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MODEL 1855 SPRINGFIELD PISTOL CARBINE w/ ORIGINAL
SHOULDER STOCK – EXCELLENT SPECIMEN: One of the
most iconic of all US Military Arms, the unique design
and brass mountings incorporated in the Model 1855
Springfield Pistol Carbine has elevated it through the
years to one of the most sought after cavalry arms. The
short period of manufacture – 1855-1857 – coupled with a
fairly limited reported production of 4,021, and the
hard use to which they were subjected on the antebellum
frontier and in the early years of the Civil War,
resulted in a relatively low survival rate –
particularly in the condition of this specimen.
Introduced with the other shoulder arms of the same
model year designation, and like the others, fitted with
the innovative Maynard Tape Priming System, the Model
1855 Pistol Carbine shares a small stage as one of only
three general issue pistols produced by the National
Armory at Springfield (the Model 1817 and Model 1911
being the other two.)
Intended to provide the mounted soldier with a pistol to
deploy from the saddle, and a shoulder mounted carbine
when he dismounted, the pistol and the butt stock were
carried in a specially designed set of holsters which
draped over the pommel of his saddle.
It is also known that these
pistol carbines were issued in conjunction with the Colt
Walker and/or Dragoon Revolvers, as sets of combination
pommel holsters have been documented that provided a
holster for each pistol and a third pocket for the
shoulder stock.
Issued on the pre-Civil War frontier to elements of the
1ST and 2ND Cavalry Regiments, the
Pistol Carbine continued in service with the onset of
the Civil War. As reported in the Ordnance Department
Return submitted by units in the Quarter ending December
31st, 1862, almost 400 of the Pistol Carbines
were present in the inventories of such cavalry
regiments as the 9TH Illinois, 1ST
Indiana, 2ND Kansas, 5TH Kansas, 6TH
Kansas, 4TH Missouri, 11Th New
York, 1ST West Virginia, and the 2ND
West Virginia. As surviving examples typically exhibit
evidence of moderate to heavy service use with
commensurate wear and aging, it is generally believed
that nearly all of the Model 1855 Pistol Carbines were
issued to soldiers on active service.
While the muzzle loaded, single-shot feature of the
Pistol Carbine would cause it to be eclipsed by the
breech loading and repeating carbines that would emerge
during the War, it has been suggested that the design
was the inspiration for the detachable shoulder stock
Samuel Colt introduced for the Model 1860 Army Pistol.
A real pleasure to offer, this
Model 1855 Percussion Pistol-Carbine has survived the
passage of years in very good to excellent condition,
and presents as a beautiful specimen. The barrel is
overall excellent with a bright smooth finish, no
pitting at the breech as is normally found, and only a
very few points of darkening – almost to the point of
passing unnoticed. The barrel date, 1855, is strong and
legible as are the eagle and VP proof stamps. The
proper two leaf rear sight is present and complete, with
all of the range indicators legible and the original
bright armory blued finish intact. The rifling in the
bore is very strong throughout with only minor scattered
darkened patches, and no significant pitting.
The lock is complete with a
fully functional Maynard Tape Priming mechanism with all
of the internal workings present and intact. The lock
plate is legibly dated 1856 – I have researched examples
of these Pistol Carbines which have been offered in the
last eight years or so to determine what frequency the
barrel and lock dates did, or did not, match. Of those
sets I examined, fifty percent were dated as this one is
– 1855 on the barrel and 1856 on the lock – so
apparently this combination of dates was not unusual.
Both the eagle on the primer door and the “U.S.
SPRINGFIELD” on the forward face of the lock are
likewise very strongly struck and legible.
The
lock action is crisp with no play and as noted above,
the priming system functions properly with the draw of
the hammer to full cock. The original captured ramrod
is full length and like the balance of the pistol, has a
clear bright finish.
The pistol stock has aged very
nicely, retaining a beautiful, rich color and showing
very little evidence of use save for the normal handling
marks. The stock is full form with no significant
damage. The left flat of the stock has the vestiges of
what appears to be a “US” stamp immediately behind the
forward lock screw head and centered on the flat is
stamped “20”, a unit inventory stamp. The barrel and
ramrod channels retain their full profile with no splits
or chips along the edges. There is a very small age
check in the left side of the stock leading from the top
lock screw washer to the edge of the barrel channel – a
common result of aging and completely stable in this
case. There is a small chip at the bottom edge of the
left side of the grip where the edge of the wood meets
the butt cap.
Model 1855 Pistol-Carbine butt
caps and shoulder stocks are known to have been stamped
with assembly numbers from 1-20, although in reality the
numbers rarely match on surviving sets, and matching
sets likely did not survive their initial issue to the
soldiers. The butt cap on this pistol is stamped “2”
and the underside of the brass yoke on the butt stock is
stamped “6”. The top tang of the butt plate is legibly
stamped "U.S.". All of the brass furniture on both the
pistol and the butt plate has a very pleasant unpolished
patina.
The butt stock is in excellent condition with only the
expected minor handling marks with no cracks, splits or
other significant damage. The pistol stock and
detachable stock have a matching color and patina,
appearing to have been a mated set for some time. The
two pieces fit together well, the clamping device
engaging the mortise on the pistol’s back strap
properly, and the set tightens up with no more than the
normally encountered play. The edges of the butt
stock’s brass yoke have marked the pistol stock on
either side of the backstrap and these marks mate
perfectly to the edges of the yoke – again evidence that
this is a matched set.
This is truly an exceptional
example of the distinctive and very desirable Model 1855
Pistol Carbine, complete with all the original
components and fully functional. A remarkable piece in
that it was able to survive the years in this condition
and the sort of investment grade product of the
Springfield Armory that will be a key addition to any
collection.
SOLD |
