The barrel was the most difficult and complicated part to make. It began as as flat piece of iron, called a "skelp", some 3 inches wide and about 2 feet long, and ended as a round,slightly tapering tube about 3.5 feet long. The skelp was first rolled into a tube around a solid iron rod. The rod helped keep the cylindrical shape as the seam, where the two edges joined together, was welded. This was done by alternately heating the iron then hammering it on a specially shaped anvil ( fig. 1) . This water-driven hammer repeatedly struck the white-hot metal. When the tube was completely welded, the inside of the barrel was bored to the correct diameter, and then the barrel was rifled ( fig. 2) to give the weapon greater accuracy. In this operation spiral grooves -rifling- were cut inside so that the bullet was forced to spin when fired and fly true to the target. The barrel was then checked to make certain that it was absolutely straight ( fig. 3) . The barrel was finished by grinding it to the proper taper and polishing the outside.
The wood stocks were made from well-seasoned american black walnut. Before the a four-year supply of wood was stored at the armory. The stocks were first shaped on an improved version of a lathe invented by Thomas Blanchard ( fig. 4) . Then the grooves, recesses and channel for the barrel, lock, ramrod. buttplate and trigger assembly had to be cut into it. these were cut on plaining machines guided by patterns so that the stocks were all alike.
While the barrel and stocks were being made, the other parts were being created in other shops of the armory. In the blacksmith shops the ramrods, the internal parts of the lock mechanism, the trigger assemblies, the butt plate, bands, springs and screws & swivels were forged ( fig. 5) . Steel dies, called "swedges" were used to shape the parts. The swedges were made in pairs. To make a part, one section of a swedge was placed in an anvil. A piece of hot iron was placed on top and a second section of the pair placed over the iron. The swedges were then hammered and the hot iron was forced to take the shape of the swedge. When the iron cooled the part was then finished on a lathe, a milling machine, or by hand with files. Holes were drilled and taped and screws were threaded. If the job was done skillfully, the part would be identical with the other parts of the same kind and would be interchangeable between muskets.
Each musket was equipped with a bayonet, a tompion, a wiper and a ball screw. Each group of 10 muskets was supplied with a spring punch and mainspring vise. All of which were supplied by the armory. The bayonets were polished and all the other accoutrements were made to the same exacting standards as the rifle musket parts.
Standards were assured by strict controls on the quality of materials and workmaship. Quality was insured by a four-part preocess of paying workers by the piece, identifying the maker of each piece, testing the finished work, and penalizing poor workmanship. Barrel welders, for example, were paid 12 cents for each seam welded. An indentifying mark for each worker was stamped on the barrel and the the barrel was tested in a proving house. ( fig. 6) . The proof house was a stout wooden building with a low bench on which the barrels were placed. The barrels were loaded with an extra charge of powder and fired into a clay bank. If a barrel burst upon proof, and the cause was a faulty weld, the welder whose mark was stamped on the barrel was fined the whole cost of the part. Bayonets were tested to make certain they had the proper spring and would not break in use. This was done in two ways ( fig. 7) : by hanging weights from the top of the bayonet to see how far it would bend or by placing the point in the floor and testing the spring in the bayonet.
From the various shops and forges the many parts that make up a rifle musket were collected and placed in bins or stacked around benches where the rifle musket was assembed. Because each part was identical to others of the same kind, there was no need during final fitting for adjustment. With all the pieces at hand, it took a skilled worker about 10 minutes to assemble a rifle musket. Each one was then given a final inspection by a master armorer and if accepted was stamped with his initials as being fit for service.
This was the procedure as described by Springfield Armory, it was basically the same process that the contractors used. However some contractors sub-contracted out for some or all of the parts and only assembled the final product. Some manufactured all the different parts themselves. All parts where ever manufactured were subject to inspection on gauges approved by Springfield Armory, and final viewing & proving before the master armorers stamp of approval.