A Rare British Greene Patent Breech Loading Percussion Carbine. 34 ½” overall, 18” .54 calibre barrel, with 16-sided hand grip in the centre. Blade fore sight & folding leaf rear sight. The back action lock plate has an integral Maynard tape primer stamped’ Maynard's Patent Sept. 22 1854’ on the door & stamped ‘MASS. ARMS CO CHICOPEE FALLS U.S.A. 1856’, Crown over VR Stamped on barrel tang & ‘GREENE'S PATENT./JUNE 27. 1854’. Walnut butt with shaped patch box and swivel ring. Trigger guard with trigger and barrel release trigger. Numerous inspector’s marks.
Dated 1856 No.1746
In very good condition, bore very good. The Maynard tape primer is complete and functional.
The Greene Patent Breech Loading carbine was manufactured by the Massachusetts Arms Co. of Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts, as part of a 2,000 gun contract for the British Army circa 1855-1857. Only a small number survive as most were broken up for spares, detached locks are not uncommon to find, maybe as few as 200 intact examples survive, usually in less good condition than this one. British Greene carbines are considered to be secondary U.S. Civil War weapons and are scarce and very desirable.