Welcome to in the present day’s Photo of the Day! Here we’ve a quite scarce accomplice carbine. This is John Gray’s Columbus Armory Carbine. These carbines are a single-shot black powder selection and are very plain on the lockwork and technological facet however the story of how they got here to be is a bit odd. There have been two Gray brothers. Both have been entrepreneurs in their very own proper however the youngest brother, John Gray, wished to get into the gun-making enterprise. He figured that with the American Civil War raging on he would have the ability to produce a product and definitely somebody would ask for it. Sure sufficient, the state of Alabama would go on to order some rifles however after solely round 175 Columbus Armory Carbine rifles have been despatched John Gray mysteriously modified his occupation and his merchandise grew to become of the extra typical much less firearm-oriented selection.
“John D. Gray, an English immigrant, ran a construction business working on railroads before settling in Columbus, Georgia, where he operated a furniture factory, mill, lime kiln, and a wheat farm prior to the outbreak of the Civil War. In Spring of 1861, John D. Gray would begin conducting business under the name “Columbus Armory”. By 1862, Columbus Armory had a Confederate contract for 200 rifles and 1,000 carbines whereas additionally manufacturing Bowie knives, sabers, and pikes for the state of Georgia. Reportedly, Columbus Armory delivered 176 rifles and carbines in whole towards the contract to the state of Alabama between 1863-1864. An included copy of a June twentieth, 1864 dated $3,600 bill addressed to John D. Gray from the State of Alabama for 80 “Mississippi Carbines” at $45 every would point out the seemingly whole quantity delivered within the configuration of this instance provided. Features a tulip head iron ramrod, brass blade entrance sight, notch rear sight, three-groove rifling, brass “Mississippi” rifle fashion barrel bands and sideplate, iron set off guard, sling swivels mounted on the entrance the entrance of the set off guard bow and beneath the entrance barrel band, and a plain inventory. “3” marked beneath the barrel on the breech. Information on these Columbus Armory carbines and one different instance pictured (has a Columbus marked lock) will be discovered on pages 119-126 of the guide “Confederate Carbines & Musketoons” by John M. Murphy and Howard Michael Madaus wherein it states on web page 126, “It is now speculated that those carbines having double-strap front barrel bands and unmarked lock plates that were previously attributed to J.P. Murray may in fact be the products of John D. Gray’s enigmatic Columbus Armory.” Of the reported 80 Columbus Armory carbines issued, their recognized survival price is subsequent to extraordinary; making a Columbus Armory carbine one of many rarest Confederate arms in existence.”
https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/85/1061/civil-war-confederate-columbus-armory-percussion-rifled-carbine. (n.d.). Lot 1061: Civil War Confederate Columbus Armory Percussion Rifled Carbine – Extremely Rare and Desirable Civil War Confederate Columbus Armory Percussion Rifled Carbine. Rock Island Auction Company. {photograph}. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
