Lever-Action Rifles and Carbines are some of the most beautiful firearms. My father is a lifetime member of the NRA and a huge supporter of the 2nd Amendment and always has plenty of gun magazines laying around. On a recent visit home I picked up one of the magazines and in it had a Civil War picture with a Union Soldier holding a Lever-Action rifle. In the past when I thought of the Civil War I always pictured soldiers using single shot muzzle load style rifles and muskets. So how did this Soldier have a Lever-Action rifle during this time period? If Lever-Actions were available at the time why didn’t Soldiers get them standard issue? The first practical Lever-Action rifles became available in 1860. The Civil War began in 1861 and ended in 1865, so the ability for a Soldier to have a much more advanced weapon like a Lever-Action rifle was possible. Two Lever-Action rifles were available, the Henry rifle and the Spencer rifle/carbine. The Henry rifle was made by the New Haven Arms company and the Spencer made by the Spencer Repeating Rifle company. …show more content…
For the Confederate States that’s a simple question to answer. They didn’t have the industrial ability to manufacture a complicated weapon of that time. Also the south didn’t possess the ability to mass produce the modern ammunition like Rimfire rounds. To mass produce weapons and ammunition requires a lot of large machinery and factories which the south lacked. For the United States it’s a little more of a complicated answer. Mostly the Chief of Ordnance at the time didn’t buy into the new technology. Most leaders thought the war would only last six months and didn’t see a need to make the large investment. A Henry rifle would cost $50 dollars, a Spencer $40, with the status quo of a standard muzzle load rifle costing the government only $18 each. Also they feared a logistical nightmare of handling many different forms and styles of