Massachusetts Arms Maynard Second Model Carbine

The Maynard 2nd Model Carbine a.k.a. Model 1863 was a breechloading single-shot cavalry carbine used during the Civil War. It was designed by Dr.Edward Maynard who was born on April 26, 1813 in Madison New Jersey. Edward Maynard always wanted to be a soldier. He even entered West Point but he was forced to resign the next year because of poor health. He become a dentist in 1835, but he never lost his interest in firearms. He wanted to design a gun that would reload faster than flintlock muzzleloading muskets of that time, so in 1845 he patented the Maynard tape primer system. Similar to a roll of caps used in toy guns, the Maynard tape primer mechanism used a priming strip with 36 spots of mercury fulminate placed equidistant between two long narrow strips of waterproof paper, rolled in the primer mechanism of the rifle, allowing the shooter to fire up to 36 rounds. In 1851 he patented a simple lever-operated breechloading rifle, which used a metallic cartridge of his own invention. This rifle was a success and in 1857 Maynard and his investors founded the Maynard Arms Company. They contracted the Massachusetts Arms Company of Chicopee, Mass to manufacture the new gun (Maynard 1st Model Carbine) for civilian and military use in calibers .35 and .50. The Maynard 1st Model Carbine used the Maynard tape primer system, and only 5,000 of them were made from 1858 to 1859. Both Union and Confederate forces used the 1st Model in the Civil War. In 1863 Massachusetts Arms Company started to manufactured Maynard Second Model Carbine. That carbine used the expanding cartridge case as an effective gas seal. That cartridge was also invented by Dr. Maynard and it had a small central flash hole which permitted the initial flash, produced by a percussion cap, to ignite the powder. Each cartridge was reloadable and had 40 grains of powder and 343 grains bullet. The average rate of fire was from 10 to 12 shots per minute and effective reach was up to 1600 yards. With a weight of only 6 lbs., the Maynard carbine would have very strong recoil when fired. In 1863, the Massachusetts Arms Company got a contract from the U.S. War Department for 20,000 Maynard carbines at $24.20 each, and for 2,157,000 Maynard cartridges. The first carbines were manufactured and delivered in 1864 and the last ones in May 1865. They were not widely used by the Union Forces but they were one of the best performing, very serviceable, dependable and most accurate guns of all the cavalry arms used during the Civil War. The stampings on the frame are: “MANUFACTURED BY / MASS. ARMS CO. / CHICOPEE FALLS” in three lines on the obverse side while the reverse side is marked “EDWARD MAYNARD / PATENTEE / MAY 27, 1851 / DEC. 6, 1859” in four lines.