This US M-1843 Hall-North breech loading percussion carbine was produced by Simeon North of Middleton, CT from 1844 through 1853, with a total of 10,500 being manufactured. The carbine utilized the same rising block, breech-loading system, that had been incorporated in previous Hall breech loading-weapons. However, the M-1843 used a new side-mounted lever to open and close the breech, instead of the various bottom mounted releases used on all previous Hall models. The guns have a 21” long .52-caliber smooth bore barrel and were finished with the usual lacquer brown finish on the barrel and furniture and case hardened breech block and hammer found on the preceding Hall models.

The “Freemont Affair” Hall-North M-1843 rifled carbine offered here is in very nice condition overall. The metal of the gun is mostly smooth, and the carbine has a pretty age brown patina on the barrel and the iron furniture including the sling bar and ring. The balance of the metal has a mottled brown and gray patina. The exterior of the breechblock has a smoky gray and brown patina. The interior of the block is mostly bright. The breech markings are in about excellent condition, which is uncommon, as they are often worn due to erosion from the gas leaks that plagued the Hall design. The breech clearly reads U.S. / S. NORTH / MIDLtn / CONN / 1849 in five lines. The right side of the breech is also marked with the inspectors’ initials JCB, the mark of Ordnance Sub-Inspector Joseph C Bragg. The breech system is mechanically excellent and opens and closes as it should, locking into place securely. The action of the carbine also functions correctly, with the hammer crisply locking into both the half cock and full-cock positions, and responding to the trigger as it should. The original block rear sight is in place on top of the receiver, forward of the breechblock and the original front sight is in place at the end of the barrel as well.

The barrel is rifled with the 6 narrow grooves and measures about .530 caliber, with the breechblock having been enlarged to .588. The bore is in about fine condition and retains excellent rifling. The original button-head cleaning rod is in place in the ramrod channel.

This particular gun was captured or collected on the battlefield and sent through the Confederate Ordnance cleaning and repair system for reissue to Confederate troops. These arms were first documented by Steve Knott in his ground-breaking book, “’Captured and Collected’- Confederate Reissued Firearms.” As many as 200,000 captured or salvaged weapons and another 50,000 turned in by CS army units went through several CS Ordnance facilities and before reissue were marked with an inspector’s letter code, usually on the belly of the stock forward of the trigger guard tang or on carbines behind the trigger guard where this example has the "X". All sorts of rifles, muskets, and carbines came through the system. The catalog of inspector marks is still growing.  [PE] [PH:L]

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