My New Smith Carbine

[Smokey Plainsman]

Today I got in my Smith carbine:

What a hoot! This is a skirmisher’s old gun I got for a song. Loaded up some cartridges for it today:

Real easy to make loads for. Going to shoot it tomorrow morning. Stay tuned gang!

-Smokey

 

[Whughett]

Is that the Pietta reproduction gun.?
I’ve been looking for one and have an order in with EMF for a new one. Lord knows when they will be back in stock.
Had a chance to buy a used one thru a forum but couldn’t come to an agreement on method of payment with the seller.
I’d be interested in your range report and the load your shooting.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

Is that the Pietta reproduction gun.?
I’ve been looking for one and have an order in with EMF for a new one. Lord knows when they will be back in stock.
Had a chance to buy a used one thru a forum but couldn’t come to an agreement on method of payment with the seller.
I’d be interested in your range report and the load your shooting.

Yep it’s a Pietta. They are very hard to find right now and luckily I scored and excellent deal on this one.

 

[Whughett]

They are 50 cal I understand, what size is that bullet you show, hand cast or commercial. ? Musket caps or percussion size. I’ve a good supply of musket cap thanks to Gkarp429.
I’ve a Burnside breech loader 54 cal that I shoot round ball in. It takes the musket caps.

 

[Nobade]

A Smith for a song...that's what I have been looking for a long time now. Congratulations!

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

Here’s a photo I snapped with my revolver and gear:

 

[Smokybob]

Here’s a photo I snapped with my revolver and gear:

View attachment 131737

That is a nice setup!

 

[Jaegermeister]

Very nice equipment! Civil War is my favorite era for firearms.

 

[hanshi]

That's a very fine looking carbine! You are in for a whole bunch of fun!

 

[Codger Craig Wilcox]

Smokey, you've got to get a horse and cavalry saddle now...

 

[Boston Bill]

Love the leather

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

Shot great! Fired 20 rounds. 35 grains of O.E. 3Fg topped with an Era’s Gone lubed with beeswax and lambs tallow.

Sights need adjustment but excellent trigger and 0 misfires. I like it!

 

[toot]

Today I got in my Smith carbine:

View attachment 131604

What a hoot! This is a skirmisher’s old gun I got for a song. Loaded up some cartridges for it today:

View attachment 131608
View attachment 131609
View attachment 131610

Real easy to make loads for. Going to shoot it tomorrow morning. Stay tuned gang!

-Smokey

do you leave the SCOTCH TAPE ON them or take it off be 4 shooting them?

 

[toot]

They are 50 cal I understand, what size is that bullet you show, hand cast or commercial. ? Musket caps or percussion size. I’ve a good supply of musket cap thanks to Gkarp429.
I’ve a Burnside breech loader 54 cal that I shoot round ball in. It takes the musket caps.

I also shoot RB'S, in mine also with out no problem. I lube then be 4 shooting them with LEE ALOX,

 

[toot]

Here’s a photo I snapped with my revolver and gear:

View attachment 131737

who did the great tooling on the leather?

 

[TreeMan]

Good looking carbine! I’m gonna get me one of those one day. Have fun!

 

[Whughett]

I also shoot RB'S, in mine also with out no problem. I lube then be 4 shooting them with LEE ALOX,

A Burnside or a Smith??

 

[Whughett]

Shot great! Fired 20 rounds. 35 grains of O.E. 3Fg topped with an Era’s Gone lubed with beeswax and lambs tallow.

Sights need adjustment but excellent trigger and 0 misfires. I like it!

Do you plan on using the brass cases that EMF and others sell.? My order on hold at EMF for their carbine includes their brass cases. I’ve read that the plastic cases won’t last as long.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

do you leave the SCOTCH TAPE ON them or take it off be 4 shooting them?

After making the cartridges I read on another forum some guys use a small square of cloth medical “micropore” tape to to cover the flash hole on the cartridge. I picked some up at Walmart (generic Equate brand called “paper tape” in the bandaid aisle) and removed the scotch tape and placed a little square of the micropore tape over each hole.

Works great! The musket cap easily punched through and I had no hangfire at all, instant ignition.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

who did the great tooling on the leather?

Thanks! I had this rig custom made by Dove & Dandy’s leather a few years ago for my Remington New Model Army. The little cartridge box actually holds 20 Smith cartridges perfectly and the cap box is ideal for musket caps.

Smith carbines were a popular surplus weapon after the Civil War and were carried out West. This rig to me seems like something that could have been made up by a saddler for someone using a surplus Smith carbine and Remington revolver out on the frontier, maybe to replace a worn-out cavalryman’s rig.