US Pre-Civil War, Model 1855 Pistol Carbine, Springfield, .58 Caliber, Maynard Tape Primer
This item is listed for historical interest only. It was listed on our site previously but has been sold and is no longer available for purchase.
Sold for: $1950.00

Original period manufacture. Large, single shot, .58 caliber percussion pistol, produced with a provision for attaching a removable stock to the butt. This pistol has an 1855 dated barrel, with an 1856 dated lock, being an example of one of the 4,019 pistols produced between 1855-1857. These were fitted with the Maynard Tape Primer system of ignition, but were also possible to be fired using the standard percussion cap. Intended for mounted service, many of these saw service in the Frontier, to include the New Mexico Territory, from which the Territory of Arizona was carved in 1863. On the afternoon of June 27th, 1857, then Captain Richard Ewell's company G, 1st Dragoons, armed with 45 of the new single shot pistols, attacked an Apache Rancheria on the Gila river east of Mount Graham (what is now Graham County AZ.) His after-action assessment of the pistols was not encouraging. He reported that 18 of his 45 pistols were no longer serviceable, 8 stocks and 10 hammers were broken, he stated "Without the stock, they are an ordinary dragoon pistol. The attachment is not firm and therefore the arm is unsteady. Additional reports filed by other officers in the field reported similar statements, with the result being that the pistols were withdrawn from service and stored. During the Civil War they were pulled out of storage and once more issued for limited service, as late as 1865 the Department of Missouri still listed 136 pistols in service* Courtesy NRA American Rifleman 2021. Our example displays honest service use while remaining nearly intact as issued, missing only the long range leaf from the rear sight. The Maynard priming system is complete and operates as it should, there is a faint eagle emblem on the door and on the right of the plate the date of 1856 can be seen. The hammer holds at half-cock, and the cone is in good condition. There is a faint remnant of a cartouche on the left side of the stock, with a thin crack in the butt running to the steel back strap as shown. The swivel ram rod is complete and operable, overall the pistol exhibits honest age and wear. **Please know your local and state laws regarding the purchase of antique firearms. In spite of it's obvious age, you may not be able to own it in your locale". US SALES ONLY.