Original Item: Only One Available. The Warner Carbine is a fine example of the many styles of innovative, breechloading, metallic cartridge arms that were procured in relatively small numbers by the US Ordnance Department during the American Civil War. The design was the brainchild of James Warner of Springfield, Mass., who had a long history of employment in the firearms industry. He had at one time worked at Eli Whitney’s factory in Whitneyville, Conn., where he was involved with the production of the Walker pattern Colt revolvers that Whitney produced for Colt. He subsequently went to work for the newly formed Springfield Arms Manufacturing Company of Springfield, Mass., where he served as factory superintendent and sale agent for the company and contributed his designs in the form of several percussion revolving rifles. In 1864 Warner received two patents related to his newly designed carbine, which was a single shot, breech loading, metallic cartridge arm with a brass frame and a 20” round iron barrel.

Warner's design was good enough on paper for the Ordnance Dept. to contract for 1,000 of the carbines sight unseen, and after the carbines started to arrive the contract was increased by 500 units. These were all made by Springfield Arms Mfg. Co., where Warner was employed at the time, and with the sample they made a total of 1,501 carbines for the first contract. After this the Ordnance Dept requested changes to the design: a change from .50 Warner chambering to .50 Government Rimfire, changing the saddle ring retainer from an eyelet to the usual bar, and improvements to the extractor in light of poor extraction on the 1st Contract guns. A second contract was issued for the revised design, and eventually 2,500 were produced, though these were made by Green Rifle Works in Worcester Mass.

These were used by several units during the civil war, and were relatively well regarded, staying in service after the war was over. They were however eventually sold off, and of the 4,001 originally produced, 2,492 were sold to the firm Schuyler, Hartley and Graham in 1870. These were then sold to the French for use during the Franco-Prussian war, and were most likely destroyed. This is one reason why they are so scarce on the collectors' market today.

This is a lovely example of a First Contract Warner carbine, and represents only the second example we have ever had. It has a lovely patina of age from use in service. The left side of the "gunmetal" alloy receiver still has the original patent and maker information on the left side:-

Along with the "eyelet" style saddle ring base, this definitively identifies this as a 1st Contract Warner Carbine, as the second contract was made by Green Rifle Works in Worcester, Mass., not in Springfield by Springfield Arms. These are usually marked with the serial number on the brass butt plate, however the butt plate looks to have been replaced, so there is no serial stamping. Removing the fore stock however shows serial number 2940 stamped on the bottom of the barrel in front of the ejector, and on the right front of the receiver. Due to wear we were not able to see any inspector markings on the left side of the barrel or butt stock.

The carbine is in lovely condition, looking to have seen long service and some repairs at arsenal long ago. This mainly involved the butt stock, which has a different style of butt plate on it, so the original may have been damaged or lost. We can also see a plugged hole on the bottom, so the entire butt stock may have been swapped out. The fore stock is original and in lovely condition, and both stocks show the lovely red brown color of aged and oiled walnut.

The gunmetal frame and breech block have a lovely aged "mustard" patina, with wear and staining commensurate with long service. The barrel has lost the original blued finish it was produced with, now showing a polished steel patina, with evidence of past peppering in areas. The trigger, hammer, and breech lock however still show a good amount of the original bluing. The saddle ring and bolster are in good shape, though they show wear and have lost most of the original finish. The rear sight is fully intact and functional, and the original front "half moon" shape sight is intact as well.

Functionally, the breech mechanism works well, allowing the block to be rotated when the latch on the rear left of the receiver is pressed down with the hammer at half cock so it clears the inlet in the block. Once open, the manual ejector on the underside of the fore stock can be used, which looks fully functional, but we have no way to test it. We checked the bore, and the three-groove rifling is still in very good near excellent condition, with a bright finish and crisp lands and grooves. There is some past oxidation and fouling, particularly near the muzzle, but for a Civil War black powder gun, this is definitely a great bore that would be hard to improve upon.

A lovely example of a very scarce 1st Contract Warner Carbine with a fantastic patina of age, one of only 1,501 ever made! Ready to research and display!

Specifications:-

Year of Manufacture: 1864
Caliber: .50 Warner Rimfire
Ammunition Type: Rimfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 20 Inches
Overall Length: 37 1/2 Inches
Action: Lever Action Falling Block
Feed System: Single Shot

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.