Triplett & Scott Carbine
Meriden Manufacturing Company · Carbine · Discontinued · 1864
Also known as: Triplett & Scott Repeating Carbine, M1864 Triplett & Scott, Kentucky Contract Carbine
Overview
The Triplett & Scott Carbine is an American lever-action repeating carbine of the Civil War era, chambered for the .56-50 Spencer rimfire cartridge. Designed by Louis Triplett of Adair County, Kentucky and manufactured under contract by the Meriden Manufacturing Company of Connecticut, it used a distinctive rotating-receiver action in which the barrel and forward receiver pivoted on a hinge to extract spent cases. It fed from a seven-round tubular magazine housed inside the buttstock, an unusual layout intended to protect Kentucky's railroad supply lines.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3800 g (134.0 oz) |
| Overall Length | 965 mm (37.99") |
| Barrel Length | 559 mm (22.01") |
| Action Type | Lever Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 7 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Tubular |
| 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 | 5 |
| 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, .50 caliber
Features
- Firing modes: Repeating
- Feed systems: Tubular Magazine
- Features: Rotating Breech, Buttstock Tubular Magazine, Folding Leaf Rear Sight
Variants
- Triplett & Scott Rifle — Long Barrel
Service history
Operators
- Kentucky State Home Guard · adopted 1865
Conflicts
- American Civil War (1861-1865)
Production
Estimated total produced: 5,000 · Production years: 1864-1865
Contract of January 2, 1865 ordered 3,000 rifles and 2,000 carbines from Meriden Manufacturing; all delivered by spring 1865, after the war had effectively ended, so they saw little or no combat use.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Louis Triplett
Discontinued: 1865
Notes
Made in two lengths: a 38-inch carbine with a 22-inch barrel and a rifle just over 46 inches long with a 30-inch barrel. Receivers are marked 'KENTUCKY' on one side and 'MERIDEN MANUFG CO. MERIDEN, CONN.' on the other, with the breech tang marked 'TRIPLETT & SCOTT PATENT DEC. 6, 1864'.
Background
Patented just two days before the Confederacy's collapse, the Triplett & Scott was ordered to arm Kentucky home guards protecting General Sherman's rail supply lines to Nashville. Its guns arrived too late for the war and were soon sold off as surplus, many later finding use on the Western frontier.