The Model 1819 Hall was the first U.S. military breech loading firearm issued in large numbers and also the first firearm manufactured with totally interchangeable parts. In 1819, John H. Hall would enter into a contract with the War Department for 1,000 of his breech loading rifles. Hall would occupy an old armory sawmill on the Shenandoah River next to the Harpers Ferry Armory, which would come to be known as Hall's Rifle Works. It took Hall some five years to get the proper tools and water powered machinery assembled to produce the rifles. This desirable example, dated 1826, was included as part of his second completed contract of 1,000 rifles. To prove these rifles were truly parts interchangeable, in 1826, a government commission disassembled 100 Hall rifles, mixed up the parts, and re-assembled them on newly received stocks with no reported problems and thus confirmed Hall's success. Though they suffered from gas leak and other issues common to early breechloaders, the Hall rifles and carbines remained in use through the Civil War. This rifle has the standard offset blade and notch sights, "J. H. HALL/H. FERRY/US/1826" marked breechblock (the "6" is partially visible), barrel band retaining springs, and a proper button head ramrod.

Very good, with a few patches of light pitting visible underneath the applied brown finish. Modern replacement frizzen spring. Stock is also very good as lightly sanded and re-oiled, with a re-glued cracked section behind the receiver tang, a crack running between the breech block lever plate and rear barrel band, a few cracks around the buttplate, an unexplained circular ring visible on the barrel between the middle and front barrel bands, and some light scratches and handling marks. Mechanically fine.