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Enfields-Revolvers-Muskets

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C&BL01: CONFEDERATE GEORGIA – COOK & BROTHER RIFLE/CARBINE LOCK: This is an original and complete Confederate Georgia made Cook & Brother rifle/carbine lock. It is 100 % complete and properly functions. The lock is marked with the Confederate flag, COOK & BROTHER, ATHENS G, 1863, and serial number 3585. The screws both have matching assemble marks \ III, which match those of the main spring, and the front plate has a been notched to accept an Enfield barrel bolster. The entire front has an even patina, as does the internal parts. Shipping & Insurance included. $2500.00

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RROD01. SERIAL NUMBERED - CONFEDERATE ENFIELD RIFLE RAM-ROD: This is a serial number ram-rod for a Confederate Enfield Rifle. It is serial number 6301 and is 38 3/4 inches long. This number places it in the range of the 500 guns produced by James Kerr. Kerr Enfield rifles represent slightly less than 2% of the total delivered and to date only 6 of the 500 P-1853s delivered by James Kerr are known to still exist. The Enfield rifle with this number is one of those surviving examples, but the whereabouts is unknown. It has the same serial number and is “K” marked forward of the butt plate with a JS-Anchor worn off. If you have this rifle let me know. Shipping & Insurance is included. $1900.00

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“Z”

F379. RARE! - CONFEDERATE CAPTURED, CLEANED & REPAIRED NEW MODEL SHARPS, UNION RECAPTURED AND POST WAR CONVERTED TO .50-70 CARBINE: This is an extremely rare Civil War & Post War Sharps Carbine. It originally started as a New Model Sharps and was issued early in 1865 to union troops, was Confederate captured and went through the Clean & Repaired process, butthen Union recaptured and later converted to .50 – 70 in 1868 for Indian War use.  The serial number on this gun is C19440. C19358 went to the 15th New York Cavalry and C19543 went to the 8th New York Cavalry, so it is likely this gun when to one of those two units, which where both fighting in Virginia during the advance on Richmond. This Sharps Carbine went through the Confederate C&R (clean, repair) process and has the inspection mark “Z” on the underside to the rear of the trigger tang. This mark is associated with Captain Louis Zimmer, who was involved with Confederate clean and repair operations at Richmond. It is unknown exactly what work was done on the gun during the C & R process, and I doubt the gun was ever reissued to Confederate troops as Richmond fell. The gun is in amazing condition. The barrel is marked New Model 1863 to the rear of the site with faint HARTFORD CT mark to the front. The SHARP maker mark is on the front of the lock with the correct marks on the opposite side. The barrel retains 98% + original finish and has a bright 6-grove bore, and there is a good amount of case-coloring on the gun. The stock is in near-mint condition and there is the post-war cartouche that was applied when the gun was converted to .50-70. There is a small chip on the forearm of the stock, but otherwise also near-mint. From February 1868 to October 1869, approximately 32,190 carbines were switched over to the .50-70 cartridge. The carbines were immediately sent to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments in the West. This is an amazing example of a Sharps Carbine which saw action in Virginia during the Civil War, was Confederate captured and Union recaptured, and later converted to .50-70 for Indian War Service. Shipping & Insurance included. $7900.00

F427.ENGLISH - BRITISH PATTERN 1855 ROYAL ENGINEER’S CARBINE - ROYAL SAPPERS & MINERS CARBINE, WITH LANCASTER’S OVAL BORE: In January of 1852, the British Board of Ordnance began taking the first tentative steps towards designing what would eventually become the Pattern 1853 Enfield Rifle Musket. It was the knowledge that a smaller bore rifle musket was necessary to stay competitive with the armies of Europe. The submissions by the various makers were all different calibers and with different patterns of rifling and each used a bullet of their own design, with only constant that the bullet weight was to be about one ounce, a weight considered the minimum for an effective infantry musket. Lancaster’s submission was his “oval bore” design. This was a mechanical rifling system that from all appearances was a smoothbore design. However, the bore was very slightly oval in cross-section with a minor axis of .543” and a major axis of .557” at the breech, which was slightly reduced to .540” and .55” at the muzzle. The bore itself twisted along the length of the barrel, creating mechanical rifling similar to the systems that would be subsequently patented by Sir Joseph Whitworth and Westley Richards. The pitch of the rifling also increased along the length of the bore, in other words the rifling spun slower at the breech and more quickly at the muzzle. The oval bore rifling performed very well in the trials, as did the five-groove design of Wilkinson and the 3-groove design submitted by Enfield. These experimentations resulted in what would become the basic design specifications for the Pattern 1853 Enfield Rifle musket: a 39” barrel secured by three-barrel bands, with a .577” bore, rifled with 3-grooves with a 1:78 rate of twist, weighing in at slightly more than 9 pounds including the socket bayonet, which would incorporate a locking ring. It was further specified that the lock would include a “swivel” (stirrup) so that the mainspring did not bear directly upon the tumbler as it did in earlier designs. The specification regarding a rear sight remained somewhat open to discussion, as several designs had been submitted, several of which were quite good. Interestingly the rifling pattern was not completely established either, for although the initial specifications called for the three-groove bore of Enfield design, the performance of the Lancaster and Wilkinson pattern rifling left significant doubt in the minds of the Small Arms Committee as to whether the correct decision had been taken as to the style of rifling to be use. A bullet design, which was a collaboration of William Pritchett and William Metford, was adopted for use in the nominally .577 bores of the guns.  In January of 1853, an order for 1,000 of these newly specified rifle muskets, 500 with one pattern or rear sight and 500 with another, was placed, in order to begin real field trials of the weapon. In the end the sight designed by Charles Lancaster became the rear sight that we are familiar with on the Pattern 1853 Enfield today. The result of the committee’s lack of confidence that they had “chosen wisely” regarding the rifling system was readily apparent in early 1853, when Wilkinson and Lancaster were both asked to submit Pattern 1853 Enfield Rifle Muskets that conformed exactly to the pattern as was newly adopted, with the only exception being the rifling of the bores, which were to be of the two makers’ patent designs. In June of 1853, the trials of the three rifling systems began and the Lancaster oval bore shot better than either of its competitors. Initially, Lancaster asked to have his guns fired with his own cartridges that used specially sifted powder. However, it was soon discovered that the standard British military service load with standard service powder and the 530 grain Metford-Pritchett bullet shot better in the Lancaster gun than his own specially designed cartridge! Wilkinson insisted on using his own proprietary cartridge as well and did not acquiesce to the use of the standard service load during testing. The result of testing the three systems at 500 yards, aimed at a 6’ foot target resulted in the Lancaster rifling system placing all shots in a 4’ group, while the Enfield rifling could only keep 75% of the shots on target at that distance. The Wilkinson system fared far worse, failing to reliably keep shots on the 6’ target at 200 yards! The results of the testing were so promising that an additional 20 oval bore P1853s were ordered from Lancaster for further evaluation by the Committee on Small Arms. In addition, it was decided to issue the available 3-groove P1853s very sparingly, in the event that Lancaster’s system was eventually adopted over the Enfield 3-groove bore. To further indicate that the decision was not yet set in stone, it was ordered that all P1853s in the production pipeline (some 20,000 contract arms) be made smoothbore, pending the final decision regarding the rifling pattern. The additional testing in August of 1853, shooting at distances of up to 800 yards, again showed the superior accuracy of the Lancaster design. However, two issues had raised concerns among the nay-sayers who supported the Enfield pattern rifling. The first was that the increasing spiral of the bore was complicated and difficult to produce, which would make it harder for the various arms contractors (as well as R.S.A.F.) to manufacture the Lancaster patent barrels. The second concern was that the relief at the breech, being slightly larger than the muzzle, could allow a loaded bullet to move forward when the arm was in service, leaving an air gap between the bullet and the powder charge. It was feared that this gap might create an unsafe situation resulting in increased pressures and a burst breech when the gun was fired. Lancaster subsequently performed tests with bullets that were not fully seated, which proved that this fear was unwarranted. However unfounded, the concern would affect further testing of the Lancaster system and in some ways conspired to help it fail.

In late August, five trial P1853 Enfields were set up at Enfield with Enfield made, Lancaster patent barrels. The barrels had a minor axis of .577” and a major axis of .587” and has the standard 1:78” rifling pitch. The barrels did not have the breech relief of the Lancaster made barrels, nor did they use progressive twist rifling, so the rate of twist remained constant through the length of the bore. These five rifles were tested against Lancaster’s submissions and were found to be sorely lacking, with the Lancaster produced rifles placing 99 of 100 rounds in a reasonable group on a 300-yard target, and the Enfield produced oval bores missing the target entirely 68 times at the same distance!  Amazingly, this additional confirmation only resulted in additional testing, with the Board of Ordnance’s decision-making process moving with all the speed of a receding polar ice cap! This fourth series of tests of the Lancaster system in 1853 again proved that the oval bore rifling was superior not only to the conventional 3-groove rifling employed at Enfield, but also to the Enfield made version of the oval bore. In these tests, the Enfield “oval bore” showed a tendency to “strip” after a significant amount of firing, what a modern shooter would refer to as the bore being “shot out”, with the rifling being worn beyond the point of serving its purpose. While the Lancaster made rifles did not show this tendency, it was implied that since this defect existed in the Enfield made arms, that “production quality” oval bore rifles, not produced with the same precision as Lancaster’s trial rifles, would suffer the same fate. Thus, a fifth set of tests were performed in November 1853, this time eliminating the Enfield made oval bores and once again putting the Lancaster oval bore in a head-to-head competition with the 3-groove Enfield. This last series of tests for 1853 showed that even Lancaster’s well-made guns, after a significant amount of firing, began to “strip” as the Enfield made versions had. The report noted that no visible (or even measurable) deterioration was noted, but that after repeated firing the accuracy of the guns gradually eroded. It appears that the Small Arms Committee was performing the tests with the same five trials rifles that had been supplied that summer, and it was likely at this point that thousands of rounds had been fired through the guns. Amazingly, this report resulted in a new series of tests in early 1854. This sixth test required more than 1,000 rounds to be fired from a single Lancaster oval bore rifle musket versus a standard Enfield P1853. As had been discovered in the final testing at the end of the previous year, the Lancaster system began to “strip” and the accuracy degraded over time. The reason for the failure could not be discovered, and as the oval bore system was so much more accurate than the 3-groove system when the bore was new, the supporters of Lancaster’s design lobbied for another test (the seventh) in February of 1854, with the results being the same. At this point, it appears that serious pursuit of the Lancaster rifling system by the Small Arms Committee was abandoned. However, only a year later, Lancaster’s design was adopted for limited production and issue to the Royal Engineer Corps, as the Pattern 1855 Royal Engineer’s Carbine, or more commonly as the Royal Sappers & Miners Carbine, with Lancaster’s Oval Bore. So, as we can see the oval bore concept was far from dead and still had several supporters with the small arms and ordnance communities. The Pattern 1855 Royal Engineer’s Carbine looks very much like the Pattern 1856 Enfield “Short Rifle” at first glance. The brass mounted rifle had a 31.5” round barrel, secured by two clamping barrel bands and was nominally 48” in overall length. A bayonet lug to accept a saber bayonet was mounted to the barrel, near the muzzle. Like most variants of the shorter “Enfield” pattern long arms, the lower swivel was mounted in the toe of the stock and the upper swivel was attached to the upper band. While the 1.5” difference in length between the barrels of the Royal Engineers “Sappers & Miners” carbine and the Pattern 1856 short rifle is not immediately noticeable, the mounting of the rear sight “backwards” from the conventional direction on the Lancaster guns is a quick identifying feature. Due to Lancaster’s control of the patent, he managed to be the only contractor to produce the military contract Royal Engineer’s Carbines from their adoption through November of 1858. After that time, contracts were let to the various Birmingham and London makers who could produce the gun. However, the guns were never acquired in large numbers as their issue was to a very specific and small branch of the British military. Despite the limited production for British military use, the outstanding accuracy of the Lancaster design found favor with the British “Volunteer” movement.

Offered here is a GOOD condition example of a scarce Pattern 1855 Royal Engineer’s Carbine. The gun is clearly marked on the lock, in two engraved lines: C. LANCASTER’S / PATENT. The barrel is further engraved: 151 NEW BOND ST LONDON. The barrel measures 31.75”; the top of the barrel is stamped with the usual London commercial view, proof and definitive proof marks, as well as the gauge mark 25, indicating a nominally .577 bore. The “carbine” has the correct pattern leaf rear sight that is mounted in reverse with the 1000-yard graduations on the bottom of the leaf, so they are seen by the shooter when it is lifted. The original front sight, an improved version of the standard military “block and blade” sight, is present near the muzzle. The saber bayonet lug is of the correct Pattern 1856 “Type I” pattern with a .75” key forward of the main lug. The exposed iron surface shows light pitting, but it is under a deep brown attractive patina. The lock has a slightly mottled plum brown and gray patina, with double boarder line engraving that remains clear and sharp, as does the engraved Lancaster information. The lock is mechanically excellent and functions perfectly. As noted, the original rear sight and front sight are present, as is the original bayonet lug, the original full-length ramrod and both sling swivels. Even the original screw protecting “doughnuts” are present at the ends of the tension screws for the two Palmer pattern clamping bands. All of the brass furniture from the buttplate to the nose cap has a smooth patina that matches the balance of the gun well. The stock is in about VERY GOOD condition and is made from an attractive and nicely figured piece of walnut. The stock is solid, full-length, and complete and free of any repairs, breaks, with a few hair-line cracks near the butt-plate. The stock retains very good line and edges and does not appear to have been sanded. Overall, this is a very attractive, 100% complete and correct example of a commercial or “Volunteer” version of the Pattern 1855 Royal Engineer’s Carbine. Shipping & Insurance included. $2100.00

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F481. IMPORTED AUSTRIAN M-1854 LORENZ RILE: This is an Austrian M-1854 Lorenz Rifle Musket, as imported by the Confederacy during the course of the American Civil War. The Lorenz was the third most used infantry arm on both sides during the war, and somewhere between with the US importing approximately 250,000 of the guns during the war and the Confederates importing at least 100,000, and quite possibly more. The Confederacy was always thought to have purchased most of their Lorenz’s after Caleb Huse visited Vienna as the Confederate Ordnance Department purchasing agent 1863, however more recent research indicates that Huse purchased his first Lorenz rifle muskets through S. Isaac, Campbell & Co of London in 1862. It appears that many of the guns that were purchased by the Confederacy were in their original 13.9mm caliber (about .547), while many of the US purchased guns were re-bored to more closely approximate the standard US caliber of .58. The importance of the .54 caliber Austrian M-1854 Lorenz to the Confederacy might best be illustrated by an invoice from the famous English ammunition manufacturer Eley Brothers. The invoice is contained within the McRae Papers, and is dated July 18, 1863 “ some two weeks after the Battle of Gettysburg and the fall of Vicksburg, MS. The invoice is for 700,000 paper cartridges. The order included “600,000 Austrian Rifle Cartridges “ Marked A” and “100,000 Ball & Buck Short Musket Cartridges “ Marked M”. While the caliber of the Austrian cartridges is not specified, it seems clear that the order would be for .54-caliber ammunition, as the order contains no request for any .58 ammunition.

The rifle is in good working order and properly functions and has all original barrel bands and sling swivels. The gun saw heavy action and the rifling is shoot out.  The lock is marked 860 for 1860 and the hammer screw has a unique field replacement. The wood is complete with no crakes or breaks with a large cheek rest on one side and carved letters on the other, and the original fixed tombstone rear site. Shipping & Insurance is free. $1750.00

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“T”

F482. ORIGINAL CONFEDERATE PATTER 1853 ENFIELD RIFLE, BATTLE FIELD RECOVERED & C&R “T” MARKED: This is an original purchased Confederate Pattern 1853 Enfield Rifle with a faint Sinclair Hamilton & Company viewer mark to the rear of the trigger tang, and a “T” Clear & Repair inspected mark forward of the trigger tang. The rifle was Confederate recovered off a battlefield; sent back to Richmond and went through the C&R Clean & Repair system.  The steel has a pleasing brown patina; all barrel bands are original; the lock property functions with a repaired bolster; the ramrod isoriginal; but the rear site is gone and it is smooth bored. I have noted that all the rifles and carbines I have seen with the “T” inspection mark have been refinished with a lighter, almost maples, finish. Shipping and Insurance included. $3300.00

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F504. CONFEDERATE "Q" MARKED GROSZ ALTERED WHITNEY US MODEL 1841 MISSISSIPPI RIFLE:  .58 caliber. 33" barrel. NSN. Brown and color casehardened finish, brass furniture, walnut stock. Single shot muzzleloading percussion rifle modified to accept a US M1835 .69 socket bayonet, with the barrel turned down at the muzzle for  2.75" and a socket bayonet lug added under the barrel 1" from the muzzle.

Several Northern contractors did alterations of this style during the early days of the American Civil War, including Leman (PA), Grosz (NY) and the "New Jersey" alterations. As turning down the barrel removed the original front sight, various methods to replace the sight were used. Leman applied a new "shark fin" style sight blade to the barrel between the upper band and the area turned down. Grosz applied a small brass blade in the same location as the Leman sight, which resembled the original Mississippi Rifle sight. The "New Jersey" alterations relied upon the use of imported Bavarian socket bayonets that had a front sight mortised into the bayonet socket, requiring the bayonet to be fixed in order to have a front sight.

This example has a brass sight blade added to the unaltered upper barrel band of the of the rifle, a system not used by any Federal contractor. This seems to be the Confederate modification to the gun, as the gun is clearly marked with a "Q" Confederate inspection mark forward of the trigger guard, indicating the rifle went through the Confederate "C&R" (cleaned and repaired) system at the Richmond Artillery Workshop. The rifle is otherwise a straight Whitney contract US M1841 Rifle with a standard Whitney marked lock and matching 1852 dates on the lock and breech plug tang. The barrel is marked US/JCB/VP at the breech with the JCB being the mark of US arsenal sub-inspector J.C. Bragg. The left breech flat is marked STEEL, typical of Whitney produced rifles starting sometime in 1850 or so. No cartouches are visible on the counterpane. The butt plate is rack marked K/30, in a style most associated with Grosz altered Mississippi Rifles. The matching parts from the same contractor throughout the rifle suggests Grosz as the firm who reamed the bore up to .58 caliber, turned down the muzzle and added the bayonet lug. Leman altered rifles are almost always a mix of parts from various makers including Tryon and Harpers Ferry, and were typically marked with an alphanumeric reassembly mark on the tang of the butt plate, on the left barrel flat below the stock line, in the lock and sometimes in the patch box. No such marks are present, ruling out Leman as the source of the original alteration. However, the bottom of the barrel is marked with the Roman numeral reassembly number XXXVII and the matching mark is found inside the lower portion of the upper barrel band, which was removed from the gun to have the new front sight blade installed. This type of reassembly mark is often associated with Confederate produced and repaired arms. Taken in context with the "Q" C&R mark, the CS modification was the addition of this front sight.

The rifle retains the original fixed rear sight, both sling swivels and includes a correct pattern all steel ramrod cupped for use with elongated ball ammunition. This pattern of ramrod was often added to Mississippi Rifles upgraded to .58 caliber, replacing the brass tipped trumpet shaped rod associated with the rifles when they were using round ball ammunition. A nice example of a Confederate repaired and modified Mississippi Rifle that was originally modified for use by the State of New York at the beginning of the Civil War. There are vice clamp marks on the barrel, which is a common feature of many Confederate Cleaned & Repaired recovered guns. This one has a deep strong “Q” inspection marked forward of the trigger guard tang. Shipping & Insurance included. $4900.00

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F507. CONFEDERATE – PATTERN 1853 ARTILLERY CARBINE: This is a Confederate Pattern 1853 Artillery Carbine, which saw heavy use. It has a CROWN over TOWER / BARNETT LOUNDON lock that properly function in both half & full cock. The original nipple is blown off; the stock has wood lose behind the hammer; there is a large gap from the back of the barrel to the stock with a period repair with pins behind the barrel tang; a period replaced hammer held with a brass screw; a hickory wood field made ram-rod; and forward of the brass butt plate tang is the Confederate Circle S L viewer mark. Also, the bore is shot out. The rear folding site is missing, but you can see where it was and the front site is original as is the bayonet lug. The stock has a few stress fractures, but is strong, and on the flat opposite the lock are the faint initials TWP and the name W.HALL. There are too many Confederate soldiers with these initials and name to make a positive identification, and there is a third set initials TEB over the date 1871. Confederate Pattern 1853 Artillery carbines are rare, and this one saw a lot of action. Shipping & Insurance included. $3500.00

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F526. CONFEDERATE CONVERSION “COMMON RIFLE” - ROBINSON CONVERSION: This is a Confederate Conversion “Common Rifle” Robinson Conversion. The bolster and hammers scream Southern with the brass brazing and its crude appearance. The is in excellent condition with its original double cartouche and the barrel and lock are dated 1841. The action properly function, though a little soft. The blade rear site is present and well has the cap-box cover and all original screws. The “Common Rifle” is a great addition to a collection, especially one that is a Confederate conversion. There are as Southern as a Richmond or Fayetteville rifle or Enfield, just not as expensive. Shipping & Insurance included. $2600.00

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F532. 1863 MODEL STARR SINGLE ACTION ARMY REVOLVER: The Starr Arms Model 1863 Percussion “Army” Revolver was designed as a simplified and more robust version of their earlier Starr Model 1858 Double Action Revolver. The simplified action was also intended to be less expensive to produce and thus more cost effective, for the US Government to purchase. Like the earlier M1858 Double Action Army, the gun was a six shot, .44 caliber percussion revolver. However, the M1863 utilized a single action lock work, instead of the delicate and complicated double action lock of the M1858. The M1863 also had a longer barrel, measuring 8” in length. This was an increase of 2” over the earlier M1858. The production of the M1863 started at about serial number 23,000, continuing from the end of the production run of the earlier M1858 Double Action revolver. Some 32,000 of the “improved Army” revolvers were produced by the Starr Arms Company between the end of 1863 and the end of 1865.

In September of 1863, Starr received a contract to deliver 25,000 of their Improved Army. The contract specified that 1,000 guns were to be delivered during the month of October (1863), with additional deliveries of 2,000 guns per month over the next twelve months until the contract was fulfilled. Starr delivered the first 1,000 of the Single Action M1863 revolvers in December of 1863 and a total of 24,002 over the twelve months of 1864. During the American Civil War, the M1863 Starr was issued to several US cavalry regiments, including the 1st Colorado Cavalry, the 6th & 7th Michigan Cavalry, and the 11th New York Cavalry, just to name a few. 

This example of the Starr Model 1863 Single Action Army revolver remains in about Good+ condition with an even brown patina. The right side of the gun is marked STARR’S PATENT JAN 15 1856 and the left side is marked STARR ARMS Co NEW. YORK. There are a variety US government sub-inspector marks crisply stamped on the frame, barrel, cylinder, and trigger guard, which include the capital letters L, B, C and Y. The matching serial number of 29068 is present on the center of the lower front of the frame below the loading level recess, in the hammer cut out in theupper rear of the frame and on the cylinder.  

This serial number places this gun smack in the middle of two known guns issued to the 7th Michigan Cavalry.

  27322 07 64CO K 7TH MICH VOL CAV  

29217 07 64CO K 7TH MICH VOL CAV

The gun has an even brown patina; properly functions; has strong rifling and the original grips. The grips are worn with dings and bumps and there is a very faint partial outline of top of the cartouche mark. The right grip appears to have three hash-marks. Shipping and Insurance is included. $1975.00  

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F534. REMINGTON NEW MODEL ARMY REVOLVER – 5TH ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER CAVALRY SERIAL NUMBER RANGE: This Remington New Model Army Revolver is serial number 28996, which is one digit from a known 5th Illinois issued Remington revolver: 28995  A      65CO E 5TH ILL VOL CAV (ISSUED). As such, there is a high probability this gun also went to this unit.

The 5th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry Regiment (1861–1865)was a prominent Union unit in the American Civil War, organized at Camp Butler, Illinois, and known for service in the Western Theater, notably the Vicksburg Campaign. Key Campaigns & Actions: The regiment participated in the advance on Corinth (1862), the Siege of Vicksburg (1863), and operations near Canton, Mississippi. Major Battles: Battle of Corinth (Oct 1862), actions around Snyder's Bluff (June 1863), and various skirmishes in Missouri, Arkansas, and Mississippi.

The revolver is in Good++ to Fine condition with much original blue finish. The action is tight and properly cycles and holds both half & full cock positions. The grips are original with a faint cartouche on the right side, and a crack that was period repaired. Normally the barrel is 8 inches long, but this is 7 1/4 long with vice-clamp marks indicating the barrel was removed and period shortened, most likely from damage in the field, and an added brass front site. The Remington New Model mark on the barrel top is very strong. Shipping & Insurance included. $2100.00

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F535. REMINGTON-BEALS ARMY (.44 CALIBER) REVOLVER – 1ST IOWA VOLUNTEER CAVALRY RANGE: The Remington-Beals Army (.44 caliber) revolver, produced from roughly 1861–1862, is a scarce early model with an estimated production of only about 1,900 units. Serial numbers for these, often featuring an 8-inch barrel and lacking a loading lever latch, are generally low, with examples identified as low as 1550. This gun is rarer with a serial number of 971, which is within the range of guns issued to the 1st Iowa Vol. Cavalry.

The 1st Iowa Volunteer Cavalry was one of the earliest Union cavalry regiments to enter the field during the Civil War, and they were initially equipped with Remington-Beals Army (.44 caliber) and Navy (.36 caliber) revolvers.  The records list all Iowa issued Beals revolvers as NB.

                                                                                      937 NB  110162CO F 1ST IOWA VOL CAV (ISSUED)

                                                                                      980 NB  110162CO F 1ST IOWA VOL CAV (ISSUED)

The top barrel flat is marked “BEALS' PATENT. SEPT. 14. 1858. / MANUFACTURED BY REMINGTONS' ILION. N.Y.”  The gun has an even gray patina; is all original; properly function; and has original grips, both which have cartouche marks: Left grip N W ( Nathaniel Whitine) Right grip W A T ( William A Thornton. Martially marked Beals are extremely rare to find, especially one within the range of guns issued to the 1st Iowa Cavalry. Shipping & Insurance included. $2795.00

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F536. REMINGTON NEW MODEL ARMY REVOLVER – 19TH NEW YORK VOLUNTEER CAVALRY SERIAL NUMBER RANGE: This Remington New Model Army Revolver is serial number 55123, which is one digit from a known 19th New York Vol. Cavalry issued Remington revolver: 55124  A  10  64CO I 19TH NY VOL CAV. As such, there is a high probability this gun also went to this unit.

The 19th New York Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, also known as the 1st New York Dragoons, was a prominent Union cavalry unit during the American Civil War. The regiment was organized at Portage, New York, and officially mustered into service on September 2, 1862. The regiment earned a high reputation for discipline and was involved in approximately 65 battles and skirmishes.

The revolver is in Good+++ condition with a gray finish, light traces of original finish, and sharp edges. The action is tight and properly cycles and holds both half & full cock positions. The grips are original with a barely visible cartouche on the right side. The soldier who carried the revolver carved out the grip for a lanyard, and scratch his initials on the bottom. The barrel has strong rifling and the Remington New Model mark on the barrel top is very strong. Shipping & Insurance included. $1700.00

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F540. REMINGTON M-1861 OLD ARMY REVOLVER - ORIGINAL UNALTERED CONFIGURATION: This is a very nice example of the scare Remington “Old Model” (aka M-1861) Army percussion revolver. The M-1861 was intended to be an improvement on the older Beals Model Army revolvers that Remington had produced from 1858 to 1862. The M-1861 or “Old Army” percussion revolver included the improvements covered under William Elliott’s patent #33,932 of December 17, 1861. This patent allowed the cylinder arbor pin to be removed from the frame, freeing the cylinder, without lowering the loading lever. Other improvements included a redesigned frame that left the barrel threads exposed at the rear of the frame. This reduced the amount of metal used in the frame, saving cost and weight. Remington received a contract on July 13, 1862 for 20,000 of their new M-1861 .44 Army revolvers. During the next 6 months, Remington delivered a total of 4,902 of their M-1861 .44 caliber revolvers to the Ordnance Department. In use, the “improvements’ covered under Elliott’s patent were not really improvements. The grooved loading lever that allowed the removal of the arbor pin without lowering it also allowed the pin to move forward under the inertia of recoil. When this happened, the revolver became inexorably locked up and non-functional. As a result, most of the M-1861 revolvers were returned to the Remington factory where the channel was blocked to prevent the movement of the pin, or the loading lever was replaced with the old pattern, solid Beals type lever. Other complaints revolved around the lack of safety notches on the cylinder. As a result, the M-1861 “Old Army” was redesigned as the “New Model Army” (aka M-1863) and all deliveries under US Ordnance contracts from January 1863 onward were of the new version of the revolver. Even the 15,098 outstanding revolvers from the June of 1862 contract, that were delivered in 1863, were “New Model” instead of “Old Model” Army revolver. The development of the “New Model” occurred concurrently with the production of “Old Model” revolvers. As production continued into the later part of 1862, M-1861 Old Model revolvers began to emerge from Ilion with safety notches on the rear of the cylinder and loading levers that blocked the cylinder arbor pin. All of the Remington “army” caliber revolvers were serial numbered in the same range, starting with the Beals series, and through the M-1861 and M-1863 variants. As production of the models was sometimes concurrent (Beals & M-1861s simultaneously, and M-1861s and M-1863 simultaneously as well) it is difficult to separate the models by serial number except within ranges. Beals models were produced in the 1-3000 range, M-1861s in the 3,000-22,000 range and M-1863s in the 15,000 to the end of production (about 135,000). The range of 10,000 to 22,000 is often called the “transitional range” where some of the “Old Model” revolvers appear with some of the “New Model” features. During the American Civil War, Remington would deliver some 115,557 .44 revolvers to the US Ordnance Department. However, only 850 would be the oldest Beals pattern guns (0.7%) and 4,902 would be the M-1861 “Old Model” Army (4%). The balance would all be the M-1861 “New Model” revolvers. Eventually more than 70 US cavalry regiments would be armed with .44 caliber Remington revolvers, including the 4th & 6th US Regular Cavalry, the 4th US Colored Cavalry and volunteer US cavalry regiments from some 20 different states and territories!

This is a VERY FINE++ condition example of a Remington M-1861 “Old Model” Revolver in its original unaltered configuration, which is extremely rare. The gun is 100% complete, correct, and original in every way. The pistol retains much of its original blued finish fading to a nice patina with a bluish tinge. The cylinder retains lots of original blue as well as the loading lever. The hammer also retains traces of mottled case coloring, mixed with the same smoky, blue-gray patina. The barrel is well marked in two lines with the usual “Old Model” markings: PATENTED DEC. 17 1861 / MANUFACTURED BY REMINGTONS’ ILION, N.Y. The revolver is serial number 15310 which places production in March 1863. This number is present under the barrel, on the frame under the left grip and in pencil under the grips. The grip retains much original finish and has a strong cartouche on the left side.

Overall, this is a very crisp, complete, and original example of a very scarce, early Remington marital revolver. With only 4,902 M-1861 “Old Model” Army revolvers being delivered, they represent only 4% of total Civil War deliveries of Remington Army revolvers. These guns are hard to find for sale, and when they are encountered, they are usually heavily worn and in rough shape. This is a very nice example with lots of eye appeal and has no issues or problems. These early Remington’s are often missing for even advanced Civil War pistol collections. Shipping and Insurance is free. $3900.00

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CLICK THE ABOVE ICON TO READ THE COMPLETE HISTORY

F539. IDENTIFIED - TENNESSEE ISSUED COLT MODEL 1851 NAVY REVOLVER: This is an extremely rare find! It is Colt Model 1851 Navy revolver issued by serial number to a Confederate Tennessee cavalry soldier. The gun was issued to David Giesler "F" Co. Tennessee 5th Cavalry.

Colt Archive Factory Letter documents Colt Model 1851 Navy Revolver serial number 107048 was in a shipment of 200 Navies sent on 1 July, 1861 to Mayor George Hatch, Cincinnati, Ohio. It appears this shipment was quickly smuggled across the border into Confederate Tennessee because the following month this revolver was issued to a Confederate soldier. It is unclear if the mayor was responsible for this, but Hatch did know Southern sympathizers and after his term in office ended, he moved south.

The National Achieves retains the Company Book of McClellan Troop (F) 5th Battalion Tennessee Cavalry CSA and Colt Navy revolver #107048 is recorded as being issued on August 25 1861 to Private David Giesler (Geesler). After his death on March 17, 1863, the revolver would have been reissued to another Southern soldier.

The revolver had been previousl cleaned and now has a light gray patina. It has matching serial number on all parts to include the wedge, and properly cycles. It holds both half & full cock positions. 

David Giesler traveled to Knoxville and enlisted as a Private in Captain D. McClelland's Tennessee 5th Cavalry Battalion on August 14, 1861. He was elected Sergeant on March 18, 1862.

He was elected 2nd Lieutenant on July 1, 1862. On October 27, 1862, he received $180 pay as a 2nd Lieutenant in Company B of Spiller's Tennessee Cavalry for the period of July 1 to August 31, 1862. He is listed as a 2nd Lieutenant in Company B 4th Regiment of the Tennessee 8th (Smith's) Cavalry on the muster rolls for September 1, 1862 - April 30, 1863. He died on March 17, 1863 in Berlin, Marshall County, Tennessee from Typhoid and Pneumonia.

Included with the revolver is a 32-page binder with historical information including 2 pages of serial numbers for other Colt Navy revolvers issued to "F" Co. Tennessee 5th Cavalry. Those numbers have been blotted-out from the review copy for this listing, but will be provided when sold. Those numbers are worth gold! Shipping & Insurance is free. $15,000.00

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F547. AUSTRIAN MODEL 1854 CIVIL WAR IMPORT JAGERSTUTZEN RIFLE: This is a Civil War Austrian Lorenz Jägerstutzen Import Model 1854 rifle. The overall length is approximately 43.5" (109.6cm). The approx. 28" (71 cm) octagon to round (about the last 4.5") .54 caliber (13.9mm) barrel. There is no rifling left and is smooth bore. The metal has a even brown patina. There are light wrench marks on the barrel in the breech area. The barrel had an arch-shaped rear sight with slide in a screw-clamped support, scaling from 4-10 (400 to 1000 paces). The slide is missing, but the screw-clamp is complete. The walnut stock is very good with no chips or cracks and the expected dents and dings of an issue gun. There is a namecarved in the stock; however, at this time an identification has not been made. The patina on the lock and hammer matches the barrel. The lock is marked “861" (1861) in the center with a shield stamp to the rear. The action functions correctly. One barrel key is missing as is the front swivel. The ramrod is a replacement. The action functions correctly. This particular rifle was used extensively by Austrian light infantry, specifically the Habsburg army units, proving to be very effective in forested and mountainous terrain. They were imported during the civil war and used in both the Union and Confederate armies.  At least 6,249 Jägerstutzens were imported by the North during the Civil War. They are often called Austrian short rifles. This one came of a a North Carolina collection that has several Confederate firearms. If you collect European imported arms for the Civil War, this is a key piece. Shipping & Insurance included.  $895.00

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CLICK THE ABOVE ICON TO READ THE COMPLETE HISTORY FOLDER

F548: BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG KIA – PENNSYLYANIA SOLDIER - IDENTIFIED COLT MODEL 1860 ARMY REVOLVER: This Colt Model 1860 Army Revolver is identified as belonging to Sergeant Leroy S. Wadsworth, and was brought home after the Battle of Gettysburg along with his Springfield rifle, NCO sword and belt.

Leroy S. Wadsworth was born 17 Aug 1840 Luzerne, Pennsylvania, and at the age of 22 enlisted on 22 August 1862 as a Sergeant, “F” Company, Pennsylvania 149th infantry regiment. He would serve through the Chancellorsville Campaign and during the Battle of Gettysburg sustained a gunshot wound in the thigh on 1 July, 1863, which caused in his death on 7 September, 1863.

‘Served as a sergeant in Co. F, 149th Pennsylvania Infantry. Enlisted on August 22, 1862 at Shickshinny, PA as a sergeant. Mustered in on August 22, 1862 at Harrisburg, PA. Shot in the thigh on July 1, 1863 at Gettysburg, PA and died on September 7.  Day of death also listed as July 7. Age 22 (at time of enlistment).’

He is buried in the Dodson Cemetery in Luzerne Co., PA. He was only about 23 years old.

In March of 2012, Paula Ledbetter, a great-descendant of Leroy S. Wadsworth, sold the grouping because of a family situation.

She provided the following description in a signed letter:

“To who it may be concerned.The two guns one pistol and one rifle and his sord and belt Belonged to my great granddad Leroy S Wadsworth. He was a sergeant in the army of the North and was Killed in the war he was shot at Gettysburg and died later. Our neibor Joshia Stevens brought his things home and me and grandma would dust them every Saturday morning. I am selling because my boy Tylor died and I want the church to have the money for the poor.”

                                                                                                Paula Ledbetter

                                                                                                March 12 2012

The collection was sold to a relic dealer who is no longer in business: Gettysburg Echos.

Regrettably, the collection was broken-up and the revolver sold separately with a Letter of Authenticity and the original signed letter from the descendant; which has on the reverse side photos of the Springfield rifle with the letters L S W carved on the stock.

The documentation and images of the rifle add credence to the family account of the grouping belonging to Sergeant Wadsworth

The original Gettysburg Echos’ Certificate of Authenticity#1697 documents the sale of Colt Army Percussion Revolver #37888 from a Grouping identified to Sergeant Leroy S. Wadsworth

The new owner of the revolver separately obtained an Office of the Colt Historian letter which showed serial number 37888 Colt Model 1860 Army Revolver was shipped and delivered to the United State War Department New York Arsenal on March 17, 1862.

The revolver has matching serial number 37888 on all parts to include the wedge. It is fully functional and holds in both half & full cock positions, cycles correctly, and retains all original nipples. The metal has a gray salt & pepper pitted finish, and all the screws are original. The grip is tight with a little bit of missing wood on the right side. On the bottom you can see the faint letters S W. The letter L most likely was carved in the portion of wood that is missing. A 76-page binder include, as well as free shipping & insurance. $2600.00

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