Here's my latest acquisition.  It's a 5th model Burnside breechloading carbine (circa 1864) still in good shooting condition  The Burnside was the 2nd most used single-shot breechloader issued to Union forces during the ACW behind the Sharps.   It was the 3rd most used if one also counts the Spencer repeater.  There were about 55,000 Burnsides produced and issued to Union forces.  A number were also captured and used by the Southern cavalry forces.  Most breechloaders issued during the war were carbines to be used exclusively by the cavalry.   There are exceptions of course but the point was that a full-length Muzzleloading musket was quite difficult to manage while mounted.  In addition, breechloaders were generally more complex and thus considered too expensive for general issue.

 

This carbine is named after its inventor Ambrose E. Burnside.  Burnside graduated from West Point in 1847 and was sent to Mexico a bit too late to be involved with any fighting.  He later served on the frontier and was wounded during a skirmish with Apaches.  At some point he had observed the problems incurred with the few breechloading firearms in use at the time (mainly the Hall's carbines and early Sharps)   The problem was with gas leaks which both robbed the fire arm of power and tended to throw hot gasses in the shooter's face.    He came up with an improved design for a metallic cartridge that all but eliminated the issue.

 

Burnside filed a patent and was able to get the Springfield arsenal to make a prototype of his design for a small fee.  Upon seeing the results he almost immediately resigned his commission to form a company to pursue the manufacture of the new design with the goal of obtaining lucrative government contracts.   After a few years of false starts, a factory fire that destroyed everything, and failure to get any substantial contracts, Burnside sold the rights to his patent along with all interests in the manufacture of the gun.    Eventually Burnside rejoined the army for the start of the civil war achieving the rank of major general.  His military career was probably more well known for its failures than successes--especially the disastrously defeat of his command at the battle of Fredericksburg.  Also to add to his bad luck, he never shared in any of the profits eventfully garnered from the sale of the cavalry carbine that bore his name.  However, after the war he went on to serve as the director of several railroads, then be elected to three one year terms as Governor of Rhode Island and finally two terms as the state's US senator until his death in 1881.  He also was the first president of the NRA.

 

My example still has some muted original case colors showing on the lock, hammer, and lock side of the frame.     It's mechanically tight so I do intend to shoot it.

 

The sling bar side hardly shows any color at all but then this side tends to suffer abuse from the sling ring.  You can also see some of the original rust bluing on the sides of the breech block lever which has turned plum/brown on the edges.

 

The top strap/tang still shows a lot of its original fire bluing while the breech block shows its original rust blue with some speckling.

 

Here are the original cartouches on the wrist of the butt stock.   On the left is HDH for Henry D Hastings as US ordinance acceptance and GC for George Curtis as sub-inspector showing on the right

 

Here's my out-of-focus attempt at showing the bore

 

I just received some reproduction cartridge cases and a Lee double cavity .562 round ball mold. The carbine did not shoot a round ball originally but instead used conical bullets so I have some of those also on order from S & S firearms.   Here's what the cartridge would look like loaded--round ball on the left and conical on the right. They sort of resemble an ice cream cone.   The large donut-shaped obturating ring at the mouth of the case is what gives the Burnside one of the best gas seals of any of the single-shot carbines of the war.

 

Although it's considered a self-contained metallic cartridge there is no integral primer--just a tiny hole in the base for the external musket cap, nipple, and hammer to ignite the powder through a channel in the breech block.  These are loaded by hand so no tools are required.  According to threads I've read on the N-SSA forum the round ball is as accurate as the conical.

 

Here's a shot of how the cartridge is loaded.  Essentially the chamber is in the breech block and is cone shaped to match the body of the brass case plus the rear half of the gas seal ring.  The rear of the barrel is machined to accept the short neck and forward half of said gas seal ring.

 

Lastly, here's a grouping shot with some reproduction leather.  The carbine cartridge box holds 20 rounds using a drilled wooden block rather than the typical tin boxes used for paper cartridges.

Cheers

Very nice looking rifle!

 

Frank

nice rifle - have fun shooting!!!

Looks like a very good carbine.  I have one a little earlier, number 7299 with an exceptionally clean bore and internals.  No intention of shooting it, although I have one reproduction casing and bullet.  Also have an original one.  Too bad these were basically obsolete as soon as the war ended.

Very nice looking Carbine!!!

Have you heard anything from Lodgewood on the injection mold cartridge cases?

Do you have the Edward A. Hull book on this Carbine?

1st Print 1986, 2nd 1990

That's a very nice example. I wish I had my ancestor's that he carried in 1864-65, but don't we all.

RC

 

@Gbro

 

I have this book from Amazon with a 2015 copyright date by the same author.

 

 

 

--and I've only had one response from Lodgewood.  It appears that their initial statement of not finding 

an injection mold company that would accept orders less than 100,000 was redifined as not as a price that

Lodgewood could live with.  After that initial response, I've heard nothing else.

 

 

Cheers