Presented here is a Model 1843 Hall-North .52 caliber, breechloading percussion carbine, sometimes referred to as a Side Lever Hall. Top of flat receiver is clearly stamped with a five-line address that reads “U. S / S. NORTH / MIDLTN / CONN. / 1851”.  Carbine has a 21” round barrel with two barrel bands that secure it to the walnut stock.

All metal surfaces were originally finished with a brown lacquer, traces of which remain. Receiver is case hardened with some color remaining.  Steel barrel has no signs of pitting and it has a nice, smooth surface.  Top flat of barrel does not have the stamping “STEEL” behind the open rear sight. Bore is bright with good rifling.

Robust stock is of black walnut and shows a few minor dings and dents overall. No cartouches visible. Weapon retains its original button-head ramrod as well as the 8” long sling bar (with ring) mounted to left side.

In 1861 the Union Defense League, a consortium of J.P. Morgan, Simon Stevens, and A.M. Eastman, purchased “obsolete” smoothbore Hall carbines out of U.S. arsenal stocks at $3.50 apiece. The weapons were immediately sold back to the U.S. government, in the form of Major General John Fremont at St. Louis, for $22.00 each. The sale was made under the agreement that the carbines had been rifled and resized to the “government standard” caliber…presumably .58 caliber. However it is evident that only the chambers in the tilting breech were enlarged (to .590”), while the .52 caliber barrels were rifled without any change the bore diameter. This event became known as the “Hall carbine affair”.  This carbine is believed to be one of these weapons as it features a .52” rifled bore and a .59” chamber in the breech piece.

A very fine, collectible Hall breechloading carbine probably used in Fremont’s Department of the West during the Civil War.  [jet]

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