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Old October 2, 1999, 12:05 PM   #7
fal308
Staff Alumnus
 
Join Date: October 12, 1998
Location: Missouri
Posts: 1,992
Sorry I can't directly answer your questions either but I did manage to come up with a little information on the weapon in question. From "An Introduction To Civil War Small Arms" by Earl J. Coates and Dean S. Thomas.
'Model 1855 Pistol-Carbine
Specifications
Length: 28.2"
Weight: about 5 lbs
Caliber: .58
Bayonet: none
The model 1855 pistol-carbine was a single-shot, muzzleloading percussion handgun which was equipped with a separate shoulder stock. The stock, when attached by the soldier to the handgrip of the pistol, effectively converted the pistol to a carbine. By this means the arm could be fired from the shoulder, increasing its stability and accuracy. The pistol-carbine fired virtually the same ammunition as the 1855 rifle musket. Like the rifle musket, it achieved ignition by the new Maynard tape primer. a total 4021 of these arms were produced by the Springfield Armory in 1855 and 1856.
The pistol-carbine was a well made weapon, but it had one serious flaw. It was obsolete from the time of its first production. The six-shot revolver manufactured by Colt Firearms spelled the doom of the single-shot pistol.
Most of the pistol-carbines were still in various arsenals in 1861. The arms shortage brought on by the war meant actual combat use of this weapon. An unknown quantity, but probably most of those manufactured, were used to arm early volunteers.'
There is also a photo of a pistol-carbine, and derrougatype (sp) of a soldier holding one in his hands (he also has two percussion repeating pistols in his belt) and a drawing of the bullet that is captioned 'the 450-grain bullet adopted in 1855 for the new pistol-carbine'
I can see this being given to early volunteers as no one would have wanted it after having been in battle. Scavenged repeaters would have been picked up while this would have been thrown down at the first opportunity.
Sorry I can't help with valuation though.
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