These came in this evening. One was hopefully a very rare original but with some more online research It looks to be a very neat copy build. Not a factory deal as the original only has 1020 copies out there. I’ll have to look closer when I have more time but if nothing else, I have a cool pair of .58 carbines to play with.
I have no idea, if I have always enjoyed shorter versions of longer guns. As my Church oft said, ‘punk and disrespectful’!
Anyways, I’m headed up north for a. It’s hunting trip this weekend so hopefully I’ll have a chance to tear into the pair next week and if I get a chance, cast up sone Minie bullets from a mold loaned to my be Jared and get them shooting soon!
Those look like fun blasters! (nt)
by Paul , Tuesday, October 17, 2023, 20:45 (402 days ago) @ Slow Hand
.
I had one of those Cook carbines….
by Otony, Tuesday, October 17, 2023, 22:27 (402 days ago) @ Slow Hand
…..and it was excellent in every regard. Let it go foolishly (that’s a theme with me apparently) and have regretted it ever since.
On the “maybe” carbine, I see a letter or two on the right side of the barrel, do you notice anything else?
Otony
I had one of those Cook carbines….
by Slow Hand , Indiana, Wednesday, October 18, 2023, 12:39 (401 days ago) @ Otony
Good to hear about the cook! Looking forward to trying them both out. If I get bored of it, I’ll let you know!
I didn’t have much time to check them out last night but I’ll try to get a better look this evening. Trying to get ready for a long weekend bird hunting/camping trip to the UP.
A pair of .58’s
by A K Church, Wednesday, October 18, 2023, 18:07 (401 days ago) @ Slow Hand
edited by A K Church, Thursday, October 19, 2023, 02:40
The Springfield is what's variously known as the 1854 or 1855 Cavalry Carbine, and so far as I know all the originals were issues in .54 for Minie. If might have been converted to .58, but for sure measure the bore.
The name is odd, as the US had no Cavalry at that time, only Dragoons and Mounted Rifles. They were issued concurrently with the 1855 Pistol-Carbine. Both were obsolete the first day they were issued, as the Sharp's was already a proven product. In any event, troopers liked neither, and their service life was short.
The Springfield…
by Slow Hand , Indiana, Wednesday, October 18, 2023, 21:08 (401 days ago) @ A K Church
It appears to be a pretty slick copy of a very rare (1020) made carbine. According to Flaydrrman’s, it’s the only 1855 that was made without the Maynard priming system. Someone has gone to a lot of trouble to make a close replica, but I’m pretty sure it is a replica. The stock has what appears to be a filled on patch box. Like you said, the fixed rear sight is off and the mountings should be steel vs brass. Lastly, the ram rod retainer is very similar to the 1855 stocked pistol and from a few pics, it should be more of a ring style deal.
Hers a pic of an original
A pair of .58’s
by A K Church, Wednesday, October 18, 2023, 18:09 (401 days ago) @ Slow Hand
Actually, the fixed rear sight makes me think it might be a Confederate copy. Don't remember who made them, but someone did.
No one has reproduced either to my knowledge.
A pair of .58’s
by Slow Hand , Indiana, Wednesday, October 18, 2023, 21:10 (401 days ago) @ A K Church
With ot being such a rare original, I was hoping this one would be original, but it appears someone wanted one, so they kind of made one themselves!
I always wanted a "Muskatoon" or other short carbine...
by cas, Wednesday, October 18, 2023, 18:19 (401 days ago) @ Slow Hand
...but when shooting the full sized ones was my thing, they just weren't to be found.
When internet buying came around , I'd sort of moved on a bit, though price kept me away more than anything.
Now I have a little more ability to buy one, and I'm still enamored with them, my eyes however are not, and it wouldn't be useable.
I always wanted a "Muskatoon" or other short carbine...
by A K Church, Wednesday, October 18, 2023, 18:37 (401 days ago) @ cas
edited by A K Church, Thursday, October 19, 2023, 02:39
Nigh on to a half century ago, I was fresh out of high school, and my state had a separate muzzle loader whitetail season.
Guy in one of my college classes had scarfed one of the then new Navy Arms J P Murray carbines. Copy of a Confederate carbine, which was basically a shorter 1841 Mississippi. Gaspingly good looking in a way only brass and decent walnut can be.
Anyway, he took 2 deer in 2 seasons with the .58 Minie carbine. One in muzzleloader, and one in regular firearms season.
45+ years later, they still sell the Murray, although at over a thousand bucks, you have to be pretty dedicated.
My 1863 Springfield copy has got to be the most I over paid
by cas, Wednesday, October 18, 2023, 21:00 (401 days ago) @ A K Church
...for any firearm in my life. Because I paid $650 for it, before tax, in 1991? (I was making $200 a week). They were selling for that much not too many years ago. Any time I'd see them for sale I'd think "Oh my God, how bad did I get ripped off!!!" It was the first one I'd ever seen for sale, I thought I may never see another, so I jumped. (stupid lol)
I shot it a lot. Needing Mini balls is what introduced me to bullet casting.
But to hunt with it in my state at the time, you had to use round ball. So I had a really high front sight put on it (which still wasn't high enough, had to cut the rear sight down to nothing). And of course only a few years later they changed the law. I still regret doing it.
I bought a new front and rear sight to put on and restore it. Never did. It's been sitting in an envelope in my desk for 25 years.
I always wanted a "Muskatoon" or other short carbine...
by Slow Hand , Indiana, Wednesday, October 18, 2023, 21:11 (401 days ago) @ cas
I’m looking forward to trying them out. I’ve never had anything like this before! I’m betting even with a smaller charge of 50-60 gr, they will be thumpers!
I always wanted a "Muskatoon" or other short carbine...
by Otony, Wednesday, October 18, 2023, 22:22 (401 days ago) @ cas
edited by Otony, Thursday, October 19, 2023, 18:15
I have an Italian 1842 Springfield musket replica, .69 smoothbore, that I’ve been dithering about sending off to Lodgewood for conversion to a musketoon. There were actually a few issued variations, so I have to get my ducks in a row and choose a style before shipping it.
I can’t imagine a handier woodsrunner piece…..
Otony
"I can’t imagine a handier woodsrunner piece….."
by cas, Thursday, October 19, 2023, 21:00 (400 days ago) @ Otony
When I would hunt with the 1863, I would tell people it was like hunting with a fishing pole.
A pair of .58’s
by RayLee, Wednesday, October 18, 2023, 20:52 (401 days ago) @ Slow Hand
Somewheres I have a well used and freckled short parker hale enfield that I bought from someone here.
The internet handle "uncowboy" ? comes to mind but I am unsure. I do remember it was $275 shipped.
The rear sight has been sweated-off and a modified lyman tang sight mounted.
uncowboy
by cas, Wednesday, October 18, 2023, 21:05 (401 days ago) @ RayLee
Last time I saw him was 2009, our last get together, the last remnants of the Nor' Easter.
Started as a good time, ended as a worst day for me. Last time I saw all but one of them actually.
I found it.....
by RayLee, Wednesday, October 18, 2023, 21:17 (401 days ago) @ RayLee
suffering from the white fuzzies. A quick shower and scrub with 1/10 ballistol/agua took care of that. The bayonet lug has been roughly ground down nearly flush.
I found it.....
by Slow Hand , Indiana, Wednesday, October 18, 2023, 21:25 (401 days ago) @ RayLee
Looks good!
He was last active here...
by Paul , Thursday, October 19, 2023, 16:19 (400 days ago) @ RayLee
the middle of December 2020. Last active on the Leverguns forum in April of this year.
Artillery carbine
by Slow Hand , Indiana, Wednesday, October 18, 2023, 21:16 (401 days ago) @ Slow Hand
Reading a little on the Cook carbine, it sounds like it was a confederate made carbine usually issued to artillery crews. That’s interesting because I have a French short sword that is the style often issued to artillery crews of the time. I had wondered of this one had made it’s way over here during the civil war. Ot would be neat of I ended up with a repro carbine to go with a genuine sword!
Artillery carbine
by A K Church, Thursday, October 19, 2023, 02:50 (401 days ago) @ Slow Hand
Understand the Roman style sword was for HEAVY artillery, the boys who manned the huge huge Rodman Columbiad cannons in fortress, mostly river and ocean fortresses. Fort Sumter, or Fort Point in SF Bay. That sort of thing.
The carbines were for issue primarily for light artillery, the boys who hauled the wheeled stuff around behind horses.
BTW, there's a decently high survival rate on the big Columbiads. They were inconveniently huge, and located in hard to access places as far as scrapping them went. So unlike huge portion of the surviving Civil War light artillery, these were not melted for iron in WWII.
The artillery version of the US M1847 Artillery musketoon used a roman sword version of a bayonet. Bet that was muzzle heavy as hell.
I got a London Armory copy of the Enfield musketoon recently
by Hobie , Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, Friday, October 20, 2023, 06:16 (400 days ago) @ Slow Hand
Have yet to shoot it! Always wanted the Parker Hale. Big bullet, short length appealed to me. Was going to hunt with it. Previously the TC New Englander .54 was as close as I'd gotten but I did kill deer and squirrels and a groundhog with that. There must be a reason the relatively short big bore guns appeal to me... Mine has a trigger pull that is hell for stout!
These are neat. They have been in short supply recently, I know because I looked for 3 years before finding the one I bought. The originals were made in small quantities due to the limited number of end users.
--
Sincerely,
Hobie
I got a London Armory copy of the Enfield musketoon recently
by Slow Hand , Indiana, Tuesday, October 24, 2023, 04:02 (396 days ago) @ Hobie
I. Like the idea of big power in a “compact” gun too. I’m looking forward to casting up some bullets and trying these out.
Having long wanted one I would not spend the money until...
by Hobie , Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, Wednesday, October 25, 2023, 19:52 (394 days ago) @ Slow Hand
... I found one at a moderately good price AFTER coming into a quantity of minies bought at scrap lead prices.
--
Sincerely,
Hobie
Having long wanted one I would not spend the money until...
by Slow Hand , Indiana, Thursday, October 26, 2023, 04:03 (394 days ago) @ Hobie
Well, I’m down to about 600 pounds of scrap lead, but I do have a minie mold that Jared loaned me. Hoping to cast some up tonight.