A very nice .50" U.S. civil war Union Army issue Smith’s carbine.
£3250 SALE £2000
A very nice .50" U.S. civil war Union Army issue Smith’s carbine. Case hardened slab sided percussion action with hammer to the right side and sling bar to the left signed SMITH’S PATENT JUNE 22 1857, ADDRESS POULTNEY & TRIMBLE BALTIMORE USA, MANUFACTURED BY AM’N M’CH’N WKS SPRINGFIELD MASS. Trigger guard with barrel release loading latch button to the front and spring barrel lock to the top of the action. American black walnut stock and forend, the stock struck to the left side with a deep and clear JH government cartouche. Steel butt plate and forend retained by a single barrel band and screw to the rear. Octagonal to round dropping barrel with large closing spring to the top rear is fitted with a carbine ladder rear sight and struck to the rear left with a U.S. army LFR inspection stamp. Bore rifled with three deep groves and the muzzle fitted with a brass blade foresight inlet into a steel base. One of the first of the successful breach loading carbines the Smith has a shotgun like dropping barrel and used a round which consisted of the bullet in an India rubber ‘cartridge’ which held the powder charge and was loaded in one piece, then fired by the use of an external percussion cap of regulation pattern. This resulted in an accurate weapon which could be reloaded on horse back in action and also allowed a much better rate of fire than its muzzle loading contemporaries. It saw wide use by Union cavalry units during the civil war including the 1st Massachusetts, 6th & 9th Ohio, 1st Connecticut, 7th and 17th Pennsylvania, 11th Illinois and the 3rd West Virginia regiments. In very good condition with much original finish to the metal work, fine mechanical order, a very nice sharp stock and a very good sharp bore which does however have a small ring about 6” back from the muzzle. A very nice example of a scarce U.S. army civil war issue carbine, most of these saw very hard use during and after the war and this is the nicest example we have had of one of these interesting arms.
