POTD: Sharps & Hankins Army Carbine in 52 Rimfire
Sam.S 03.31.22
Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Continuing with the trend of American Civil War era carbines, we have a photo of an 1862 Sharps & Hankins Army Carbine in 52 Rimfire. Long after Sharps of the Sharps Rifle Company left his job to pursue a more independent firearm business he hired an engineer named Mr. Hankins. With these two patent holders working together they designed a rifle to be submitted to the military. The rifle was fairly well-liked in a country torn by war with designs hard to come by. These were a welcomed and surprisingly well-ordered rifle. From what I have seen they sold around 6,300 to the Navy, 500 to the Army, and 1,500 to the Calvary. An interesting note about the majority of these rifles in existence today is that the barrels (for the Navy pattern) are shrouded by leather. This leather was a treated water repellent jacket shrouding the barrel in hopes that the saltwater of the seas would not rust and corrode. The actions of these guns are pretty neat and something I encourage you to look up. By operating the lever the barrel is moved about two or three inches forward. This allows the user to either eject a spent case or load a new one. Rack the action back rearward, cock the hammer and fire!
“Manufactured in the early to mid-1860s. Consignor note: Identified to the 2nd Volunteer Cavalry.”
Lot 2169: Sharps & Hankins Army Carbine 52 Rf. (n.d.). Rock Island Auction Company. photograph. Retrieved March 30, 2022, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/1027/2169/sharps-hankins-army-carbine-52-rf.
