The revolver was in in good condition retaining gray and brown patina and had character with a few dents and scratches. [12] A South Carolina officer estimated that only one in every 400 shots fired resulted in a hit. k.k. The carbine was the third most used amongst forces during the war only trailing behind the Spencer and Sharps. These rifled muskets have an iconic look that makes them pretty easy to identify based on their silhouette. Along with a revised 1863 model, it was the last muzzle-loading weapon ever adopted by the US Army. Rock Island Auction Company has a wide variety of Civil War guns in our Premier and Regional Auctions. It had design similarities to the Colt revolver, with a rotating cylinder that held several rounds of ammunition (a unique feature on a rifle). This had to be one of the finest Spencer rifles still surviving today. Like the musket, the projectile was smaller than the bore, allowing for fast loading, even when the arm was fouled with black-powder residue. The guns effective range was listed at 200 yards which was fairly impressive for a long gun of the era. Starting in 1850 and throughout the Civil War, roughly 100,000 Sharps carbines were produced for military use. Click here for more information. That is definitely at the high end of the pricing spectrum. When Confederate forces seized the manufacturing equipment from Harpers Ferry, they used it to continue production of the Model 1855 during the war. As the war escalated, those arms stockpiles were quickly diminished. 1-86-NARA-NARA or 1-866-272-6272, The Struggles of a Soldier-Inventor: Capt. Since most of the Confederate soldiers were shooting muzzle loaders that had a rate of two to three rounds per minute, using a Spencer gave the person firing the weapon a distinct tactical advantage. The Spencer had an excellent reputation in combat, with a sustainable rate of fire of 20 rounds per minute. In fact, antique gun collectors come in all shapes and sizes. Are there any stamping on the barrels or locks? But the Henry made its way into Civil War lore through soldiers spending their own hard-earned pay on the brass-receiver beasts. p. 249-250, Hess,E.J. Some were considered to be of the finest quality, and were sometimes praised as being superior to the Enfield. In order to hit a target at distances beyond 100 yards, the firer had to carefully adjust their sights and accurately estimate the range, which could be difficult in the havoc of battle. The purchase was agreed to by none other than General John Fremont (who is infamous for another shady firearms deal). You can find these rifles in antique auctions around the country for a few thousand dollars, such as with this 1861 Sharps rifle that's listed for $3,499. Desirable Civil War era Parisian First Model LeMat grape shot revolver. Allen & Wheelock Drop Breech. The Confederates attempted to claim the moral high ground by arguing they never stooped to using exploding bullets, however the Richmond Arsenal manufactured at least 100,000 exploding bullets and examples of Confederates using exploding bullets can be found during the Battle of Glendale and the Siege of Vicksburg. Granville Stuart's Sharps Model 1874 Creedmoor No. As the war escalated those arms stockpiles were quickly diminished. At the same time, Northern rifle and gun manufacturers such as Sharps, Colt, Remington, and the Springfield Armory quickly increased their production of rifles;[18] Springfield alone increased its annual output from 20,000 to 200,000. Sharps rifles of the Civil War era tend to be unique and more sought after Civil War rifle finds. The power of a Henry Rifle was comparable in power to military pistols, but that was not enough to be used as a shoulder fired rifle for the military. The ignition source was a folded rim on the inside of the gun. [18] To combat the arms shortage, the Union and Confederacy both imported large quantities of rifles from Europe, with each side buying whatever it could get. To get a better handle on exactly why this seminal war was as bloody as it was, here are the 8 Long Guns You Have to Know from the American Civil War. The Sharps rifle was a falling block rifle that also used a unique pellet primer feed. The Lorenz Rifle (again a rifled musket of the Mini variety) had highly mixed reviews in the Civil War. One of the things we used to do was collect up everything that came out of the barrels to see how and what they were loaded with. In addition to the expected spherical shape of ball ammunition, there are impacted balls (those that were fired and hit something) and spent balls (those that were fired and eventually ran out of energy without hitting something). The Henry rifle had a copper or brass cartridge that effectively sealed the breech of the gun so that the hot propellant gases would be held inside of the gun. A higher conditioned Colt Model 1851 can sell for quite a bit more such as the one we sold for $20,700 in September of 2017. [13][14] Cost was also an issue: in an era where a soldier earned $10-13 a month and a rifled musket might cost $10-20 to manufacture, a repeating rifle might cost $37-65 to manufacture. Bayonet fighting was also important at this time, which also made militaries reluctant to shorten the barrels. For questions or more information about our firearms or policies, call us at (877) 214-9327 or email info@collectorsfirearms.com . army weapons were often marked with unit markings on the barrels, butt plates, or side plates. [8] A lack of training resulted not only in poor accuracy but in mishandling which could render the rifle useless. There are numerous accounts of Union soldiers connecting shots from just shy of 1,000 yards with the revolutionary Sharps. In April of 2018, a desirable Sharps Model 1853 slant breech percussion carbine sold for $12,650 at auction. It may have English proofs. There's a barrel key in the forearm. Even with this flaw, the Burnside went on to become the third most used carbine of the war, behind the Sharps and Spencer, seeing action in nearly every battle in the conflict. However, there are no greater rifles to collect than these popular models. There are 5 main types of Civil War ordnance: Solid-shot. The action was excellent which is more than one can ask for in a gun that is over 150 years old. Other then The French Lefaucheux pin-fire handgun, I have no knowledge of any other French weapons imported by either side. Civil War Handgun professionals specializing in appraisals of antique revolvers and pistols used by Union and Confederate forces during and before the Civil War. Inventors and military men devised new types of weapons, such . Arms and Equipment of the Civil War. This was converted from tubelock to percussion by Henry Leman of Lancaster, PA, in converted from tubelock to percussion by Henry Leman of Lancaster, PA, in late 1862 or early 1863. The Springfield Model 1861 therefore used a three-band barrel, making it just as long as the smoothbore muskets that it had replaced. Western armies were slower to obtain Springfield rifles, and they were not widely used there until the middle of 1863. (2001). document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. There were nevertheless drawbacks to these weapons, as early breechloaders leaked gas at the breech and repeaters were technically complex and required metallic cartridges which could be unreliable. [2] see Civil War U.S. Springfield Model 1861 Percussion Rifle-Musket Dated 1862 with Bayonet. Sharps was without a doubt the finest produced and best functioning carbine of the war. In fact, something as simple as the Civil War hats that you c, Antique Flintlock Rifles: History, Identification & Values, Antique flintlock rifles, with their rifled barrels and simplistic construction, harken back to a time where accuracy wasn't a guarantee. Most of the time it was chopped up pieces of steel and newspaper wadding. With seven rounds of .56-56 Spencer rimfire on tap, the rifle delivered overwhelming firepower for the time. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. The firearm was one of the finest examples of a well-kept Spencer a gun enthusiast could ask for with minimal wear, markings, or signs of use. Back in May of 2017, we sold a Spencer 1865 carbine for $9,775. However, the military was still using tactics such as firing by ranks, and feared that shorter barrels would result in soldiers in the back ranks accidentally shooting front rank soldiers in the back of the head. Spencer rifles were the first successful repeater used in the United States. During the American Civil War, an assortment of small arms found their way onto the battlefield. Besides the Henry, no other long gun could provide a shooter with 7 rounds before having to reload. The Spencer carbine, on the other hand, was widely utilized, with around 90,000 being produced for the war effort. A family tintype of an ancestor holding the weapon in their uniform can give you some context as to whether the firearm was active during the 1860s, or is just a family heirloom. Due to a lack of munitions manufacturers in the South, the Confederates depended on the British government to procure these weapons. [4] More recently, historians including Paddy Griffith, Mark Grimsley and Brent Nosworthy have challenged this interpretation. And the .44 round was relatively weaker compared to the dominant repeater of the time, the Spencer. These numbers can be printed on the stock, butt, and gun's barrel, depending on the manufacturer and model. Armies South, Armies North. .44 (takes metallic cartridge), English Sapper rifled, "Enfield" pattern. The bored out versions were not consistent in caliber, ranging from .57 to .59. What kind of French muskets? The Fora platform includes forum software by XenForo. But the 24-inch, 9-pound brainchild of Benjamin Henry did have its weak points. Went off and smoked up the shop, I have unloaded a few old doubles myself . But weaponry advancements also played a large role. 1861. Another had identified it as Austrian: Muster 1842 k.k. Many soldiers saved their salaries to buy their own Henry rifle as their government issued weapons couldn't hold up to the rifle's speed and lethality. The six shooter, single action black powder gun could do some damage to an opponent up to about 100 yards away. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission, which supports our community. The Civil War was a time of great social and political upheaval. The Whitworth rifle was designed by Sir Joseph Whitworth, and was manufactured in Manchester, England. Outdoor Hub, LLC (d/b/a Carbon Media Group), 30800 Telegraph Rd, Suite 1921, Bingham Farms, MI 48025 USA. During 1863, Sharps was the carbine prominently used by Union soldiers. With over 1 million being produced during the war by Springfield Armory and about two dozen other firearm producers, the dependable rifle gained fame during the early years of the war with many being produced in 1862. The inventor of the gun was able to mass produce a cartridge that had a powerful powder charge. Given the Souths smaller manufacturing base compared to the North, it was imperative it import arms. 2. The rounds fired by the Lorenz were considered inferior to the .58 caliber Mini ball, and while the rifle could be rebored to accept a larger bullet the process could affect barrel quality. In this situation, anecdotal evidence and photographs or written documentation placing a specific rifle in the period can be very helpful. One of the most fascinating markings on the gun is carved initials in the stock of the gun. The enterprising Confederates adapted these rifles to better suit their needs. RIAC believes that this website is accessible to the widest possible audience pursuant to the guidelines of the Americans with Disability Act. p. 26-27, Guelzo,A.C.(2012). Only about 2,500 made it to the Confederacy by means of their gun runners. Some such weapons included clones of the Sharps carbine, the Richmond/Fayetteville rifles (a Springfield clone) and imitations of Enfield rifles and musketoons. The last one I did had printing on it . The unfortunate experience the army had had with these led to a stigma against repeating rifles, combined with the old fear that they (and single-shot breech loaders) would encourage men to waste ammunition. Although it had a .577 caliber bore it could use the same .58 caliber Mini ball as the Springfield. (2008). The benefit of this Civil War rifle was that it could be fired in rapid succession without pausing to reload after each shot. The Sharps Carbine, on the other hand, had no such problems. From the start of the war, the Colt Model 1860 Army took over as the hand gun primarily used by Union forces. Burnsides company went under and he sold his patent to Charles Jackson. The Henry repeating rifle can be considered the Rolls Royce of guns manufactured during the Civil War. The Civil War brought many advances in firearms technology, most notably the widespread use of rifled barrels. Email us at Mail@HistoricalArms.net or call 440-744-9088 (11am - 8pm Eastern Time) Some guns made in Belgium were proofed and sold as English as they would bring better money. If well made, it was well regarded. A sketch details the 14th Brooklyn regiment's uniform jacket, vest and kepi. While perhaps not as fast between shots as other repeaters that made their appearance in the Civil War it had to be manually cocked the Spencer was perhaps the most reliable. The .52-calibers self-contained cartridges could be easily loaded on horseback, giving a mounted soldier a weapon that had an effective rate of fire of 8 to 10 shots a minute. It is suggested by some that the Burnside Carbine was what vaulted Burnside the man to the upper ranks of the Union Army and on to debacles in the Battle of Fredericksburg and the Battle of the Crater. Historically, the smoothbore musket had been the primary weapon of the infantry while the rifle was reserved for specialist units. Serendipitously, Sir Whitworth found another market for his rifle at the outset of the American Civil War the Confederates. Although they're overshadowed by flashier historic firearms, Old Winchester Rifles to Add to Your Gun Collection, When people think of firearms, there are a few names that immediately come to mind, and Winchester is one of the first. At the root of the wide chasm in opinion on the Austrian Empires service arm appears to be manufacturing standards of the fairly complex weapon. The military tried to work around this in various ways, but the Colt Revolving rifle was discontinued. This is a good price for a scarce and desirable gun. [1][2], One significant advantage the rifled musket had over the smoothbore was its effective range. Chambered in the powerful .45-70 Government, the rifle was the choice of many commercial buffalo hunters on the American frontier. The Confederacy also produced a variety of weapons itself, standardizing on .58 caliber in 1862. During the American Civil War, there was a real transitory period happening within the firearms industry. Round balls did not fit so tightly into the barrel, and therefore did not suffer from the slow loading problem common to rifles. The long gun eventually was approved for battle later in the war and made its first official appearance in the Battle of Gettysburg. Through the American Civil War, there was difficulty with arms manufacturing and keeping soldiers on both sides equipped with the most advanced weaponry of the time. The old gal looks rode hard and put away wet. My gut feeling is that when new it was at least a middle grade gun. The telescopic sights were more accurate, but had a reputation for bruising the user's eye due to the rifle's recoil. Charles Pate found records while researching his book "The Colt Model 1860 Army Revolver" that indicated this revolver was shipped to Colt's New York sales office, a common destination for many of the fluted cylinder Army revolvers. Length of barrel is 42 inches. American soldiers liked it because its .577 cal. Not only is the Sharps perhaps one of the most elegant rifles to come out of the Civil War era, it also performed.
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