Gallager Cartridge Carbine
Richardson & Overman · Carbine · Discontinued · 1865
Also known as: Gallager New Model Carbine, Gallager Second Model, Gallager Rimfire Carbine, Model 1865 Gallager
Overview
The Gallager Cartridge Carbine is a single-shot, breech-loading cavalry carbine, the late-war metallic-cartridge conversion of the percussion Gallager carbine. In March 1865 the U.S. Ordnance Department contracted Richardson & Overman to rework the design for the .56-50 Spencer rimfire cartridge, rechambering the barrels and replacing the percussion nipple with a fixed firing pin and a spring-loaded extractor for reliable case ejection. Operated by dropping the trigger-guard lever to slide the barrel forward and tilt it for loading, the conversion cured the fired-case sticking that plagued the original percussion model. All 5,000 contract guns were delivered between May and June 1865, too late to see Civil War service.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3402 g (120.0 oz) |
| Overall Length | 991 mm (39.02") |
| Barrel Length | 559 mm (22.01") |
| Action Type | Break Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 1 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Single Shot |
| Muzzle Velocity | 366 m/s (1201 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 1519 J (1120 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 180 m (197 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 3 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Walnut |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .56-50 Spencer · primary — also known as .56-50, .56-50 Spencer Rimfire, .56-52 Spencer
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Single Shot
- Safety mechanisms: Half Cock Notch
- Features: Hinged Tilting Barrel, Fixed Firing Pin, Spring Loaded Extractor, Saddle Ring
Base model
Service history
Operators
- United States Army · adopted 1865
Production
Estimated total produced: 5,000 · Production years: 1865-1868
5,000 cartridge-conversion carbines delivered under the March 1865 Ordnance contract; first 1,000 delivered May 4, 1865 and all 5,000 by June 3, 1865. None saw Civil War service; a small number of modified guns were later sold on the civilian market.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Mahlon J. Gallager
Discontinued: 1868
Notes
Sources vary on the exact chambering of the 1865 conversion, describing it as a .50/.52 rimfire fed by the Spencer rimfire cartridge (.56-50 / .56-52 Spencer). Overall Gallager production reached about 22,728 carbines, of which 5,000 were the cartridge-conversion guns.
Background
The percussion Gallager was widely disliked by cavalrymen for its tendency to jam when fired cases swelled and stuck in the chamber. The 1865 metallic-cartridge conversion finally solved that flaw, but it arrived just as the Civil War ended and demobilization flooded the market with surplus arms, ending the design's brief second life.