KITTREDGE MARKED FRANK WESSON DOUBLE-TRIGGER .44 CARBINE #4328

$1,295.00

Quantity Available: 1

Item Code: 1219-36

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The Wesson is a scarce military carbine, made in .44 rimfire and sold mainly through gun dealers Kittredge and Company, of Cincinnati, to Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Kansas and Missouri for issue to their troops, with the US government buying just one from Schuyler, Hartley and Graham, and 150 from Kittredge. Flayderman lists Kittredge sales of Wessons to Kentucky at 1,366 and to Indiana at 760. There were also other private sales, of course, by Kittredge and other dealers. Production is estimated at 4,500 through 1863 and into 1864. This one is serial numbered 4328 on the triggerguard tang.

The carbine is instantly identifiable by its two triggers, with the forward trigger opening the breech for insertion of the cartridge. (A slotted guide on the right side allows the barrel to rise only so far, an idea patented in 1862.) They are made without forestocks and have the sling swivels inlet on the underside of the 24-inch octagonal barrel and on the extension of the triggerguard tang on the underside of the buttstock. Both sling swivels are in place, as are the front and rear sights. In this case, rather than a short, single-leaf sight graduated to 500 yards, the rear sight is longer and has a ladder with bar adjustable for 700 yards with the top marked for 800, likely indicating a private purchase.

The frame and barrel were originally blued. This has good, thin blue on the barrel, shows one or two spots of pinprick pitting and shifting toward plum, but has generally full coverage with rubbing to the edges of the octagon barrel. The two-line barrel address on the top flat just behind the rear sight is: “FRANK WESSON WORCESTOR MASS / PAT’D OCT 25, 1859 & NOV 11 1862.” This is worn on the top line, as is the Kittredge address that follows it: “B. KITTREDGE & CO. /CINCINNATI. O.”

The wood to metal fit is tight. The wood has nice surface and color. The barrel shows some faint, thinning blue, oxidizing toward plum and gray, perhaps rating about 20 percent, with rubs along the raised edges showing lighter. The rear sight shows darker blue. The barrel shows some light pitting at the muzzle. Pitting is more evident on the forward underside of the frame, where it is profuse, but shallow, and on the exterior of the double triggerguard, where it is deep. The rear triggerguard tang with characteristic Wesson hand rail, shows lighter from handling and only minor corrosion. Mechanics function well.

The waterproof and self-contained .44 rimfire cartridge was popular and shared with the Henry rifle. In fact, Kittredge, an agent for Wesson, probably intended his well-known  brass cartridge boxes for his Wesson customers. The only drawback to the carbine was the lack of an ejector, which made it difficult to reload. Use by Confederate troops would have been limited by the availability of the ammunition, but on the frontier and in border areas raiding Union depots was a good supply option, and one of the best images of a trooper with a Wesson carbine is of a Confederate cavalryman, once in Herb Peck’s collection.  [sr][ph:L]

DISCLAIMER: All firearms are sold as collector's items only - we do not accept responsibility as to the shooting safety or reliability of any antique firearm. All firearms are described as accurately as possible, given the restraints of a catalog listing length. We want satisfied customers & often "under" describe the weapons. Any city or state regulations regarding owning antique firearms are the responsibility of the purchaser. All firearms are "mechanically perfect" unless noted, but again, are NOT warranted as safe to fire.

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