see if it was bored out to turn it into a shotgun?

I've always wanted a 1863 three band because I'm infantry and it's the rifle on the EIB/CIB so this kind of one of my bucket list guns.

rifling?

caliber gauge?

Stick your finger in the bore and feel for rifling. If its been cut down, its not worth much.

Drop one of those little flashlights down the barrel. If it has rifling it should be obvious.

What do you mean when you say it has been "cut down"? Has just the stock been cut, or the barrel as well? If the barrel has been cut, what you have is a mere source of parts: the lock, trigger guard, buttplate, rear sight, and miscellaneous hardware.

These can be fairly valuable to someone building a hybrid original / repro gun. Keep in mind that new stocks are available from Dunlap Woodcrafts, and new barrels from Whitacre's Machine Shop.

I built just such a hybrid M1842 musket. The stock and barrel are new, but everything else is original. I actually like the new barrel in preference to an original barrel, because this way I know that it's 100% safe to shoot. With original barrels, you never know because of possible internal corrosion.

Unlike the Italian repros, Whitacre's and Dunlap's products are made exactly to the original specifications.

None were ever converted during the war as a shotgun. Sounds like you found a bubba.

Many were sold after the war converted to smoothbore shotguns for civilian sales. They were cut down and the rifling bored out.


Pretty much worth only as parts unfortunately.

It would not be unfeasible to find a post-war rebarreled smoothbore.  Check the bore.