Saw a strange rifle

[Joe the Redneck]

On an online auction I saw a guy selling a non-firing replica "civil war revolving musket." You can see a picture of it at www.pineridge7.com (http://www.pineridge7.com)

Did this gun ever exist? I know there were revolving carbines used in the Florida Indian wars, but I never saw one like this.

Thanks.

[cornered rat]

Colt made such in 1836-38...they had a minor problem...chain fire! For some reason, they were more prone to firing all six chambers at once than handguns, with catastrophic results for the user. I would guess that the only working long revolver would have to be based on Nagant pivoting cylinder design...else the sideblast would be a problem for the user's left arm.

[This message has been edited by cornered rat (edited November 05, 1999).]

[4V50 Gary]

I've read that chainfires may not necessarily be attributable to ignitions spreading from the mouth of one cylinder to another. The theory is that if you use loose percussion caps, they may slam back and forth upon recoil, thus causing the gun to fire. Use only the right size and if they're not snug, pinch your caps.

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Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt

[Outlaw1]

I've never seen one like the one pictured, but Colt had a Model 1855 which is basically an updated version of the late 1840s model.
LeMat also made a carbine version of their fine revolver.

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Happiness is a tight group!

[James K]

Colt made several models of revolving rifles, carbines and shotguns in the 1838 to 1841 time frame. They revived the idea with the Model 1855, which was made as a musket, two different types of carbines, a shotgun, and three different models of sporting rifle. (This does not include shoulder-stocked pistols, which were another category.) The 1855 was a Root sidehammer type, and the gun pictured, while it does not conform fully to any of the original guns, is overall very similar. The Colt muskets were made in .44, .56, and .64 caliber, with the latter being very rare. Carbines were made in .36, .44, and .56.

Chain fires undoubtedly happened, and were usually caused by badly fitting balls, not by detonation of the percussion caps. No percussion revolver ever was made in such a way that the caps could come in contact with the recoil shield. Our ancestors were not that dumb.

BTW, it is repro manufacturers who have chosen to eliminate the safety pins from Colt type revolvers; I wonder what they think the hammer notch is for.

Jim