Hall-North Model 1843 Carbine
Simeon North · Carbine · Out Of Production · 1843
Also known as: M1843 Hall Carbine, Hall-North Carbine, Side-Lever Hall Carbine, U.S. Model 1843 Carbine
Overview
The Hall-North Model 1843 is a single-shot, breech-loading percussion carbine and the final production iteration of John Hall's breech-loading system. Manufactured by Simeon North, it replaced the bottom-mounted breech releases of earlier Hall carbines with a simple camming lug worked by a lever on the right side of the action, tilting the breech block up for loading. Chambered for a roughly .52-to-.54 caliber ball in a smoothbore barrel, it was issued to the U.S. Dragoons and saw service in the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3742 g (132.0 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1016 mm (40.00") |
| Barrel Length | 533 mm (20.98") |
| Action Type | Break Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Percussion |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 1 rounds |
| Barrel Rifling | Smoothbore |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Browned |
Calibers
- .52 Ball · primary — also known as .525 caliber, .52 caliber round ball, .54 caliber
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Single Shot Breech
- Features: Tilting Breech Block, Breech Loading, Side Lever Breech Release, Percussion Ignition, Interchangeable Parts
Service history
Operators
- United States Army · adopted 1843 · as Model 1843 Carbine
- 1st and 2nd U.S. Dragoons · adopted 1844
Conflicts
- Mexican-American War (1846-1848)
- American Civil War (1861-1865)
Production
Estimated total produced: 10,500 · Production years: 1844-1853
Manufactured under contract by Simeon North; figure covers the Model 1843 side-lever carbine pattern
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: John Hancock Hall
Discontinued: 1853
Notes
Sources list the bore variously as .52 or .54 caliber smoothbore; some surviving examples were later rebored and rifled to .58 caliber during the Civil War. North produced approximately 10,500 between 1844 and 1853. Weight (~8 lb 4 oz), 21-inch barrel and 40-inch overall length converted to metric.
Background
The side-lever Model 1843 was the most refined and final form of the Hall breech-loading carbine. Its breech could be opened with a flick of a side lever, giving mounted Dragoons a faster reload from horseback than any muzzle-loader of the era could offer.