Morse Carbine
South Carolina State Military Works · Carbine · Out Of Production · 1856
Also known as: Confederate Morse Carbine, Morse Breechloading Carbine
Overview
The Morse Carbine was a single-shot, breech-loading cavalry carbine and one of the earliest firearms to fire a self-contained metallic centerfire cartridge. Designed by George W. Morse of Baton Rouge, who patented his breech and cartridge system in 1856 and 1858, it used a brass cartridge primed by an internal percussion cap and sealed with a gutta-percha washer, a true forerunner of the modern centerfire round. Its distinctive brass frame housed a lifting breechblock that tilted up to expose the chamber for loading. After early federal trials at Harpers Ferry, roughly 1,000 brass-framed .50 caliber carbines were produced at the South Carolina State Military Works in Greenville during the Civil War.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3629 g (128.0 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1016 mm (40.00") |
| Barrel Length | 508 mm (20.00") |
| Action Type | Break Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 1 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Internal |
| Muzzle Velocity | 290 m/s (951 fps) |
| Effective Range | 180 m (197 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 550 m (601 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 8 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Brass |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .50 Morse Centerfire · primary — also known as .50 Morse, .50 Caliber Morse
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Single Shot Breech Loading
- Safety mechanisms: Half Cock Hammer
- Features: Lifting Breechblock, Brass Centerfire Cartridge, Percussion Cap Primer, Gutta Percha Gas Seal, Brass Frame
Service history
Operators
- South Carolina Militia · adopted 1862
- Confederate States Army · adopted 1862
Conflicts
- American Civil War (1861-1865)
Production
Estimated total produced: 1,000 · Production years: 1862-1865
Slightly more than 1,000 brass-framed carbines made at the South Carolina State Military Works in Greenville; an earlier federal program at Harpers Ferry completed fewer than 60 conversions before funding ran out
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: George W. Morse
Discontinued: 1865
Notes
Manufactured largely on machinery captured by the Confederacy from the Harpers Ferry Armory. The .50 caliber centerfire cartridge was decades ahead of its time, but the Confederate South lacked the industrial base to mass-produce the brass ammunition it required. Issued carbines came with a special belt holding 24 cartridges in individual tin tubes.
Background
George Morse's brass centerfire cartridge anticipated the metallic ammunition that would dominate the next century, yet the very industrial weakness of the Confederacy that gave him a factory also doomed his invention to obscurity, unable to feed the modern rounds it was built to fire.