James Warner was a gunsmith and owner of the Springfield Arms Company. In the 1850s he produced a series of revolving rifle designs which are interesting, but poorly documented. Only a few hundred of each were made (at most) and they appear to have begun as with a design intended to sell when Colt’s patent was supposed to expire. This used a single-action mechanism with an open frame, and had to be changed when Colt was able to extend his patent. A new model followed which was much simpler, probably trying to compete on price since the patented elements remained protected.
This simpler system was manually indexed and used a simpler receiver and side plate design than before. It also eliminated extraneous features like the loading lever. These are all roughly .40 caliber, six-shot guns and usually have 22-23 inch barrels (this example was shortened at some point).
A final change in design took place around 1856 when Warner moved to an enclosed frame design, before moving away from revolving rifle designs entirely. There are a few records of Warner revolver rifles in the Civil War, and these were most likely the latter enclosed frame type.
Video on Warner’s single-shot breechloading carbine from the Civil War:
https://youtu.be/C7lIjY-UYZU
The best firearms reference books: https://www.headstamppublishing.com
http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons
http://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons
Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com
At Forgotten Weapons I think the most interesting guns out there are the most obscure ones. I try to search out experimental and prototype weapons and show you how they work, in addition to more conventional guns that you may not have heard of before. You’re much more likely to find a video on the Cei Rigotti or Webley-Fosbery here than an AR or Glock. So, do you want to learn about something new today? Then stick around!
