1855 Springfiels Pistol/Carbine

[rachbobo]

About 2 years ago I had Dan Whitacre make me a .58 cal barrel for a 1855 Springfield Pistol-Carbine I plan on building.
I started making the stock for the pistol but smewhere along the lines the project fell by the wayside.
The barrel is still hanging from a nail on the wall near my work bench next to the picture I'll use as a guide when I get started again.
Maybe a year from now if I ever get it done, would it be legal for use in a Carbine Match with the butt stock in place ?

Bill Cheek

[Southron Sr.]

Dear Bill:

Send John Holland a PM as he can answer your question. It would interesting to know IF the N-SSA has a "Spec Sheet" on a M1855 Pistol/Carbine. If it does, then to get your Pistol/Carbine "Approved" by the SAC, it must conform to the dimensions specified on the "Spec Sheet."

By the way, after Sam Colt delivered those Walker Revolvers to the army, the Ordnance Department wanted Colt to license his revolver patents to the government, so revolvers could be manufactured at Springfield Armory. Colt said emphatically: "NO!" The M1855 Pistol/Carbine was the best the Ordnance Department could do without infringing on Colt's patents.

Colt retaliated by coming out with the "4 Screw Dragoons," i.e., revolvers that used a detachable stock suprisingly similar to the stock the Ordnance Department designed for the M1855 Pistol/Carbine!

My point: The M1855 Pistol/Carbine was a result of Colt and the Ordnance Department butting heads. Colt won that one by a long way because the government had to buy their revolvers from Colt as long as his patents were in force.

[rachbobo]

Thanks,
Along with all my other projects I'm going to have to get started again on it. I might be bold enough to try to make my own version of the Maynard Tape Priming system using Musket Caps.
Another question I wonder about is if there are any shoots using the .52 cal single shot US Model 1836 and 1842 pistols made by Waters, Johnson, Aston and others.
I know they are not as sexy as Colts Remingtons and others. But I'm sure that not every unit on either side had "Modern" weaponry at the outbreak of hostilities, and many officers carried the single shot into battle till they were replaced.

Bill Cheek

[Southron Sr.]

Geeze!!!! At one time I had an original M1842 pistol but it never occurred to me that I could use it in a Skirmish. I considered it "5 Shots SHORT" for the pistol team matches!

[rachbobo]

Possibly if enough interest were to develope single shot pistol matches could be put on the list just like the Carbine and Musket matches
I have a few I'd like to let Bark again.

Bill Cheek

[William H. Shuey]

There is some history for this. Many years ago there was a skirmisher who had one of these and was shooting it in matches. He had been injured in some kind of accident and was handicapped to the point that he couldn't handle a full sized weapon. He had acquired the pistol/carbine and had been given permission to compete with it. I believe he was in a wheelchair too.

Bill Shuey

[Joe Plakis, 9575V]

I'm five foot ten and I shoot a Richmond Carbine, and from time to time have been told I get "over" the muzzle. I have seen people taller than me do the same, as well as shorter ones. My only concern is with idea that the butt-plate of the gun must be on the ground, I cannot see how you would load it without blowing out your back or just camping out over top of the muzzle. If I can figure out how to do that I would love to build one of these.

The second is with such a short site radius you would have to hold it like a rock, even being a little off would be huge miss at 50 let alone 100!

If anyone has a pattern for one I would love still to see it! Or a good repro to copy.

[RaiderANV]

Many many moons ago I shot a Austrian Cavalry carbine (14" barrel .709 dia) in the team carbine matches a few times. At 50 yards I could put them in the same hole. At 100 yards I was lucky to keep them within the whole dang frame. I used the Lyman shotgun slug and 35 grains of 3F Goex. The lil' sucker is a blast. I loaded it on my knee so there was no leaning over the barrel.

[Ken Hansgen, 11094]

Joe, It was for that reason (getting over the muzzle) that the CWSA allows a 10" "carbine stool" to be used to put the butt of a musketoon on that lifts the muzzle to the height of a 2-band rifle's. It's also a lot more comfortable for those with a bad back! I once proposed the N-SSA allow the use of a "carbine stump" for the same reason, but got laughed at. Charlie Smithgall, however, said it could be ruled OK as it was just an extension of the ground. However, I stopped pursuing it as I had switched to using a Smith. BTW, the current rule requires the butt to be on the ground OR ON YOUR TOE.

Pat, How did you load that on your knee? Standing or kneeling?

[efritz]

Sirs.

This was all brought up a year or so ago about the pistol/carbines. It's in the rules as to why not. To be able to shoot one in competition, the rules will have to be changed as necessary.

The single shot pistol was also an idea that may surface again someday. Probably not team competition but at least just individual competition. I can see no reason why the N-SSA would not allow single shot individual competition. It would be a money making event. No extra time to fit into the schedule. Just some medals based on entries and some more targets to be sold and scored by stat. The only agg. I would consider is the single shot pistol agg. Don't have it count towards any other aggs.