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Product Details
AN EXTREMELY RARE .53 PERCUSSION GREENE UNDER-HAMMER OVAL-BORED BOLT-ACTION BREECH-LOADING RIFLE, serial no. 436,
manufactured in the United States between 1859-60, with round 36in. barrel, block and blade fore-sight, elevating ladder rear-sight, integral receiver with top aperture at breech for loading via a telescoping bolt and with short straight handle at rear, the top-tang marked 'GREENE'S PATENT NOV 17 1857' and with raised bolt release button (tang bent at tip), walnut full-stock with iron furniture including heel-plate with cavity for oiler (a tool present, possibly associated), exposed ring-hammer forwards of the trigger guard, three iron barrel bands and clearing rod with flared tip
Provenance: This rare rifle was patented by Lt. Col. J.D. Greene of the U.S. Army and is historically important as it was the first bolt action arm adopted by the U.S. Ordnance. The barrel used the 'oval bored' rifling system invented by Charles Lancaster, London. Only 1500 were made for the Ordnance, 900 or so being delivered in March 1863, with the remainder being sold to various militia units by the Boston firm of William Read & Sons, of which this is likely an example as it is not inspector marked.
The rifle was not a great success, mainly down to its highly unconventional method of loading which was as follows: First, the bolt must be opened and was unlocked by a most inconvenient button partially concealed by the back of the bolt itself. Once withdrawn to its full extent, a lead bullet was placed in the breech and the central plunger section of the telescoping bolt pushed forwards, which seated the said bullet in the barrel throat. The plunger was then withdrawn and a further bullet, this time with charge attached in a paper cartridge was placed in the loading aperture backwards and rammed home, the second lead bullet acting as a gas obturator for the first on firing. The nipple under the rifle was capped and the hammer cocked. Repeat shots only required the placement of the backwards charge and re-capping, as the obturating bullet became the new projectile upon firing. Accuracy, as one might imagine, left a little to be desired as nearly every shot involved a deformed bullet! It is known that a further 3000 rifles were contracted to Russia, but no examples from this contract have ever been found and it is not even known whether they were of the same style and markings
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Estimate £1,500-2,500