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Rare M-1845 Piedmont-Sardinian Pioneer's Carbine

Rare M-1845 Piedmont-Sardinian Pioneer's Carbine

  • Product Code: FLA-1868-SOLD
  • Availability: Out Of Stock
  • $1.00


This is a very nice, complete example of the very scarce M-1845 Pioneer’s Musketoon as used by the Italian Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia. Prior to Italian unification in 1861, what is modern day Italy was comprised of a number of smaller kingdoms, dukedoms and states, much like the German states of that era. The island of Sardinia was one of the larger and more powerful Italian states, and by 1815 had absorbed the Kingdoms of Piedmont and Nice (which it relinquished in 1860 to France), the Duchy of Savoy, the Duchy of Monferrato, portions of the Duchy of Milan, as well as several other Italian territories. In 1861, the Kingdom of Sardinia became the founding and controlling power of the new Kingdom of Italy. During the early 1840’s the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia adopted its first percussion ignition military long arm, the M-1844 Piedmontese Musket. The musket was based on the French M-1822 flintlock musket, but was a percussion arm. They were produced by contractors in Li’ge, Belgium, as well as at the state arsenal in the capital of Torino. The muskets had two very recognizable features. The first was a rear sight that was screwed onto the tang of the breech plug. The other was a bulbous projection on the spur of the hammer. In 1860, the arms were modified by rifling them with 4 grooves, resulting in the M-1844/60 Piedmontese rifled muskets. These arms were imported into the US during the American Civil War, and all extant examples appear to be of Belgian manufacture. In 1845 the Sardinian military adopted both a cavalry carbine and a pioneers (engineers) musketoon, based upon the M-1844 musket. Belgian gun makers, both in Li’ge, and apparently in Torino, produced these arms as well. The December of 1845 Sardinian military regulations noted that the new pioneer’s carbine to be similar to the cavalry carbine, and brass mounted. The M-1845 Pioneer’s Carbine was a shortened and lightened version of the M-1844 musket, which (as noted above) was mounted with mostly brass furniture and also had a large bayonet bar mounted on the muzzle via two iron rings. The bayonet bar accepted a heavy brass hilted bayonet that was similar in appearance to the British Brunswick pattern bayonet. The musketoon was about 43” in overall length with a 71 cm (27.95”) smooth bore barrel of approximately .69 caliber. The barrel was secured to the stock via a breech tang screw, a single brass barrel band in the middle of the stock, and a screw that passed through a lug in the bottom of the barrel at the brass nose cap. The triggerguard bow, rear band, nose cap and side plate were all made of brass, while the trigger plate and butt plate were of iron. Like the larger M-1844 musket, the percussion hammer had a large, bulbous projection at the end of the spur, and the rear sight was a fixed notch, screwed to the breech tang. The musketoon had two sling swivels, one mounted on the brass barrel band and the other screwed through the rear of the trigger plate, near the toe of the buttstock. The musketoon was an iron, trumpet shaped ramrod, with the end threaded to accept cleaning tools.

This M-1845 Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia Pioneers Musketoon is in about FINE overall condition. The lock of the musketoon is clearly marked in two lines: E. BREUER / A. TURIN. Breuer was a Li’ge gun maker who either established a manufactory in Torino, or simply marked the lock to indicate the arm was destined for the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia. The absence of Belgian proof marks indicates that Breuer likely assembled the musketoon in Torino. The lock is additionally marked with a (CROWN) / W proof or inspection mark, and the breech is marked with a (CROWN) / (CROSS) proof mark. The gun has the matching assembly number 45 on the barrel tang, butt plate, triggerguard, and triggerguard plate. None of the screw heads bear any assembly numbers, except for one lock mounting screw, which is numbered 28. this appears to be a correct period replacement, and is the only part noted that did not leave the factory as a part of this scarce musketoon. The lock functions crisply and correctly on all positions and is mechanically excellent. As is typical of the Piedmontese muskets, the half cock position of the hammer is only a hair above the percussion cone (nipple). The musketoon is a medium pewter gray color, which is mostly smooth metal. There is some scattered light pinpricking and peppering present on the metal, mostly around the breech and muzzle area. There are also some tiny scattered patches of minor age discoloration and light surface oxidation. The bore is in about GOOD+ to NEAR VERY GOOD condition, and shows light to moderate roughness scattered along its length. It is difficult to determine how much of this is old debris and dirt and how much is actual pitting. A good scrubbing with a bore brush will likely improve the condition of the bore. The musketoon retains its original ramrod, with good threads on the end. It also retains the original rear sight, screwed to the breech, both original sling swivels, and the original saber bayonet bar. The stock of the musketoon is in about FINE condition, and retains crisp edges and sharp lines throughout. A circular cartouche is present on the obverse buttstock, but the light wear to the wood has rendered it illegible. The stock is full length, solid and free of any breaks, cracks or repairs. The stock does show a handful of light bumps and dings from service, scattered over its surface, but does not show any excessive wear or abuse.

Overall this is a very attractive, complete, correct and original example of a scarce Italian percussion musketoon. The M-1845 Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia Pioneers Musketoon is rarely encountered for sale anywhere in the world, as the guns were produced for a limited amount of time for a small portion of the Piedmont-Sardinian military. These musketoons would have seen use with the Sardinian military contingent that fought with the Allies (Great Britain, France, etc) during the Crimean War, as well as during the First War of Italian Independence in 1848, and the Austro-Sardinian War of 1859 (The Second War of Italian Independence), in which Sardinia fought the Austrian Empire to help establish Italian sovereignty. This is a really fine condition, completely honest example of a very scarce musketoon, and it would be a great addition to any collection of 19th Century European percussion military arms.

SOLD

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Tags: Rare, M, 1845, Piedmont, Sardinian, Pioneers, Carbine,