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Massachusetts Arms Co Maynard Carbine
More than 20,000 Maynard Second Model Carbines were produced between 1863 and 1865 to arm Federal cavalry units. Unlike the First Model Maynard, the Second Model was produced exclusively in .50 caliber. In addition, the Maynard tape primer system, patchbox, and tang sight common to the First Model were omitted, and the profile of the buttstock differs between these two variants.
This percussion carbine was patented by Edward Maynard of
Washington, D.C., December 6, 1859, and manufactured by the
Massachusetts Arms Company of Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts.
Introduced into United States service in the late 1850s, it was put
into mass production in 1861 and performed well in the hands of
Federal troops. Its 20-inch barrel measures 36 7/8 inches in
overall length, and has no forestock. The barrel tips for loading
when the trigger guard lever is lowered. Percussion caps were
required to fire a perforated .50 caliber brass cartridge that
required hand extraction. Early versions included the Maynard tape
primer system, but wartime exigencies forced its elimination. Both
barrel and buttplate were blued, and the receiver of this arm was
casehardened. Some were tinned for Navy use.
Dr. Edward Maynard (1813-1891) was both a brilliant dentist and a
gifted inventor. Born in Madison, New York, Maynard entered the
United States Military Academy at West Point, but was later forced
to resign due to poor health. Prior to the Mexican War, Maynard
invented a mechanical priming system for use with percussion arms
which was intended to replace the copper primers that had been used
almost since the invention of this ignition system.
The Maynard Tape Primer consisted of a thin shellacked paper tape
which contained fulminate of mercury "packets" imbedded in its
surface. When the hammer was cocked, a single primer would
automatically advance over the ignition cone, or "nipple," thus
eliminating the need to prime the arm as a separate step in the
loading process. This system was incorporated into the U.S. Model
1855 rifle-musket, rifle, and pistol-carbine, and many older
longarms were modified to employ the Maynard system as well. Tape
primers were later abandoned due to their unsuitability for use in
combat.
Perhaps Maynard's most significant firearms invention was his
tip-up single-shot metallic-cartridge breech loading rifle, which
he patented in 1851. Early models employed the Maynard primer
system, but by 1865, this ignition system was replaced by a
conventional percussion cone. The Maynard First Model Carbine was
adopted by the U.S. Army in 1856, which sparked the formation of
the Maynard Arms Corporation during the following year. The
Massachusetts Arms Company of Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts, later
undertook the manufacture the Maynard rifles and carbines.
Approximately 5,000 First Model Carbines were produced in 1858-59
in .35 and .50 caliber. The larger-bore models saw service with
Union troops in New Mexico, and some state troops and U.S. Marines
were armed with these early in the Civil War. Several Southern
states including Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, and
South Carolina purchased Maynards from factory inventories prior to
the outbreak of war, and contracts were given for production of
additional arms.
All told, these orders accounted for nearly half of the total
production for the First Model Carbine. In addition to prewar
purchases, the Confederacy also acquired Maynards through the
capture of Federal armories located in southern states. The Maynard
Second Model Carbine was produced between 1864 and 1865, with more
than 20,000 produced to arm Federal cavalry units. Unlike the First
Model Maynard, the Second Model was produced exclusively in .50
caliber. In addition, the Maynard tape primer system, patchbox, and
tang sight common to the First Model were omitted, and the profile
of the buttstock differs between these two variants.
The Massachusetts Arms Company continued to produce Maynard rifles
until 1890. These arms set a standard in both target and hunting
activities in the United States. They proved to be extremely
accurate, were well-fitted, and featured lapped barrels and
interchangeable parts made of the best materials. Maynard rifles
were available in a variety of grades ranging from an inexpensive
gallery model to fancy-grade versions featuring adjustable
long-range rear sights, engraving, and checkered pistol-grip stocks
and forends, and in several models which ranged in caliber from .22
to .50. This proved to be a selling point, and customers were
advised that, "You need not have several guns since you can buy
interchangeable barrels for your Maynard action."
In 1873, the addition of a special accessory made it possible to
quickly convert these arms to chamber a thick-based Maynard
center-fire cartridge that could be extracted with the fingers.
This marked an early successful transition between these two
ignition systems. Model 1882 Maynard rifles featured an improved
centrally-mounted hammer with integral firing pin, and chambered a
rimmed-case center-fire Boxer-primed cartridge similar to those
still in use today. The Massachusetts Arms Company failed during
the 1890s, due in part to the firm's inability or unwillingness to
convert to newer mass-production methods, as well as to the rising
popularity of the repeating rifle. The firm's assets were purchased
by the Stevens Arms & Tool Company, also located in Chicopee
Falls.
After leaving West Point, Maynard served a brief apprenticeship in
dentistry, establishing a practice in Washington, D. C. circa 1833.
He proved to be a brilliant dental scientist, and helped bring
dentistry from "the deplorable depths of quackery" to a science
dedicated to the betterment of mankind. In eight short years he
moved to a major position of prominence in the field of dentistry.
By 1841, at age 28, he was one of the first recipients of the
honorary degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery from Baltimore College.
Maynard was also awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Medicine
from Western Medical College. Maynard's contemporaries sometimes
referred to him as the blacksmith dentist because he spent so much
time at the forge making better dental tools, including drills and
other surgical instruments.
A leading teacher, Dr. Maynard developed a number of ways to
improve dental education. He was appointed Chairman of Theory and
Practice at the Baltimore Dental College and held a similar
position at the National University in Washington D.C. In these
positions, Maynard insisted on aptitude testing which included not
only academic aptitude but also the motor skills necessary in the
field of dentistry. As a teaching aid, he produced a set of clear
dentures complete with cavities to demonstrate to students the
internal appearance of dental fillings.
Dr. Maynard was extremely gifted in his ability to calm and gain
the confidence of his patients. Extremely concerned about pain, he
sought and found ways to reduce suffering during dental surgery.
Russia's Tsar Nicholas I was so impressed with Maynard's work on
the royal root canal that he offered him the job of Imperial
Dentist, a position of nobility which carried the rank of major in
the Russian Army, to induce him to stay in St. Petersburg. Maynard
declined but did accept a large ring with 60 diamonds as a token of
the Tsar's appreciation. He also charged the Tsar a very heathy
fee.
He also served as dentist for several presidents, ambassadors and
many congressman and senators. Dr. Maynard died in Washington on
May 4, 1891.