Massachusetts Arms Co 2ND MODEL CARBINE....50 CALIBER CIVIL WAR BREECH LOADER

Here's a nice item for the U.S. military collector! This is an American Civil War era Maynard 2nd Model Carbine. Manufactured by the Massachusetts Arms Company in Chicopee Falls, NY, the Maynard is a breech loading single-shot which uses a unique .50 caliber metallic cartridge. The weapon has a conventional looking hammer with percussion cap arrangement which was used to ignite the charge in the metallic cartridge through a tiny hole in the base of the cartridge case. The barrel hinges open when the finger lever is lowered and the hammer is manually cocked. The barrel measures 20" in length and is fitted with a 3-leaf sight graduated for 100, 300 & 500 yards. There was no provision for a forearm on the Maynard which could cause trouble for the shooter when rapid firing due to barrel heating. The barrel is blued and the receiver case colored. The left side of the receiver was normally mounted with a bar & saddle ring but these have been removed from this example. This carbine is in very good condition and aside from the saddle bar, completely original. The left side of the barrel is marked with the "G.W.S." of U.S. Army sub-inspector G.W. Schuman. His initials also appear on the buttstock as do the "J.W." initials of final inspector James Mills. There are still some faded case colors visible on the frame mixed with some light patina/surface rust. The maker markings/patent dates are crisply struck on each side of the frame and the various parts have the typical single-letter military inspection marks. The serial number (12171) is marked on the lower tang. The barrel retains almost all of the original blue finish with a few small scattered spots of rust and associated light pitting. The buttstock is in very good shape showing various handling marks but free of cracks or chips and never sanded or refinished. The original inspector's markings on the left side are as crisp today as when they were struck 160 years ago. There is some corrosion to the buttplate with some cleaned pitting at the heel. Mechanically, this carbine is in excellent condition. The action works perfectly and locks up tight.
The bore is in very fine condition also and is mostly bright with sharp rifling...just a few scattered tiny, shallow pits. I'd call the bore a 9 out of 10.