Videos tagged with Union Cavalry

This video segment from "American Rifleman Television" focuses on the Gallager carbine, a lesser-known but historically significant firearm used by Union cavalry during the American Civil War. It details the carbine's design as a .52-caliber single-shot breechloader, its innovative but flawed extraction mechanism, and its evolution with the addition of an extractor and ability to fire metallic cartridges. The video also mentions its use by the French Empire during the Franco-Prussian War, highlighting its intermediate position between muzzleloaders and fully self-contained metallic cartridge arms.

The Warner Carbine, a Civil War breech-loader, featured a pivoting breechblock mechanism. Early Warner-Greene models in .50 Warner rimfire were followed by a second pattern in .56 Spencer, some of which were later sold as surplus to France and potentially converted to centerfire. Despite its innovative design, troops disliked it due to ammunition issues and extraction failures.