Scarce Civil War Burnside Model 1864 Third Model Carbine

This Burnside Model 1864 Third Model breech loading percussion carbine was one of 1,500 manufactured in 1862 by the Burnside Rifle Company in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1862. They were designed by General Ambrose E. Burnside and improved by George P. Foster. Burnside carbines received strong reviews in antebellum trials and from Civil War battlefields. Burnside himself did not have the best record during the Civil War and is probably most famous for being the origin of "sideburns" which were popularly known as "burnsides" in the era.The rifle features a 54 caliber metallic cartridge. The total length of the carbine is 39.5 inches and weighs around 6 pounds, 12 ounces. The barrel is 21 inches long and has five rifled grooves. The third model differs from the second model in that it has the addition of a wood forearm, and it retains a solid breechblock unlike the fourth and fifth models in which the breechblock is hinged. Partial marking "CAST STEEL 1861" on the top of the barrel, the matching serial number "3491" marked on the receiver, breechblock, and underneath the barrel, "BURNSIDE RIFLE Co./PROVIDENCE=R.I." on the lock plate, and a series of brass pins with “painted” design where the cartouche would have been. There is a scribed line on the left side of the stock appearing as if someone intended to shorten the stock at one point but never did. A crack has formed on the underside of the forearm reaching from the receiver to the retention screw. This example shows standard markings and features. This is the Burnside variation that is absent in most collections.