This scarce Jenks navy “long carbine” rates about Fine for condition with better than 80 percent of its brown lacquer finish on the barrel and receiver, and strong blues from case coloring on the loading lever and hammer, and thinner but still visible coloring on the lock plate. The brass mounts (three bands, trigger guard, and buttplate) show a nice gold tone under some old varnish. All lettering and numbering is sharp. The wood shows small handling and storage dings, but has nice color, good surface, tight fit to the metal, and has two legible inspection cartouches. Just 1,000 of these “carbines, long” were contracted for by the US Navy in August/September 1841 and delivered in four batches: 200 in December 1843; 100 in May 1844; 500 in July; and the final 200 in December 1844.

The breech is crisply stamped “WM. JENKS” in line with the barrel and “USN / R.P. / P / 1843” crosswise just aft of that, indicating inspection/proof by sub-inspector Richard Paine, who inspected U.S. Navy contract arms. The lock plate is crisply marked: “WM. JENKS” at the rear and “N.P. AMES / SPRINGFIELD / MASS” forward. The loading assembly is numbered 11/27, likely mating numbers for the different parts if not internal factory tracking numbers. The bayonet lug is numbered 96 - a mating number for a bayonet delivered with each gun. The cartouches appear on the left wrist: Sub-Inspector Richard Paine’s “R.P.” in script in an oval, and the final inspection mark, a script “J.L.” in an oval, of US Navy Lieutenant Joseph Lanman (sometimes “Lanaman,”) who served in the Bureau of Ordnance from 1843-1846 and as assistant navy inspector of contract arms inspected Ames products, not only the Jenks carbines and rifles, but the Ames boxlock pistols, 1841 navy cutlasses, and powder flasks, the latter used with the Jenks arms. (His block letter “JL” stamp in metal will be familiar to arms collectors.)

The Jenks breechloading system uses a lever to draw back a sliding breech-bolt to open a loading aperture for a ball and loose powder. It was patented in 1838 by South Carolinian William Jenks, who moved north shortly afterward to be closer to potential manufacturers, linking up with N.P. Ames and getting that sword-making company into the firearms business. An army contract for 100 flintlock carbines was not a rousing success, nor were other army experiments with the system, but the navy was impressed and gave him his first contract in September 1841, for 1,500 percussion “carbines:” 500 with 24-inch barrels, and 1,000 with 36-inch barrels that could take a socket bayonet. No further contracts were forthcoming for the long barrel versions, but four more navy contracts resulted in some 5200 of the short versions being delivered through 1848, including 1,000 made by Remington with Maynard tape primers.

Both the short and long barrel Jenks carbines were sleek and streamlined, with the latch hook of the lever and the thumbpiece of the “mule-ear” side hammer curving over the breech of the gun, the latter ensuring the lever would stay closed. Mounts for a sling were omitted, since the guns would likely be in arms racks or chests, and the only sights were a simple blade sight integral to the top band and the rear sight formed by a long groove on the top of the loading lever. Secondary sources list the guns with both barrel lengths as showing up smoothbore and rifled, and in .52 and .54 caliber, but it has been suggested they were all originally .52 Caliber smoothbores, with the rifling due mainly to A.M. Eastman, who bought some 2,800 from the navy at the beginning of the Civil War and altered them in hopes of resale, and the different caliber designations either due to the rifling or because the gun could chamber a .54 Cal. ball. McAulay says Eastman’s purchases included both barrel lengths and our example is both rifled and has the usual alteration of the loading aperture from round to oval to enable use of a cartridge rather than loose powder and ball.

Tracking the long-barrel Jenks carbines (usually just called “rifles” to distinguish them from the short barrel versions) is difficult because navy records often do not distinguish between the two, but Jenks arms were the dominant navy breechloaders  in the early to mid-1850s and were found on ships such as the San Jacincto, Levant, Water Witch, Jamestown, and John Adams. Even though quantities were sold off at the beginning of the war and general use phased out in favor of the Sharps as a percussion breechloader, they remained in navy stores ashore and afloat through the Civil War. McAulay lists at least ten ships carrying them in arms inventories of 1861 to 1865, not only in the Pacific Squadron, which lagged in refitting, but in the east including the side-wheel steam frigates Mississippi, Susquehanna, Powhatan, and gunboats like the Monticello, which saw action on the James and Rappahannock.

This is a scarce rifle in exceptional condition for a navy weapon and one of the earliest breechloaders adopted by the U.S. government. The bore is clean and bright with good rifling and the mechanics work well. We should note that even Perry requested these “long barrel carbines” for his voyage to Japan, though he did not get them. He plainly regarded them as advanced weapons well worth showing off to the world.  [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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THIS ITEM, AS WITH ALL OTHER ITEMS AVAILABLE ON OUR WEB SITE,

MAY BE PURCHASED THROUGH OUR LAYAWAY PROGRAM.

CLICK HERE FOR OUR POLICIES AND TERMS.

THANK YOU!