Original U.S. Civil War Rare J.H. Merrill M1862 Breech Loading Infantry Rifle Serial 6522 - One of 770 Supplied to U.S. Govt. U.S. Military Maps Tank and Ordnance Memorial Museum

Tank and Ordnance Memorial Museum

Also included with this lovely gun are 8 magazines in an original transit chest

This story was passed down through the family it was acquired from for well over a century

It is also made almost entirely of brass

as identified by the three letter Cyrillic factory code on the side of the grenade: СРБ (SRB in English)

Original U.S. Civil War Rare J.H. Merrill M1862 Breech Loading Infantry Rifle Serial 6522 - One of 770 Supplied to U.S. Govt. U.S. Military Maps Tank and Ordnance Memorial MuseumOriginal Item: Only One Available. This is a lovely example of a very rare single shot percussion breech loading Civil War rifle, the first example that we have ever had! As they use both a cap and a type of breech loaded cartridge, they are often referred to as "capping breech loaders". The Merrill breech loading design is somewhat unique: a breech loading percussion system with a large breech lever loading rammer. Percussion cartridges were loaded,