By 1864, some Union companies were armed with them, although rarely whole regiments. Jason, welcome to The Firearms Forum. [23][24], Many older Springfield muskets, such as the Springfield Model 1842, which had been converted into rifles were also brought out of storage due to the arms shortage. 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. Some soldiers tried to get around this dangerous problem by loading only one chamber, however this defeated the purpose of having a repeater rifle. Due to their history and extreme rarity, surviving Confederate revolvers are some of the most sought-after treasures in arms collecting today. [1][2], One significant advantage the rifled musket had over the smoothbore was its effective range. ammunition used by both Union and Confederate armies. The benefit of this Civil War rifle was that it could be fired in rapid succession without pausing to reload after each shot. The Fora platform includes forum software by XenForo. Disease in an era before antibiotics was the main culprit to these horrendous figures, more than 2 percent of the countrys population then. barrel allowed the use of .58 cal. William Brooke Johns, Hidden in Plain Sight: Compiled Service Records as Sources for Confederate Arms and Equipment, Firearms Genealogy: The Impossible Takes Longer. Check to see if it is still loaded. 25,000 tube-lock Austrian M1842 muskets were imported via the firm of Kruse, Drexel, and Schmidt, out of a total of 68,505 Austrian muskets imported by the North during the war. [2] see And it might be one of the most unique long-gun designs of the war, and perhaps overall firearms history. 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. [2] Soldiers were often forced to use older smooth bore and flintlock muskets, which had been considered to be obsolete, simply because the newer rifles were not available in sufficient quantities. Some were considered to be of the finest quality, and were sometimes praised as being superior to the Enfield. The curved trajectory of the bullet also meant there was a gap over which the bullet flew: a rifle musket sighted to a range of 500 yards would send the bullet clear over the head of a mounted cavalryman standing at a distance of 250 yards. Allen & Wheelock Drop Breech. Conically-shaped with a hollow base, the Mini ball could be easily loaded but expanded upon firing to fit the rifling grooves. This page is not available in other languages. Civil War Bullet Types - Pistol and Rifle Such a far-reaching war required a large collection of firearms which, in turn, relied on a vast collection of ammunition types. Any identification marks are most likely on the bottom of the barrels, under the wood. The Confederates made attempts to acquire these weapons, but they lacked the technological ability to reproduce them or their ammunition. American soldiers liked it because its .577 cal. The Sharps Carbine, on the other hand, had no such problems. Mike, a NPS Ranger at Fort Pulaski in GA, demonstrates how to fire a Civil War style rifle, demonstrating the commands for e. Similar to the Pattern 1853, this was another British import the Confederates relied upon, mainly their sharpshooters. This Enfield model 1853 was commonly used by both Union and Confederate infantry troops during the Civil War. I can't tell from the pictures if the barrels are Damascus or not. List of Civil War Rifles and Their Unique Features | LoveToKnow [11] The 14th Illinois once attempted target practice with a barrel set up 180 yards from the firing line, but of 160 shots fired only four actually hit it. Many guns like this have " twist steel " barrels. Single-Shot Rifle. My gut feeling is that when new it was at least a middle grade gun. DANIEL SIVILICH 21 JUL 2017 . Please use the print button in the share bar at the top of the page. Like with all historical firearms, the prices can vary throughout the years on certain models and type of arms with condition and provenance playing a role on cost. During the American Civil War, the rifle was the most common weapon found on the battlefield. Guns with a story and background are extremely interesting and exciting to collect with the Civil War era being a time that has many tales to tell. 2023 Rock Island Auction Company. Model 1861 Springfield rifle-muskets became one of the favorite longarms for the Union. Prohibitive cost, however, stymied wider adoption. This outstanding "finest known" U.S. Army Colt Model 1851 Navy revolver is rated in excellent plus, as issued condition, about as near to mint as possible for a military contract revolver from more than a century and a half ago. Most suggestions that I have received is the Whitney/Plymouth Naval rifle. Some such weapons included clones of the Sharps carbine, the Richmond/Fayetteville rifles (a Springfield clone) and imitations of Enfield rifles and musketoons. As a result, cavalry came to be used mainly for raiding and scouting, and seldom participated in major battles. It appears be a percussion muzzle loading shotgun, not a rifle. p. 401, SUMMARY STATEMENT of Ordnance and Ordnance Stores on hand in the Cavalry Regiments in the Service of the United States during the Second quarter ending June 30, 1864, p. 88, List of weapons in the American Civil War, "Richmond Armory Model 1855 (Richmond Rifle)", "Harpers Ferry Model 1841 (Mississippi Rifle)", "Brunswick Rifle - Confederate Purchased", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rifles_in_the_American_Civil_War&oldid=1151695102, Ballard's rifled. A spectacular Civil War U.S. Burnside Fifth Model breech loading saddle ring carbine. United States:Dover Publications. Due to a lack of munitions manufacturers in the South, the Confederates depended on the British government to procure these weapons. [20][25] Later in the war, even factory-direct Lorenz rifles tended to be of poor craftsmanship. Originally produced at the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield, England, approximately 900,000 of these muskets were imported during 18611865, seeing use in every major battle from Shiloh onward. Fateful Lightning: A New History of the Civil War and Reconstruction. Spencer Repeating Rifle/Carbine. Take a walk down the brick-lined memory lane with these vintage Lego sets. [10] However many officers preferred the machine-made Springfield musket over the handcrafted Enfield thanks to the interchangeability of their parts. The U.S. is . Old rifle identification help | Small Arms & Ammunition We would take the wadding apart and lay it flat and turn it into something like a jigsaw puzzle. A large variety of weapons were used during the Civil War, with rifles being the primary firearm soldiers employed during fighting. The Enfield had a stepped flip up sight, which was adjustable from 100900 yards (91823m) (1,200 yards (1,100m) in later models) in 100 yard increments. [15] Making the ammunition was also expensive, as each metallic cartridge could cost $2. The rare Confederate Le Mat revolver is another highly desirable Civil War gun. Theres little wonder that, Hugh Lowther, the fifth Earl of Lonsdale, squandered a massive fortune through his generosity and out-sized reputation as a womanizer, horseman, Sooner or later, everything old is new again, author Stephen King wrote in his 2005 crime thriller, The Colorado Kid. This sentiment certainly. [18], This collection contain smoothbore flintlocks converted into percussion muskets, some with their barrels rifled, Contract carbines as they were known at that time: Cosmopolitan, Sharps, Gallager, Smith and Burnside, Joslyn, Starr, Lindner, Warner, Maynard and Merrill carbines, Model 1816, Model 1842 and Model 1855 muskets, Confederate Richmond musket (top) along with U.S. Model 1861, British Pattern 1853 Enfield, U.S. Model 1861 muskets and Sharps rifle, Here is a number of Springfield Model 1861 contract rifles produced elsewhere except Springfield. p. 249-250, Hess,E.J. 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. I am confused, do you have one or two weapons? When Confederate forces seized the manufacturing equipment from Harpers Ferry, they used it to continue production of the Model 1855 during the war. .44 (takes metallic cartridge), English Sapper rifled, "Enfield" pattern. Trying to remove nipples and they would not budge. E. Remington & Sons on June 13, 1862, entered into two Army contracts. It is a great option for a collector on a budget. Approximately 900,000 Enfield rifles were imported by both the North and South during the Civil War and it was considered the best of the foreign-sourced rifles. The Sharps continued to make history after the war. [19], The Springfield Model 1861 was considered the standard rifle musket of the Civil War. The quality of Lorenz rifles during the Civil War was not consistent. Advances in firearms technology were quickly progressing in the mid-1800s making for some seriously well designed and powerful arms development during the Civil War. 8 Long Guns You Have to Know from the American Civil War, Classic Guns: The Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum Revolver, Tips For Reloading the .30-06 Springfield, 5 Affordable Over/Under Shotguns Worth A Shot (2023), Ruger-Made Marlin Model 336 Classic Lever-Action Rifle Now Available. The rifle that you could load on Sunday and shoot all week long was a boon to the soldier who could get his hands on one. Suspected it was loaded. One of the most iconic and memorable of all Civil war guns used by the Union during is the Springfield Model 1861 musket. After initial testing in the fall of 1862, the Union ordered 100,000 of these bullets and issued them to units in the field (such as the 2nd New Hampshire), although by the end of the war 75,000 rounds were still in storage. I must admit I have never seen a pair of hammers like those before. The rifling also improved precision over traditional musket. The tubular magazine in the buttstock was quick on the reload too, particularly with the aid of a Blakeslee cartridge tube, which made its appearance later in the war. Civil War Muskets, Rifles & Carbines, Enfield & Springfield - C&C Sutlery 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. While both sides used the 1853, it was a particularly important arm in Confederates' hodgepodge arsenal. Such bullets were included in each packet of regular ammunition and designed to clear any residue out of the barrel when fired. So, if you've caught the eye of an old looking rifle in your grandfather's shed in the backyard, take a minute to look it over and see what hidden treasures your family might've been hiding. This was a single shot, muzzle-loading gun that used the percussion cap firing mechanism. This rifle was mostly used by Confederate snipers. Historically, the smoothbore musket had been the primary weapon of the infantry while the rifle was reserved for specialist units. These rifles were also equipped with a bayonet, and have the stereotypical silhouette associated with Civil War reenactments and big-budget Hollywood productions. The Civil War rifle was the model that John Brown used in his raid of Harpers Ferry. Click here for more information. 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. Some types of rifles were regionally specific, while others were used across all arenas of the war. Listing of all rifles, carbines, and related long guns of the American Civil War. As such, officers typically failed to realize the power of rifles and continued to launch massed attacks against fortified enemies, which invariably resulted in heavy losses. These tactics developed because smoothbore muskets were only accurate at short ranges. Sharps were the most highly desirable Civil War rifles and carbines for sharpshooters. The most widely accepted figure estimates 620,000 men lost their lives in the four years of war. Most of the regular army was equipped with them in 1861, and the Confederates had a few thousand that had been stored in Southern arsenals. Civil War Rifles & Carbines - Military Factory Not only is the Sharps perhaps one of the most elegant rifles to come out of the Civil War era, it also performed. The Lorenz Rifle (again a rifled musket of the Mini variety) had highly mixed reviews in the Civil War. Therefore, you can't always rely on age to be an indicator as to whether a weapon saw action during the Civil War. Appraiser, Seller and Dealer of Civil War Guns to include Revolvers, Pistols, Rifles, Muskets, Carbines and Cannons, Union and Confederate. The ignition source was a folded rim on the inside of the gun. The guns effective range was listed at 200 yards which was fairly impressive for a long gun of the era. Confederate General Braxton Braggs LeMat revolver realized an incredible $103,500 during Rock Island Auction Company's December 2021 Premier Firearms Auction. After attending a demonstration firing, President Lincoln was impressed enough to give it his approval. Once they shot what they had on hand, there was no way to replenish their supplies, given the ammo manufacturers were based in the North. It is estimated that the Union armed 43 cavalry units with the gun. 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. [16], When the American Civil War broke out in April 1861, neither the North (about 360,000 small arms) nor the South (about 240,000) had enough weapons to fight a major war. Extremely rare LeMat percussion grape shot revolver. The revolver was in in good condition retaining gray and brown patina and had character with a few dents and scratches. There were only around 4,000 fluted cylinder Colts of this design produced, so that combined with its Confederate rarity boosted its price tag. Another new characteristic of this war, for all the enduring need for artillery, is the primacy of precision weapons over the major military platforms that have dominated the battlefield for more . "Civil War Firearms: Their Historical Background and Tactical Use" By Joseph G. Bilby, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, United States armory at Springfield, Massachusetts, 1866 Springfield "Trapdoor" infantry rifle, http://www.nps.gov/archive/gett/soldierlife/webguns.htm, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, It has been suggested that this article be merged into. Civil War political cartoon, Civil War Memorabilia: Everything You Need to Know, American history buffs' gateway into antique collecting often comes first through acquiring Civil War memorabilia. In the decades leading up to the Civil War, several advances helped make the rifle a more practical weapon for the average soldier. A few fell into Confederate hands, but proved largely unusable due to a lack of ammunition (the Confederacy had insufficient supplies of copper to manufacture the Spencer's rimfire cartridges). The Confederacy had at least seven units that were armed with Burnside rifles that had been captured from the Union armies. army weapons were often marked with unit markings on the barrels, butt plates, or side plates. Hi. The Springfield Armory produced the most popular rifle of the Civil War, the Springfield model 1861 musket rifle.
