United States. A British-Type Green Carbine 1856 Gun Lock by Massachusetts Arms Company

In hardened steel, a swivel breech action with Maynard tape primer system, marked MASS. ARMS. CO CHICOPEE FALLS U.S.A. 1856 VR[Queen’s Crown] and MAYNARD’S PATENT SEP.22. 1845. Measuring 143 mm (w) x 91.6 mm (h), actionable, exhibiting light rust, remains in very fine condition. 

Footnote: The carbine lock was manufactured by the Massachusetts Arms Company and exported to Great Britain after inspection in the United States, where it was accepted and stamped with the Queen’s Crown by British inspectors. These carbines were issued to British cavalry units during the Crimean War but were later re-exported to the United States following the conflict.

Although regarded as finely made and notably accurate, the carbine suffered from the limitations of contemporary paper and linen cartridges, which were prone to swelling in damp conditions. As a result, the arm failed to gain lasting favour with the British government. The design incorporates an unusual “floating thimble” intended to obturate the breech, along with an internal “pricker” to puncture the cartridge. It also employed the Maynard tape priming system—then at the forefront of ignition technology—the mechanism of which remains in excellent working condition.