Pietta Smith carbine reproduction (Henry Kranks) Derek Landers
- Last updated: 16/12/2016
I feel it is safe to say that the vast majority of today’s reproduction firearms are copies, accurate to a greater or lesser degree, of guns made in the United Stated during the 19th century. Collecting originals of these old pieces can be a rewarding and lucrative hobby for those who have the inclination and the money to invest in quality examples, but for the majority of folks the chance, or the desire, to own a piece of history depends not only on your financial situation but on the depth of your interest in history itself.
Fortunately, for those who have the interest but perhaps not the financial wherewithal, the European manufacturers of reproduction firearms provide the opportunity to own examples of a very large selection of the more popular handguns and rifles at a fraction of the cost of some originals, albeit with the need for a firearm or shotgun certificate. Many of the more common examples of percussion revolvers and breech loading rifles can regularly be seen on most shooting ranges, but every now and again someone turns up with a gun that is just a little bit different.
The piece we have here most definitely fits into this latter category, and many long standing shooters will utter “What is it?” when they see it for the first time. Those more versed in mid-19th century American history will recognise it as the fourth most popular carbine used by troops during the American Civil War. Pietta’s recreation of this unusual long gun is a very faithful rendition and more than a little fun to shoot.
The variety of carbines produced by both sides during the conflict showed some ingenious, and some not so ingenious, methods of loading, and for the most part they were capping breech loaders using a percussion cap for ignition. A couple of noteworthy exceptions were the Spencer and Remington offerings, both using self-contained rimfire metallic cartridges. These latter models obviously had an advantage over guns that had to be capped each time and the Spencer was by far the most prolific carbine purchased by the Union forces with over 95,000 being delivered. Many of the lesser known manufacturers’ products saw very little acceptance by the Ordnance Department, and after the Civil War they faded into obscurity. The Smith carbine proved to be one of the more enduring models produced. Possibly because of its simplicity of operation and solid construction, it was well accepted by both the top brass in the Army and the troopers who used the weapon, with over 31,000 units being purchased by the US government at an average price of a little under $25.00 per unit. It was said to be particularly easy to reload on horseback.
Three patents for the Smith carbine were granted in 1855, 1856 and 1857 to its inventor, Gilbert Smith. Smith’s grounding in firearms design is unclear as he was a physician from New York, although we should remember that the Gatling gun was also invented by a medical professional.
The firm of Poultney & Trimble from Baltimore was appointed as agents for the sale of the Smith and once the first Army contract was awarded in August 1861 the production was initially assigned to American Machine Works of Springfield, Massachusetts and then to the Massachusetts Arms Company of Chicopee Falls. In 1863 this latter company obtained a large order to manufacture Maynard carbines and arranged for the American Machine Works to make the breech blocks for the Smith models. This arrangement did not suit Thomas Poultney, so he in turn negotiated with a third outfit, the American Arms Company of Chicopee Falls, to take over complete manufacture of the carbines. It is likely that the September, 1863 contract for 20,000 carbines was manufactured by the latter Company.
The Smith carbine was a .50 calibre weapon weighing seven and a half pounds and with an overall length of 39½-inches. The stock and forearm were of black walnut with the latter being fastened to the barrel by a screw and single barrel band. The 21½- inch barrel was octagonal to the rear of the barrel band and round from that point forward. Some early examples had sling swivels, mounted under the stock and on the barrel band, but the majority were fitted with a bar and saddle ring on the left side of the frame. These models are generally termed as Cavalry carbines while those with the swivels are known as Artillery models.
Two types of cartridge were offered with the Smith carbines, the first being a foil and paper variant patented by Thomas Poultney. This carried a 0.525- inch bullet weighing 376 grains backed by a powder charge of 40 grains. The second was a rubber or gutta percha case with a 0.50- inch, 350-grain bullet and the same powder charge. Between the two variants the government purchased almost 14 million cartridges for the Smith carbines at a total cost of over $377.000, almost half the cost of the guns themselves.
The version chosen for this review is the Cavalry model with a bar and saddle ring.
This is not the first time that I have had the opportunity to sample this gun, so I knew from the start that I was going to enjoy it. The fit and finish on this particular piece is topnotch, with good clean edges to all parts and a super wood to- metal fit, with the walnut stock and forearm having an oiled-look finish. The breech block and hammer are casehardened while the rest of the metal work, apart from the brass plunger which opens the gun, is a nice shiny black. The colours are a mix of blues and tans and the frame also has true copies of the original markings, along with the obligatory Italian proof marks. Original models had the butt plate and barrel band with case colours, but this is the only sacrifice to authenticity that I can see. Front sight is a white metal blade in a base which is dovetailed into the barrel. The rear is a flip-up ladder arrangement which is not marked with any distance scale, and I found that it worked well at 50 yards when left in the ‘down’ position. The front face of the hammer lug is checkered, although not too sharp, and it pulls back well beyond the full cock position before settling back into the notch.
As can be seen from the photographs, the Smith breaks like a shotgun, giving easy access to the breech for loading. Screwed to the top of the barrel at the breech end is a spring steel bar with a rectangular cut-out which, when the gun is closed, locates over two studs, one on the barrel and one on the frame, to lock everything up tight. The gun is opened by pressing upwards on the brass plunger located inside the trigger guard, the leg of which comes up through the frame and lifts the sprung bar off the notch on the frame, allowing the barrel to drop.
This sprung bar is quite strong and if you suffer from arthritis in your hands it becomes a bit of a chore to open up. I did think of trying to loosen the screw on the barrel to see if that would ease it, but it resisted initial attempts so I left it. Having had the chance to examine an original carbine some years ago I can say that the spring on that specimen was much lighter.
Perhaps it was the many hundreds or thousands of rounds that had been fired through the gun or maybe the springs back then were a little weaker, as one complaint at the time was that these springs were prone to breakage.
I suppose it would be possible to make paper cartridges for this model and there are doubtless those who would enjoy doing so, but Pietta supply brass cases specifically for this carbine so I made use of these. They are very substantial, weighing around one ounce, and will last a lifetime, albeit at a cost of £5.45 each! It is simply a matter of pouring the powder into the case – I used 40 grains of Henry Krank fine black powder – tapping the ball into place and dropping the loaded cartridge into the breech.
The base of the case has a hole through which the flame from the percussion cap ignites the main charge. Having experienced a minor problem with misfires the first time I used one of these, I was prepared this time and used a nipple primer to drop a very small amount of powder into the nipple before placing the cap in position – instant ignition first time, every time. Trigger pull is fairly heavy with a bit of creep. Recoil with the chosen load is negligible and at 50 yards a three-inch group was easily attainable. After a dozen or so shots the brass case became a little stubborn on removal and had to be nudged with a rod down the barrel. Cleaning the breech area got you another 12 before the procedure had to be repeated. This was no big deal as access is very easy with the gun broken open.
The Pietta Smith carbine is a well-made, solid performing firearm that should give many years of service and although those brass cartridges sound expensive, four or five would last a lifetime and loading on the range is quick and simple. I’m not sure whether Pietta still make the Artillery model with sling swivels but for those who do not have a firearms certificate there is a 20g shotgun version available with 24-inch barrel and corresponding nickel plated cases. Both guns and cases are the same price.