Smith carbine
Carbine / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Smith Carbine was a 0.50 caliber breech-loading rifle patented by Gilbert Smith on June 23, 1857 and successfully completed the military trials of the late 1850s. It was used by various cavalry units during the American Civil War.
Smith Carbine | |
---|---|
Type | Carbine |
Place of origin | United States |
Service history | |
Used by | United States, Argentina |
Wars | American Civil War Argentine Civil Wars |
Production history | |
Designer | Gilbert Smith |
Designed | 1857 |
Unit cost | $35 (1859), $32,5 (1861)[1] |
No. built | 30,062 |
Specifications | |
Mass | 7.5 lb (3.4 kg) |
Length | 39.5 in (1,000 mm) |
Barrel length | 21.6 in (550 mm) |
Cartridge | .50 Smith |
Action | Break-action |
Sights | Blade (front); Block and single Leaf sight (rear) |
The Smith Carbine was unique in that it broke apart in the middle for loading and it used rubber cartridges which sealed the gases in the breech. The downside was that these cartridges were difficult to remove.[2]
The carbines were built by Massachusetts Arms Company of Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts; the American Machine Works in Springfield, Massachusetts; or the American Arms Company in Chicopee Falls. The name of the distributor for the manufacturer, Poultney & Trimble of Baltimore, Maryland, is often stamped on the carbine's receivers.[3][4]