Hi, I am new to this forum, and I am excited about the newest addition to my collection of carbines. I purchased this muzzle loading carbine at an online auction the Sunday before last. It is an 1863 dated “Low Hump” Richmond carbine. It along with the Richmond rifle musket was manufactured at the Confederate Arsenal in Richmond, from machinery removed from the Harpers Ferry Arsenal when Virginia state troops captured it in April of 1861. The carbine is a muzzle loading .58 caliber weapon with a percussion firing system. It has a barrel length of 25 inches and the barrel is marked with the typical “V P” and an Eagle’s head and the lock plate has on two lines, “C. S.” and “RICHMOND, VA” and above the trigger the date of “1863”
My carbine, as were the Richmond rifle muskets, was patterned after the U.S. Model 1855 rifle musket which Harpers Ferry produced 10,000 of them just in 1860. Since the Model 1855 used the Maynard tape primer system, and that was the die which was brought to Richmond, the Confederate versions had a hump, where the Maynard tape primer would have been located, even though the Richmond weapons utilized the percussion cap system. My carbine is a later “low hump” version, after they shaved about 3/8 of an inch off the hump.
My research would indicate that less than 10,000 of the Richmond carbines were manufactured. I found Richmond Arsenal records which show as of November 30, 1864 they had produced a total of 8,118 carbines at the arsenal. I could not find production numbers after that, so likely additional ones were made, but the arsenal for the most part shut down sometime in January 1865 due to a lack of parts and supplies.
My carbine, as were the Richmond rifle muskets, was patterned after the U.S. Model 1855 rifle musket which Harpers Ferry produced 10,000 of them just in 1860. Since the Model 1855 used the Maynard tape primer system, and that was the die which was brought to Richmond, the Confederate versions had a hump, where the Maynard tape primer would have been located, even though the Richmond weapons utilized the percussion cap system. My carbine is a later “low hump” version, after they shaved about 3/8 of an inch off the hump.
My research would indicate that less than 10,000 of the Richmond carbines were manufactured. I found Richmond Arsenal records which show as of November 30, 1864 they had produced a total of 8,118 carbines at the arsenal. I could not find production numbers after that, so likely additional ones were made, but the arsenal for the most part shut down sometime in January 1865 due to a lack of parts and supplies.
