1863 Richmond Carbine

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The newest weapon in the ever growing Civil War Arsenal is an 1863 Richmond Carbine that is in excellent condition with all of its accoutrements still in tact. This is not the only Richmond Carbine I own nor is it the only 63 Carbine in my Arsenal, however it is my first complete Richmond Carbine with everything in place…I.E. pinched sight, ram rod, rear sight, swivel slings,etc…..another neat feature of this Southern weapon is that it’s 100% Southern made.

Most Richmond Armory made weapons were assembled with at least some parts from battlefield pickups and or parts that were confiscated during the 1861 raid of the Harper’s Ferry Armory.

As we inspect the cavity under the lock plate we can clearly see that there is no primer cut finger feeds that would be in place if the stock was manufactured at the Harper’s Ferry Armory. The C.S. Armory, Richmond would eliminate unnecessary machining operations from the stock leaving lock plates cavity central element in the shape of a “mules foot”.

The date on the Richmond lock plate has a “die break in the lower left portion of the 8” which is thought to be a stress flaw in the stamping process during the month of October 1863. During that month the Richmond Armory assembled 300 Carbines.

I love the look of the dark “blackened” wood and hardware especially with the brass butt plate and nose cap. Unlike most Confederate weapons you’ll see these days with missing and damaged parts, probably because most of the better quality weapons are in museums and private collections, this carbine is complete in every way.

This makes 7 Richmond Carbines I currently own. I can’t say any one is my favorite, since there all my favorites for different reasons. But I do tend to favor the newest members of my collection until I purchase the next one, lol….

Hope you enjoy the photos and if you have any questions about this Richmond or any of the other weapons in the Civil War Arsenal please contact me at civilwararsenal@yahoo.com attn: Gene West

5 thoughts on “1863 Richmond Carbine”

  1. Eugene –

    Saw your website while doing research on this gun.

    This is one of my guns that came with a group that I purchased some years ago. Only recently did I notice the 1863 date and CS Richmond VA on it (that look pretty authentic from my view). It looks like a Richmond Armory carbine (short barrel) but the stock looks like it was shortened even further. And who knows what else was modified – it might have been altered after the war.

    Anyway, I would like to determine if it really is a Confederate piece. Let me know what you think.

    I can always send more pictures but wanted to keep the file size down.

    Thanks,
    Jim

    Reply ↓

    • James, the Lock Plate is Authentic, as far as the rest of the weapon is concerned I would have to see more images.
      1. Can you tell me if the butt plate is brass I’d steel and if it is steel is it stamped U.S. on the tang?
      2. Is there a hole on the bottom of the stock behind the Trigger Guard?
      3. How long is the barrel….from the Breech plug to the muzzle?
      Please provide photos of the area on the top of the barrel where the rear sight would mount…..if you would remove the Lock Plate and provide an image of the cavity…..

      My first impression is that your Richmond may originally be a long Rifle Musket that was cut down after the war and used as a shoot gun to hunt with…..or a utilitarian tool…….it’s typical of many Richmonds I’ve seen….

      Regards, Gene West

      Reply ↓

    • James, sorry I didn’t get back to you earlier but I’m on the road in Virginia doing CW Battlefield things……I’ve looked at your photos and it’s my opinion that your weapon is a cut down Richmond….post war…….not a tremendous amount of value, however it does tell a story…..

      Regards, Gene

      Reply ↓

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