Merrill or Greene carbine owners

[ewmail15]

I'm down to maybe one new find Merrill carbine a week, and no more Greene carbine finds. That includes queries at UK and other European forums. I'm trying to build an info sharing website dedicated to James H. Merrill, as I was out of work but had the squirreled funds to pick up a reasonable, original Merrill. Recently, I won a mint condition 1856 Green carbine lockplate with the Maynard primer system..

For the Merrill's, I've serial-ID'd over 250 carbines, almost 30 rifles, 37 bayonets ((no matches to the rifles' serials), maybe 40 prototypes and conversions, plus 25 or so unverified carbines/rifles. When that website is up, I'll hopefully have lots of feedback to help serial-ID current unknowns and provide new Merrill photos and histories.

If found photos of maybe 10 Greenes with serials, and over 20 without photos or details identifying serial numbers.

Anyone here own one of these old, rare beauties, and willing to share your photos - esp. of the serials? With the pics for those 10 Greenes, I confirmed four serial locations - most cool indeed. Please send pics and any histories to ewmail15@gmail.com.

I posted a similar and much shorter thread on civilwartalk, as that's my primary site for learning and sharing knowledge.

Thanks, Eric.

[maynard6]

I have an officers model glad to share serial # and send photo . Have problem sending to this sight . Can send easily to your cell phone. bob

[ewmail15]

Bob, please send me any and all pics max sized/resolution to ewmail15@gmail.com. You should be able to send to my email address via IM from your cell phone. I've done that lots of times. There should be an option on this forum to resize automatically to conform to limits, but guess that's not available. I'll take care of resizing and uploading here. Please too take pics of any assembly numbers you find. Places to check are: buttplate top end (later models), trigger plate, trigger guard (outside/near plate nbr, or inside area), saddle bar on carbine, on rear sight where screwed into barrel, on underside of lever (on knurled/butterfly pieces on 1st model), underside of plunger arm, backside of lockplate and hammer and on sear and bridle (if you can disassemble as I was fortunate to do with ease - mine had been well cared for, other than poor storage - maybe in a case that trapped moisture), and maybe on the barrels and nosecap (for rifles).

A few months ago, I blasted out emails to CW museums from just about every state, asking if they had any Merrills and willing to share for my website. Responses were few, and most that did reply said they had none. I received an email yesterday from a woman at the NRA Museum with good news that she had a rifle new to me. Said please send all she had, and pics were great and hi-res. There are more arms in storage but were never photographed. She stated I should check back with her in a few months. The NRA Museum search returned no results for "Merrill".

On a side note, the ACWM website has lots and lots of rare CW era rifles and carbines. I used the arms I found in this search results to ask the NRA Museum contact if she had any of those as well on display or in storage.

http://moconfederacy.pastperfectonline.com/search?page=2&search_criteria=merrill+carbine&utf8=%E2%9C%93

[ewmail15]

Bob, I'm a fellow Wisconsinite. Please send serial and pics this week if you can. I've received consent to view, handle and photograph two stored Merrill's at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum November likely, after they relocate their collection to a better, climate controlled building. Collecting admin stated I could bring along some fellow Merrill lovers.

[bobanderson]

Well I'm sure many forum users would like to see it. The key is crop your photo until it gets under the pixie limit - then system will accept it.

Cropping could remove something you want included.

I open the JPEG in Microsoft Paint, then resize it until it is under the space limit. Not sure exactly what number that is, so I just keep resizing until it will load. Under 900 kb?

[ewmail15]

Bob in WI, please send all your pics to my email above. Please also take pics of the serial(s) and part assembly numbers. Is it a rifle or carbine?

[ewmail15]

Bob, please post tonight those pics and the serial and any history. Thanks.

[efritz]

I thought your post was looking for Greene carbines but noticed lastest post mentioning rifle. I have a Durrell Greene bolt action rifle. Do you have interest in it?

[ewmail15]

I'm looking for the pre-Civil War 1856 model Greene carbine.

[ewmail15]

Bob, I'm in need of a new Merrill find. Week was a total bust on finding any new serials. Please send the serial and as many pics as you can to (262) 229-5819. Same goes for anyone else who has an original Merrill, a Merrill conversion or prototype, accessories (bayonets, bags, cartridge boxes), or 1856 Greene carbine pics with serials. Eric

[jswift]

I have a green carbine that was given to me over fifty years ago, if it is important to you and your research? I'll dig it out of the gun safe and photograph and record the serial # and pass that along to you. Jim

[ewmail15]

Awesome Jim! Should be four places where you should find the serial -under the left(?) leg that locks the barrel in place, the underside of the barrel grooved grip, the lip if the barrel breech, and at the rear sight screw area. US or UK? I might have a dozen serial-ID'd and maybe 20 others.

[jswift]

I just dug out the Green carbine. It has serial#507 in all the places you indicated and a large crown and VxR on the lock plate dated 1856. It appears to be unfired, I hope this helps you in your research. Jim

[ewmail15]

Looking forward to the photos Jim. You're the first person with a Greene with whom I've been able to converse. Go to town on the photos.

[jswift]

EWMAIL, I finished taking eight or so pictures, since I am "very old school", if you will call me at 334-806-5657, I will send you pictures by phone ( its my wife's phone). Jim