Where can you find information about 1863 and 1864 Springfield rifles with wooden barrels?

Answer 1

Don't take this as gospel, but I believe that wooden-barrelled training muskets were made up by Francis Bannerman in the late 1800's.

(Bannerman was a famous dealer of military surplus, who established a business headquarters and warehouse in an "armory" that he built on an island in the Hudson River. The facade was inspired by a Scottish castle, and its crumbling ruins still remain today, preserved as a park.)

Bannerman produced a paper catalog which is still available as a reprint, and is an excellent reference for identifying old militaria (much like vintage Sears catalog reprints). Much of his inventory consisted of Civil War and Spanish-American War military surplus, including guns.

I am told that in the late 1890'2 and early 1900's, military academies and community marching groups were a very popular social activity. There was no anti-war stigma at the time. Obsolete muzzle-loading Civil War muskets and Trapdoor Springfield rifles with condemned (unsafe) actions were made into lightweight training and marching muskets for youth by removing the original barrel and replacing it with a wooden barrel turned to the same contours. Often the last six inches or so of the original barrel was cut off and attached to the training gun, with the joint covered by the last barrel retaining band. This muzzle allowed attachment of the original bayonet for drill purposes. I have actually seen one example of this done with an 1873 trapdoor springfield rifle.

These non-functional but realistic guns were sometimes referred to as "Quaker muskets" with reference to the pacifist Quaker movement in the US. Various grades of these drill rifles were listed in the Bannerman catalog.