Civil War rifles were some of the most advanced weapons of their time. Many thousands of rifles were ordered during the war, and Civil War rifles were the most commonly seen gun on the front lines. These weapons included the first major use of rifled bores as well as the first bullet-shaped ammunition.Prior to the manufacturing of actual Civil War rifles, many existing muskets were rifled, creating the intermediate stage of ‘rifled muskets.’ This was common in the South, which did not have the resources or manufacturing capacity to produce a large number of new guns. However, even many new guns produced with rifled bores were sometimes referred to as ‘rifled muskets’, creating some confusion over the transition.Many new guns gained popularity as Civil War rifles. The most popular of the various models of Civil War rifles was the 1855 series, of which nearly 60,000 were produced. This was the first major design to use the new rifled bore. Designed specifically for the new Minie bullet, which had recently replaced round balls as the preferred ammunition, these guns were quite popular.