Anyone use a Smith carbine?

[Andy Griffith]

Gotcha!
Nope, not the EBR one!

The one I'm talking about doesn't jam.

I'm thinking of adding one of the Pietta .52 caliber Smith carbines into my fold of muzzleloaders, but I have a question or two.

I've only handled them in shops, and have never fired one personally, and since I don't know of anyone locally that owns one (I have shot a Burnside though), I want to know how bad the gas leakage is where the receiver and barrel come together.

Or, should I just spend a little extra money and buy a clean, vintage functional Burnside?
Sideburns have class! I mean...Burnsides.

 

[Alk8944]

The Smith uses a cartridge case to seal the breech. The originals were India Rubber, but the modern ones are polyethylene. These are available from Dixie Gun Works and probably others. A new gun will probably come with one, and only one.

There shouldn't be any gas leakage at the joint, just through the nipple as would be expected.

 

[RON in PA]

About 35 years ago I had an original and shot it using a plastic cartridge case, no noticeable gas leaking.

 

[Waldo]

I have an original. It was a gift from a relative. He got it at a gun shop just outside of Washington D.C. in the late 1940s or early 1950s. Place was called Streebe gun works. He said Streebe had a barrel full of assorted Civil War carbines, $5.00 each. I fired it about 40 years ago. We had some plastic cartridge cases from Dixie Gun works. I don't remember any gas leaking. I got some cartridges and bullets for it from Navy Arms several years ago but have not got around to firing it yet. I went to the range one time and there was a guy there who was a Civil War re-enactor. He had 2 original Smith carbines with him. Said they were popular with re-enactors. They both seemed to work fine.