For Sale: Model 1871 Ward-Burton Carbine

The Model 1871 Ward-Burton bolt action design was one of a handful of arms put through field trials after the Civil War as the US military searched for a modern arm to adopt as standard issue.  The  carbine has a standard lug front sight with a graduated folding leaf rear sight, saddle ring and bar, standard buttplate, single barrel band, and has no swing-swivels or provision for cleaning rod. The stock is standard Springfield walnut and the 22-inch barrel, iron fittings, and bolt were finished in armory bright. The receiver was casehardened.

Markings include ‘WARD.BURTON.PATENT/DEC. 20. 1859-FEB. 21. 1871’ on top of the bolt, American eagle motif with ‘U.S./SPRINGFIELD 1871’ on the left side of the receiver, and ‘US’ on the upper buttplate tang. On the left side of the stock two cartouches are stamped: one, located in the middle of the saddle ring bar area, reads ‘JWK’, for John W. Keene, inside a banner and the other, located on the wrist just below the bolt handle reads ‘ESA’, for Erskine S. Allin, inside an oval. Just behind the trigger guard on the stock, ‘AL’ is marked into the stock just forward of a box cartouche containing letters that we cannot identify.

The Model 1871 Ward-Burton carbine here is in surprisingly good condition considering the demanding nature of the 1870-1873 field trials. Overall, the metal has aged a nice, even brown patina. The receiver retains some bright areas around the stock. All metal markings are legible and only the top bolt marking shows wear. The stock cartouches have lightened with age, some damage exists to the ‘JWK” cartouche, both are legible. The stock bears service handling marks throughout but remains in good condition with no cracks or major issues. The bolt action is smooth and strong, functioning as intended. The bore is beautiful; bright, clean, has well-defined rifling, and a few very small spots of pitting towards the muzzle. This is an incredibly rare carbine, one of only 316, and, for a collector/scholar of early US military bolt action rifles and their development, fills a slot in any collection representing the first bolt action carbine produced by a federal armory and rigorously tested in the field by the US military.

See pictures for overall condition. Antique. Check with a local FFL dealer to confirm your state laws governing ownership of antique firearms before purchasing this item.

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