Original Item: Only One Available. From the Civil War era this is one of the hardest Carbines to find, and this is indeed the only example we have ever had of a W.J. Jenks "Mule-Ear" Carbine. It is in rifled .54 caliber. Access to the breech is accomplished by lifting bolt lever, and a paper cartridge would be inserted and rammed forward when the breech is closed. The carbine is then discharged with the use of a SIDE HAMMER percussion system, the so-called "Mule-Ear".

Adopted by the U.S. Navy, 4,250 of the standard Jenks breechloading percussion carbines were produced for the US Navy by the NP Ames Company of Springfield, MA between 1843 and 1846. In 1847 an additional 1,000 “improved” Jenks carbines were ordered from E. Remington & Sons of Herkimer, NY, which included the automatic Maynard Tape Priming system. These additional carbines were delivered in 1847 and 1848, and as with the earlier carbines, they were all originally manufactured as .54 smoothbore guns, with a round loading aperture in the breech. Both versions of the carbine had 24.5” barrels, walnut stocks and brass furniture. As originally manufactured, they were loaded with a bullet through a round hole on the top of the action, followed by a powder load.

Unfortunately, these carbines were far from a success, and even with the modifications they were not satisfactory. Once the new SHARP'S system was introduced in 1853 with a pre-filled cartridge, its days were numbered. However, with the coming of the Civil War, nearly all of the carbines were subsequently altered. The round loading aperture which was designed for loose powder and a round ball was enlarged to an oval opening which allowed the loading of paper cartridges. The majority of the carbines were also rifled during the alteration process.

This lovely matured example is one of those converted to take paper cartridges, which represents nearly all of those on the market. The metalwork shows overall past peppering, now removed, but no major pit rust or more serious oxidation issues. The Lock plate is correctly marked across the tail with WM JENKS and to the right of these are the original manufacturer markings:-

The top barrel flat by the breech opening is marked W. JENKS lengthwise over the Naval inspection proofs:-

U.S.N.
R C
1845
P

This is the mark of civilian arms inspector Rufus Chandler, an ordnance sub-inspector who worked at the Ames factory 1831-1850. He is a known inspector of the Jenks carbines made by Ames. It is also marked with 468 on the underside of the loading lever and top of the connector to the breech plug. As with almost all surviving examples of Jenks carbines, it was converted to use paper cartridges, with the loading hole enlarged, and was also rifled. We have checked the action, and the lock is fully functional, holding at half cock and firing only at full. The breech lever opens up correctly, and the breech plug can be pulled all the way back if desired. We checked the bore, and the six groove rifling is still in very good condition, showing a partly bright finish with clear lands and grooves. There is definitely some past oxidation and fouling towards the muzzle, now partly cleaned away.

The fittings are all of brass: trigger guard, two barrel bands and butt plate. We have seen these sometimes with brass screws, however the screws for the barrel bands and butt plate on this example are all iron, and definitely do not look to be replacements. Carbine retains its original iron suspension ring, attached directly behind the trigger guard on the under side. The stock is in lovely condition, showing the expected wear from age such as dents, dings, and scratches. There are some small gouges and chips, particularly around the lock plate, but nothing major. We were unfortunately not able to see any inspection cartouches.

A lovely example of a Jenks "Mule Ear" carbine, converted to take paper cartridges for the U.S. Civil War. Ready to research and display!

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: 1845
Caliber: .54"
Cartridge Type: Cap and ball
Barrel Length: 24 1/2 Inches
Overall Length: 41 Inches
Action type: Lever Loading
Feed System: Single Shot

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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.

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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.