Firing a Civil War Rifle - With Commands - YouTube The Confederacy had at least seven units that were armed with Burnside rifles that had been captured from the Union armies. These rifles, while more accurate than smoothbore muskets, had been designed for hunting, and fired less deadly smaller caliber ammunition. Each of Rock Island Auction Company's Premier and Sporting & Collector Firearms auctions include collectible U.S. martial arms from 18 th, 19 th, and 20 th centuries, but no era has the variety of interesting American firearms . William Brooke Johns, Hidden in Plain Sight: Compiled Service Records as Sources for Confederate Arms and Equipment, Firearms Genealogy: The Impossible Takes Longer. The price is accredited to the surviving blue finish and gorgeously preserved wood. A large number were bored out to .58 caliber so that they could use the same ammunition as the Springfield and Enfield rifle-muskets. Round balls did not fit so tightly into the barrel, and therefore did not suffer from the slow loading problem common to rifles. In comparison to the Springfield's three rounds per minute, the Henry rifle could fire 28 rounds per minute. With seven rounds of .56-56 Spencer rimfire on tap, the rifle delivered overwhelming firepower for the time. Mounted charges gave way to dismounted combat where men would tie up their horses and fight on foot. This is most definitely a sporting arm and not a military arm. Bayonet fighting was also important at this time, which also made militaries reluctant to shorten the barrels. Its no wonder that even as Colt developed new revolver models during the war, like the 1861 Navy, that the Unions first choice was still the Model 1860. Fateful Lightning: A New History of the Civil War and Reconstruction. 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. We authenticate and appraise Antique Civil War Guns. A handsome, durable and accurate rifle . The Model 1841 Mississippi Rifle, the progenitor of the Model 1855 and 1861 Springfield, was still used in the Civil War to a fair degree, especially by Confederate non-commissioned officers (NCOs) and sharpshooters. k.k. Anything you can tell us about it would be much appreciated. Granville Stuart's Sharps Model 1874 Creedmoor No. 27, No. [17] Stockpiles of rifles and handguns carried by individual soldiers were limited. One of the few standard-issue exploding bullets was designed by Samuel Gardiner Jr. for the Union Army. The Civil War, an era in America history that changed the countrys future. This may not be a true Sharps, but the historically relevant and rare nature of a Confederate-made copy made this a popular item. Whitworth rifles were equipped with either Enfield style sights or telescopic sights. The lowest selling went for $3,163 and was a civilian model. If . How to classify and identify Civil War rifles like the Henry Repeater. [1] Stockpiles of rifles and handguns carried by individual soldiers were limited. Back in our 2018 December Premiere Auction, RIAC sold a standard, good conditioned Springfield Model 1861 for $3,163. Five different models were manufactured and approximately 43 Union cavalry regiments used the Burnside exclusively. Calibre .577, Cosmopolitan, rifled. Burnside's design eliminated the expulsion of hot gas from the weapon when it was fired by sealing the area between the barrel and the breech. k.k. Heralded by military historians, American history aficionados, and gun enthusiasts alike, these iconic firearms have transcended their place in history (thanks to the myth making machine of Hollywood cinema) and have become a beloved family heirloom and collection centerpiece today. 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. 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. [19], The Springfield Model 1861 was considered the standard rifle musket of the Civil War. p. 249-250, Hess,E.J. The gun is 50" long and 36" from the . What kind of French muskets? The Lorenz was a bit like playing craps, if craps entailed being killed if the dice were faulty. Rifles were more accurate than smooth bore muskets, and could have been made using shorter barrels. He is a gun owner and avid reloader from Colorado. The 9-pound, 40-inch-barreled Model 1861 was also a more reliable weapon than preceding military arms through the use of percussion caps. Back in May of 2017, we sold a Spencer 1865 carbine for $9,775. Nevertheless, the rifles were heavily imported with an estimated 350,000 making their way into the hands of both Union and Confederate soldiers. [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. This is a pretty accurate depiction on what owning the Civil War gun Springfield Model 1861 would run you in the current day prices. Used in the Civil War? [1][2], One significant advantage the rifled musket had over the smoothbore was its effective range. Conically-shaped with a hollow base, the Mini ball could be easily loaded but expanded upon firing to fit the rifling grooves. Single-Shot Rifle. However, there're a few ways that you can investigate your own family's old rifles to see if you might have one that could've been used in combat during the American Civil War. At the same time, Northern rifle and gun manufacturers such as Sharps, Colt, Remington, and the United States armory at Springfield, Massachusetts quickly increased their production of rifles;[2] Springfield alone increased its annual output from 20,000 to 200,000. The rifling also improved precision over traditional musket. Admittedly, I know almost nothing about guns (a fact thats obvious to you). As the war escalated those arms stockpiles were quickly diminished. The highest selling Colt Model 1860 revolver in May was a Confederate shipped fluted cylinder model and sold for $12,650. Bridesburg Model . The gunpowder would sometimes leak from the cartridges in the field and settle into the cylinder. This appears to have been issued to the 61st Infantry Regiment (Hungarian) (Graf von Strassoldo), Company A, 4th weapon, when it was in k.k. Spencer rifles and carbines are highly desirable Civil War guns to military memorabilia collectors. Civilian models did see war time uses if a soldier privately purchased the firearm, but it is hard to tell if the Civil War gun was for battle or just purchased by someone for general protection. [17], An alternative type of rifle ammunition which saw use during the Civil War was the exploding bullet. If you can find serial numbers on your antique rifle, you can use digital collections like the Civil War Weapons Search to see if your gun's serial number correlates to a known date. Get 12 Issues a year of the country's best firearms writing. The new repeater rifles would see fairly limited use in the Civil War. As with the Spencer, it provided overwhelming firepower in a conflict dominated by muzzleloaders. Interestingly enough, Colt Manufacturing sent around 2,200 Model 1860 Colts to the South on contract early in the war. It was capable of firing three rounds a minute at an effective range of 500 yards but could be deadly at longer ranges. The rifle showed gray patina and mild wear from use which is pretty astounding considering the age. However, these old and obsolete weapons were replaced by newer weapons as they became available. Yes Sir, I unloaded one just the other day. Firearms. [15] Making the ammunition was also expensive, as each metallic cartridge could cost $2. 2.6K views, 382 likes, 124 loves, 77 comments, 48 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from NET25: Mata ng Agila International | April 20, 2023 They were to be shipped with the special brass priming tubes. Listing of all rifles, carbines, and related long guns of the American Civil War. Perhaps the most intriguing feature of the Civil War gun is its .60 caliber, 18 gauge under shotgun barrel located right underneath its .42 barrel giving the user an addition shot. Suspected it was loaded. Went off and smoked up the shop, I have unloaded a few old doubles myself . Its external tubular magazine could get fouled or damaged, which was trouble for a weapon thats advantage was rate of fire. Like other Springfield rifles it was first produced at the Springfield Armory, but to meet war demands twenty arms manufacturers were contracted to increase production. The Ask the Pros & What's It Worth? Not only is the Sharps perhaps one of the most elegant rifles to come out of the Civil War era, it also performed. It is a nice looking shotgun as far as I can see. Italy:Oxford University Press, USA. .44 (takes metallic cartridge), English Sapper rifled, "Enfield" pattern. The six shooter, single action black powder gun could do some damage to an opponent up to about 100 yards away. army weapons were often marked with unit markings on the barrels, butt plates, or side plates. Civil War Handgun professionals specializing in appraisals of antique revolvers and pistols used by Union and Confederate forces during and before the Civil War. The Civil War rifle became so popular that the Confederate forces copied the design and started producing their own versions of Sharps carbines. The quality of Lorenz rifles during the Civil War was not consistent. For instance, one was produced specially for African-American troops, and another for Zouave units. It is a great option for a collector on a budget. 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. Our most recent sale of a Civil War 4th Model presentation grade Burnside rifle was in our May 2019 auction. On this Day in the Life, I describe some of the observations necessary to identify Civil War bullets. Most of these new rifle-muskets still had to be loaded between . Linear formations were thus rarely seen any more (although it did occur in the Battle of Brawner's Farm the evening before Second Bull Run). 1. There are numerous accounts of Union soldiers connecting shots from just shy of 1,000 yards with the revolutionary Sharps. As the war escalated, those arms stockpiles were quickly diminished. Many British Enfield rifles but they were horrible on the troops hands and were regularly replaced with the Springfield rifles of fallen solders. Due to complaints that they damaged the barrel of the rifle, the US Army discontinued their use in September 1864. His goal was to build a replacement for the Pattern 1853. Almost all rifles were made with iron barrels, while only some, like the Burnside, used steel, which then was expensive. The relatively poor South only bought 50,000 by August 1862, while the North bought 726,000. The American Civil War still remains the deadliest conflict in our nation's history. p. 1-3, Axelrod,A. Rock Island Auction Company has a wide variety of Civil War guns in our Premier and Regional Auctions. The old gal looks rode hard and put away wet. Small shipments of this high caliber percussion rifle were delivered to the United States Armies during the Civil War. Due to this, it's statistically more likely for a family with a Union ancestor to have an Enfield in their collection than a Confederate family is to. It is assumed from official records that somewhere around 230,000 Spencer rifles were used in the second half of the war. We specialize in arms made by Colt, Remington, Sharps, Spencer, Union . barrel allowed the use of .58 cal. Allen & Wheelock Drop Breech. Check to see if it is still loaded. 2023 LoveToKnow Media. Armies South, Armies North. Nonetheless, Hardee's book was produced in a huge variety of editions during the war, often for different types of infantry. The Spencer carbine and rifle were first presented to the government in 1860, but were rejected by the United States because they were 7 shooters and fired too fast for accuracy. 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). With 16+1 rounds of .44 Henry rimfire ammunition on tap, the rifle would have been money well spent. It was also a time of great technological change. In Civil War battles, infantry typically fought in a widely-spread out line, with the men using trees, rocks, buildings, etc. Her ancestors fought for both sides, however, the gun in question arrived to us through her late father who grew up in rural Mississippi (born 1940s) and moved to North Carolina in the 1970s. The back action lock is European for the most part and even US made guns for the most part used imported locks. The benefit of this Civil War rifle was that it could be fired in rapid succession without pausing to reload after each shot. One of the most popular items to collect from the annals of American history is Civil War rifles. While both the Union and Confederate armies had their own standard weapons that they issued to the enlisted, soldiers would frequently bring their own supplies from home with them to the front lines. [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. I could clearly see the add of "eggs-10 cents a dozen.". These used the less reliable Maynard tape primer firing mechanism which when damp could cause misfires, a flaw that had forced its original retirement in 1860 until it was re-introduced to meet the arms shortage. In the few weeks between its formation and going into battle, for example, the 24th Michigan had one recorded instance of target practice, during which three men were wounded and one died of a heart attack. List of Civil War Rifles and Their Unique Features | LoveToKnow Can you identify this Civil War Bayonet?? - U.S. Militaria Forum The single-shot rotating-block carbine utilized one of the breakthrough firearms technologies of the time the self-contained cartridge. Rifles in the American Civil War - Wikipedia 2. 1 rifle sold in 2020 for $51,750 at Rock Island Auction Company. The rifle itself was in well used condition showing age on the steel and patina in areas, but the significant story behind the model made it sell well. Old Winchester rifles are synonymous with the America during the 19th century, Civil War Political Cartoons: Behind the History, Cartoons haven't always been used to bring humor to the Sunday newspapers; rather, throughout history, they've been used to illustrate the pulse of contemporary society. Army smoothbore infantry musket. [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. If it was manufactured between 1860-1864, chances are pretty high that it was used in some capacity in the war. Remington Revolvers In The Civil War | An Official Journal Of The NRA American soldiers liked it because its .577 cal. There were many Southern editions, and at least one Northern edition that omitted Hardee's name from the title page. I have a Sharps New Model 1859 rifle barrel. The men's main complaint about these rifles was that the unusually shaped cartridge often got stuck in the barrel after firing. There are 5 main types of Civil War ordnance: Solid-shot. Whitworth Rifle. ammunition used by both Union and Confederate armies. The Sharps rifle was a falling block rifle that also used a unique pellet primer feed. I have a sword it has a straight blade a bent brass hilt, total length 38 1 Smoothbore vs Rifled Musket, a Tactical Reality Check. However, there are no greater rifles to collect than these popular models. The Lorenz rifle was similar in design to the Enfield rifle-musket. It had design similarities to the Colt revolver, with a rotating cylinder that held several rounds of ammunition (a unique feature on a rifle). The Whitworth rifle featured a unique hexagonal shaped bullet (with a matching hexagonal barrel) that gave it superior accuracy. The last one I did had printing on it . A popular revolver with both Northern and Southern forces, the Colt Model 1851 Navy was a longstanding Civil War gun that famously is also a hand gun of classic outlaws, Texas rangers, and famed figures of the west like Wild Bill Hickok. Available in Rock Island Auction Companys December Premier Auction is a 2nd Model Burnside Civil War carbine presented by Abraham Lincoln to Kentucky statesman John J. Crittenden. But unlike previous iterations of the musket, the bore was rifled, which allowed the Model 1861 and its ilk to take full advantage of a deadly new technology the Mini ball. Used by both the Confederate and Union troops, the Sharps were often used as a sniper rifle. Christopher Spencers design limited the chance of dirt and other obstructions from rendering the carbine non-functional, an important feature for a rifle bound for battle. The long gun eventually was approved for battle later in the war and made its first official appearance in the Battle of Gettysburg. United States:Dover Publications. Rifled muskets quickly became the standard weapon of modern armies of the period, including the United States, while some smoothbore muskets were converted into rifles. The hammers look homemade and while it's probably old enough to have been used in the war it is very highly unlikely. Understanding these is critical to interpreting official reports from the battles, and getting a sense for what soldiers in the Civil War faced when they were in combat. She is dedicated to preserving history and shares her knowledge through LoveToKnow's antiques channel. 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. Thank you for the quick and enlightening responses. One has been a longtime priority of the committee's chairman, Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.): accelerating the delivery of about $19 billion in weapons Taiwan has already purchased. 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. There was also the Model 1859 Sharps rifle, a single-shot breechloader. (2017). When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission, which supports our community. Slight improvements were made on the rifle in 1863 and new production Springfield rifles were called the Model 1863. There are no markings on the shotgun whatsoever aside from some very faint decorative etchings and a couple of tally marks carved into the side of the wood. Designed by Jean Alexandre Le Mat with his manufacturing backed by P.G.T. Shooting 475-grain bullets, thats a lot of lead down range. In our 2019 May Premier Auction, we sold an excellent conditioned, beautifully casehardened and original blue preserved Spencer Model 1860 rifle for an astounding $48,875. Many soldiers were forced to use their own personal hunting rifles, which were typically Kentucky or Pennsylvania type rifles. 1860. Description: IDENTIFIED Civil War CONFEDERATE P1853 Musket. To combat the arms shortage, the Union and Confederacy both imported large quantities of rifles from Europe, with each side buying whatever they could get. However, some soldiers personally bought the Civil War gun before the government approved a contract. The war itself not only shaped the country politically, but also spiked a rush of innovation in manufacturing. Disease in an era before antibiotics was the main culprit to these horrendous figures, more than 2 percent of the countrys population then. It performed so well under combat conditions that the Confederate armies believed that they had attacked an entire division instead of a single regiment during the Battle of Chickamauga. The gun is 50 long and 36 from the business end to trigger. The Colt revolver made its way to be the second most common military hand gun of the Confederacy. These tactics developed because smoothbore muskets were only accurate at short ranges. They were expensive to manufacture and only 11,000 were produced, most of which were unissued or went to sharpshooters. Napoleon normally always tried to rout opposing armies from the field after softening their line with massed artillery barrages. 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. The Civil War rifle was the model that John Brown used in his raid of Harpers Ferry. Civil War Hats: Different Types and Where to Find Them, From reenactments to museums, you can find beautifully preserved artifacts detailing the daily lives of Americans during the Civil War. The Confederacy also produced a variety of weapons itself, standardizing on .58 caliber in 1862. Sir Richard Barrons on how the characteristics of war are changing 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. Their primary use was anti-materiel such as setting fire to vehicles and ammunition, since their fragmentary properties were deemed at best to cause unnecessarily cruel wounds. I say that because of the blow out plugs which one normally doesn't see on lower grade guns. John Russell is a Civil War Historian and Collector who brought a historic Enfield rifle to show off at a Texas Independence Day Party in late February. There was an article in a very recent edition of Man at Arms Collector magazine on shotgun use in the Civil War.