{"product_id":"original-u-s-civil-war-m1864-triplett-scott-kentucky-contract-repeating-rifle-by-meriden-mfg-co-serial-4091","title":"Original U.S. Civil War M1864 Triplett \u0026 Scott Kentucky Contract Repeating Rifle by Meriden Mfg. Co. - Serial 4091","description":"\u003cp\u003eOriginal Item: Only One Available. Developed by LOUIS TRIPLETT and WILLIAM SCOTT of Columbia, Kentucky and manufactured under contract by the Meriden Manufacturing Company of Meriden, Ct. This is a Repeating Carbine enclosing a 7 Shot tubular magazine inside the wood butt. It is loaded from the front once the swivel breech of the action is fully opened. These were all chambered for the .56-50 Spencer cartridge, referred to as .50 caliber. The serial number is marked on right rear of the action, and on this example is \u003cstrong\u003e4091\u003c\/strong\u003e, out of a total production of about 5000.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Triplett \u0026amp; Scott guns were made in two lengths; a short 38 inch carbine with a 22 inch barrel, and a \u003cstrong\u003erifle\u003c\/strong\u003e such as this, which is just under \u003cstrong\u003e46 inches long\u003c\/strong\u003e with a \u003cstrong\u003e30 inch barrel\u003c\/strong\u003e. 2,000 carbines and 3,000 rifles were ordered January 2, 1865, all delivered by April 1865.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a very nice patinated example of the Kentucky National Guard contract rifle, and the breech tang is still marked with the patent information, which is just a bit hard to read:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTRIPLETT \u0026amp; SCOTT\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePATENT DEC. 6, 1864\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe left side of the rear action is marked with the manufacturer information, which is still clear:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMERIDEN MAN'FG. CO.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMERIDEN CONN.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe left side of the breech is clearly marked with \u003cstrong\u003eKENTUCKY\u003c\/strong\u003e, indicating that this was part of the Kentucky National Guard order.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe condition of this example is quite good, considering the amount of service it looks to have seen. The original blued and case colored finish on the metalwork has been worn from oxidization and cleaning, now displaying a mottled gray patina in most areas, with just a bit of peppering visible. Early breech loading firearms were notorious for having a poor gas seal, which resulted in powder fouling around the breech, and we can definitely see oxidation and fouling inside the breech area, and some on the surrounding hinge area. The bore is actually quite nice, with crisp lands and grooves and a bright finish, showing very little wear of any kind. There is just a bit of oxidation and fouling near the chamber area, probably from not being cleaned.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe checked the action, and it looks to be functional, though we have no way of testing it. The receiver breaks open and rotates correctly, with the ejector presenting and retracting as it rotates. The magazine door is properly pushed out of the way, and quickly closes back up correctly, and the follower and spring are still present. The lock is functional, however it is a bit worn, with the springs a bit weak, so the sear will not engage the half cock position sometimes. It also will not hold at half cock. The breech lock looks to be fully functional. The rear sight looks to be intact, however the front sight has been replaced by a globe sight, which is a bit loose in the dovetail.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe stocks are in good shape, with the black walnut showing a lovely aged red brown color. They look to have been varnished long ago, and both show a good amount of service. The fore stock shows wear and some chunks of wood missing, particularly around the barren band and band spring. The rear stock has a crack running back about 2 inches from the receiver tang, possibly from having the tang screw overtightened. The lower sling swivel on the butt is present, however the upper swivel attached to the butt plate looks to have been removed long ago.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA very nice example of a rare late Civil War issue rifle with a very interesting reloading system. Ready to display!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSpecifications-\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYears of Manufacture: 1864 - early 1865\u003cbr\u003eCaliber: .56-50 Spencer Centerfire (.50 Spencer Carbine)\u003cbr\u003eAmmunition Type: Centerfire Cartridge\u003cbr\u003eBarrel Length: 30 inches\u003cbr\u003eOverall Length: 46 inches\u003cbr\u003eAction: Rotating Action with Manual Hammer\u003cbr\u003eFeed System: 7 Round Tube Magazine\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHistory and overview of the Triplett \u0026amp; Scott \"Kentucky\" Carbine-\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Triplett \u0026amp; Scott was a rather unusual piece during its era, as virtually all of its contemporaries were single shot firearms. The Triplett \u0026amp; Scott, on the other hand, was a repeating carbine holding seven shots in the magazine. The design itself consisted of a two parts, where the entire barrel, breech etc. would be attached to the stock (and other components) via a revolving hinge, which allowed the barrel to be twisted clockwise in order to allow the spent cartridge to be ejected. When this cartridge was ejected the barrel would be twisted further towards clockwise, releasing a spring latch which loaded the next cartridge. The barrel was then twisted anti-clockwise, locking the barrel in position for firing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis design required the magazine, tubular in design, to be mounted within the buttstock. This presented two problems: firstly that the magazine could not be removed, meaning the shooter would have to reload the magazine with each cartridge one at a time; and secondly this design severely weakened the buttstock. The area around the wrist of the stock was almost entirely taken up by the magazine, leaving little wood joining it to rest of the stock, often causing the stock to snap under little stress.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOtherwise the Triplett \u0026amp; Scott was rather uniform to any other carbine of the era, with a blued, five groove rifled barrel and basic iron sights. The action resembled the familiar percussion lock design, although it had been modified so that the hammer would strike a firing pin, meaning that the Triplett \u0026amp; Scott could use metallic rimfire cartridges instead of the more familiar paper cartridges.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRecords show the initial customer was the Kentucky National Guard but quickly followed by a 5,000 gun contract from the U.S. War Department. All 5,000 of these carbines were delivered before the War ended in April 1865. According to the records accessed on the Internet most of the initial Government delivery were issued to General Sherman's troops for their Campaign through the South when they burned ATLANTA.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSadly interest waned once the Civil War concluded making this most interesting forward thinking Repeating Carbine hard to find today. In nice condition ready to display. An extremely interesting piece!\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNOTE:\u003c\/strong\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Original Items","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43154437701701,"sku":"ONJR25JUGCW05","price":2295.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1524\/1342\/files\/ONJR25JUGCW05__02.jpg?v=1753298252","url":"https:\/\/www.ima-usa.com\/products\/original-u-s-civil-war-m1864-triplett-scott-kentucky-contract-repeating-rifle-by-meriden-mfg-co-serial-4091","provider":"International Military Antiques","version":"1.0","type":"link"}