US Model 1855 Pistol Carbine with Shoulder Stock

American Civil War

.58 caliber. 12" barrel. NSN. Bright finish, brass furniture, walnut stock. Single shot percussion muzzleloading pistol carbine with Maynard's patent automated priming lock and captive swivel ramrod. Lock marked U.S./SPRINGFIELD at the front and dated 1855 at the rear, with a {Spread-Winged American Eagle} on the primer magazine door. Left angled breech flat with small V/P/{Eagle Head} inspection marks and dated 1855 on top, under the rear sight. A weak script JS cartouche is present on the counterpane. The rear of the butt cap has the batch mating number 8 on it. Pistol retains the original folding leaf rear sight and Barleycorn front sight, sling ring in butt and sling swivel on barrel band. The pistol carbine is accompanied an original detachable stock complete with the attachment yoke and swivel in the toe. These stocks are less often encountered than the pistol carbine itself. The top of the buttplate tang is marked US and the yoke has the batch mating number 11.

The US Model 1855 Pistol Carbine was a European inspired idea that mated an overly long and ungainly handgun with a detachable stock, creating a poorly handling pistol or a short carbine with a wobbly stock. As such, the design was not particularly popular with the men they were issued to. Only 4,021 of these ungainly and relatively unpopular pistol carbines were produced at Springfield between 1855 and 1857 and today they are relatively scarce, especially with an original stock. {ANTIQUE}

This lot is located in Cincinnati.