POTD: Needham Conversion Bridesburg Musket – 1of 5,020 Converted

Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have a Needham conversion of a Bridesburg rifle-musket with an 1863-dated lock, one of approximately 5,020 Civil War muzzleloaders converted to breechloading centerfire using the Needham side-opening system.

After the war the Army was sitting on an enormous stockpile of percussion muskets. Discarding them was wasteful and expensive. Converting them to handle modern cartridge ammunition was the practical answer, and several competing patent systems went after that contract. The Needham used a side-opening breechblock, mechanically straightforward, that allowed centerfire loading without replacing the barrel. The .58 caliber bore stayed as-is.

5,020 conversions is a documented number, which is useful. It also means these are not particularly rare as Civil War-era converted arms go, but they’re not especially common either. The 1863 Bridesburg lock dates the base musket to standard wartime production.

This example is missing the barrel tang screw and shows stock repairs. It got used. The Trapdoor conversion ultimately won out as the Army’s preferred system, which pushed Needham conversions to the margins of the story, which is probably why they don’t get talked about much.

Most of our POTDs utilize images from our friends at Rock Island Auction Company, the premier firearms auction in the United States. Take some time to browse their current auctions – who knows, maybe you’ll find a piece of history to take home!

“Needham Conversion U.S. Contract Bridesburg Rifle.” Rock Island Auction, www.rockislandauction.com/detail/5032/38/needham-conversion-us-contract-bridesburg-rifle. Accessed 28 May 2026.

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