Historical
Background
The introduction of
the Paget Carbine was in response to the ineffectiveness of the previous
British Cavalry carbine, particularly the ease in losing the ramrod.
Championed by the Cavalry officer Lord Henry Paget, it soon became known as
the "Paget" carbine, although it is likely that Henry Nock had designed it.
The carbine proved quite popular with Light cavalrymen because of the ease
of loading and firing while mounted. While benefits of the speed
of loading, was negated somewhat by the reduced range of the short 16-inch
smoothbore barrel.
Aside from its
swivel ramrod, the curved bar for the sliding ring, made it easier to attach
and unattached from the carbine belt. The unique element of the lock
was the introduction of a safety bolt with a finger tab at the rear of the
slide. With its light weight of a little under 5 1/2 lbs, no wonder
Hussars and Light Dragoons were delighted with it.
While it was
designed somewhere around 1806, the Paget carbine did not see general use in
the British Army until 1808. It was extensive use throughout the
Peninsular War, and the Paget carbine with its namesake fought in the
Waterloo Campaign. After 1815, the carbine continued to be used,
even though rifled carbines had become favoured by British army officials.
As such the carbine saw service in Britain's colonial wars into the 1830s.
Its role in the
North America came by way of the Mexican army. In 1826, over 15
thousand carbines were shipped from Britain to Mexico. As a result the
carbine was used at the Battle of the Alamo and archaeological evidence
shows it also saw service at the Battle of Palo Alto. It did not end
with the liberation of Texas. The Mexican cavalry continued to use it
when the Mexican-American War broke out in 1846.
King's Light Dragoon with Paget Carbine, 1812 by C.
Hamilton Smith
14th Light Dragoon Sergeant armed with a Paget Carbine,
1832 by Jean Dubois Drahonet
Light Dragoons demonstrating skirmishing tactics with the
Paget Carbine, 1822 (D Dighton)
Specifications
This
reproduction is 31 1/2 inches long with a 16- inch, .66 calibre barrel.
Historically a .62 ball was used. The highly-polished steel used in the barrel is made of tempered seamless modern
steel (type:BS970 no.080M40)
with a tight
breech plug.
The lock is made with strong durable springs
and has a
case-hardened frizzen (hammer) that throws good sparks.
We
use a industrial case-hardening factory process that makes sparking both more
reliable and longer lasting.
Presently no other musket provider uses
this technique.
As with all our
other flintlocks, the vent is not drilled (read details below) so we can ship easily to our door
throughout North America and to Europe and the UK.
Aside from that they
are exactly like
the originals.
A fine addition to any collection.
*What our
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Matchlock
Pistol:
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This is shipped from our US warehouse by the post office. Canadian customers are charged in USD and Customs will charge applicable taxes.