Original Item: Only One Available. The U.S. Civil war, aside from being one of the bloodiest eras in U.S. history, was also an era of great invention, as many innovations in mechanical design took place. One of these was the "Capping Breech Loader", an ignition design involving using a percussion cap or primer tape to ignite a self-contained cartridge. The Sharps system is probably the most well known of these, but there were many others. As with any new invention, there were some types that were well-received, and some that were not.

The Gallager Carbine is definitely one of the latter, as while well-designed, their actual use proved to be quite problematic. The cartridges could be unreliable, and often got stuck in the barrel due to expansion. There was no extraction system either, so they had to be removed by hand. Only 17,782 were made, delivered to the army by the end of 1964, and due to their unreliability most were disposed of, so they are quite rare. Ironically the original patent #29,157 granted on July 17th. 1860 was to MAHLON J. GALLAGER, who was born in South Carolina and throughout the Civil War lived in Savanna, Georgia. Production however was licensed to the Philadelphia firm of Richardson & Overman, who produced the carbine for the Union forces.

However the end of the Civil War renewed communication with Gallager, and he revised his design. He adapted it to be fed with the .50/52 Spencer cartridge. This cartridge was a rimfire cartridge, and in place of the nipple on which the percussion cap was placed, he placed a massive firing pin, which, when struck by the cock, caused the gun to fire. The Spencer cartridge had a rim, which made it possible to equip the Gallager carbine with an extractor and eliminate the hassle of cartridges extraction.

In 1865, the modified carbine was presented to the Ordnance Department. After the presentation, the Ordnance Department ordered the modification of 5,000 Gallager carbines with a cap lock to the new version. According to the Government Procurement of Gallager Carbines, 5,000 modified Gallager 1865 carbines were delivered to the army by the June 1865.

This fine example is only the fifth that we have ever seen, and the second rimfire conversion, one of the 5,000 that were converted. It still has clear markings on the lock plate, with the patent markings on the left:

On the right side is the full manufacturer information, over the serial number:

There is also assembly number 2 2 1 stamped on all parts of the breech lever mechanism, indicating that none have been swapped out. There is also ordnance sub-inspector marking J.M.D. on top of the breech, as usually seen on these carbines. The carbine is a "tip up" design, with the trigger guard lever opening the breech and sliding the barrel forward until the breech tips up. This allows the cartridge to be inserted, after which the breech is closed, and the hammer pulled back to full cock prior to firing the carbine. With the new extractor and using Spencer cartridges this proved to be a much more workable design after conversion. There is a cap / patch box on the butt stock, where the spare caps were kept for when needed, as well as an extra nipple cone screwed into the wood, which is not present, and indeed would not be needed due to the conversion.

Condition of the carbine's metalwork is very good, showing a lovely gray oxidized patina overall, faded from the original high quality bluing these originally were made with. It definitely looks to have seen use in service after the rimfire conversion, which wore down the metal surface somewhat. The butt stock is in very good condition, showing only light wear from service and a lovely color.

The lock and action function as they should, and the saddle bar and ring on the left side are fully intact. The bore still shows clear rifling, with a mostly bright finish and some light oxidation and fouling in the grooves. One of the best examples that we have seen so far!

A very rare civil war era carbine, later converted to rimfire, ready to display!

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: circa 1863
Caliber: .50/52 Spencer
Cartridge Type: Rimfire Cartridge.
Barrel Length: 22 Inches
Overall Length: 39 Inches
Action type: Side Action Hammer Lock.
Feed System: Top Break Single Shot

The Gallager carbine is an American black powder breechloading rifle produced in the American Civil War. The weapon was designed by Mahlon J. Gallager, who licensed the design to Richardson and Overman of Philadelphia for production. On 31 August 1861 the first weapons were sold to the U.S. Army, eventually reaching a total of 17,782

The Gallager was loaded from the rear with brass cases, which contained the projectile and the propellant. Covered by a disc made of greased felt, the projectile was inserted in the barrel after it was tilted up by a lever, followed by the case, and (like the concurrent muzzleloaders, such as the Springfield) were ignited by percussion cap, which was placed on the bolt face. The brass cases had a paper patch in the base, to prevent powder seepage and still allow the cap to fire the round. The weapon was 0.525 in (13.3 mm) caliber with a 22 in (56 cm) barrel.

The rifle was strongly made, but unpopular with troops. Frequently, the cases stuck due to expansion of the front part and had to be laboriously removed. In July 1862, Brigadier-General J. T. Boyle of Kentucky complained about Gallagher guns, calling them 'worthless'. He stated that 'They snap often, the cartridge hangs in after firing; difficult to get the exploded cartridges out often with screw-driver; men throw them away and take musket or any other arm. They are unquestionably worthless.' He then requested 'Sharps, Wessons, Ballards, or any other kind of carbine.' He mentioned that Wesson carbines can be had for $25 or less from Cincinnati.

NOTE: International orders of antique firearms MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services (courier). USPS Priority Mail international will not accept these. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.

IMA considers all of our antique guns as non-firing, inoperable and/or inert. Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 921(a)(16) defines antique firearms as all guns made prior to 1899. This law exempts antique firearms from any form of gun control or special engineering because they are not legally considered firearms. No FFL, C&R or any license is required to possess, transport, sell or trade Antique guns. All rifles and muskets sold by IMA that were manufactured prior to 1899 are considered Antiques by the US BATF (United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms). Therefore, all of IMA's Antique guns may be shipped to all US States and most nations around the world.

These antique guns are not sold in "live" condition, and are not tested for the the ability to feed or load any type of cartridge. They are sold as collector's items or as "wall hangers" not for use, and we make no guarantees regarding functionality aside from what is stated in the description. Any attempt at restoring an antique gun to be operational is strongly discouraged and is done so at the risk of the customer. By purchasing an antique gun from IMA you thereby release IMA, its employees and corporate officers from any and all liability associated with use of our Antique guns.

Pre-1899 Manufacture, no licenses required, allowed to ship to almost any deliverable address across the globe. Please note that for international shipping, these MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.