Gallager Carbine
Richardson & Overman · Carbine · Out Of Production · 1860
Also known as: Gallagher Carbine
Overview
The Gallager Carbine was a single-shot, breech-loading percussion cavalry carbine patented by Mahlon J. Gallager and manufactured by Richardson & Overman of Philadelphia. Pulling down the combined lever and trigger-guard slid the barrel forward and tilted it to expose the chamber for a .50 caliber cartridge. Around 25,000 were built during the Civil War, but the design's lack of any cartridge extractor, which forced troopers to dig spent cases out by hand, made it one of the less popular cavalry carbines of the war.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3400 g (119.9 oz) |
| Overall Length | 991 mm (39.02") |
| Barrel Length | 565 mm (22.24") |
| Action Type | Break Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 1 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Internal |
| Effective Range | 180 m (197 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 550 m (601 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 8 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Case Hardened |
Calibers
- .50 Gallager · primary — also known as .50 Gallager Carbine
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Single Shot Breech Loading
- Safety mechanisms: Half Cock Hammer
- Features: Sliding Tilting Barrel, Lever Trigger Guard Operation, Iron Patchbox, Saddle Ring, No Cartridge Extractor
Variants
- Gallager Carbine (.56-52 Spencer) — Rimfire Conversion
Service history
Operators
- United States Army · adopted 1861
Conflicts
- American Civil War (1861-1865)
Production
Estimated total produced: 25,000 · Production years: 1860-1865
Over 25,000 produced by Richardson & Overman, including about 5,000 chambered for the .56-52 Spencer rimfire cartridge
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Mahlon J. Gallager
Discontinued: 1865
Notes
Roughly 5,000 examples were chambered for the .56-52 Spencer metallic rimfire cartridge late in production. Iron mountings, blued barrel, case-hardened frame, and a long iron patchbox were typical.
Background
The Gallager had no extractor, so after every shot a cavalryman had to pry the swollen, fouled cartridge case out of the breech by hand, often with a knife, a fatal flaw when a Confederate charge gave him only seconds to reload.