Report of the Board of Ordnance Officers Convened in Pursuance of the Act of Congress Approved November 21, 1877, to Select a Magazine Gun for the U.S. Military Service.
Washington, D.C. Government Printing Office, 1878. First Edition. Paperback. Octavo (8vo). Very good- condition. Item #018085
71 numbered pages of text, complete with one folding table and 21 folding plates that when unfolded meansure 14-1/8 inches long, 9 inches high showing 19 of the submitted rifles plus a modification and some testing equipment. Paperback binding of tan wrappers; front cover is chipped and worn and lacking the rear cover. The front cover was laid down on a new paperback binding. Three plates have archival repairs at the folds, and another plate is soiled in the margins. There is minimal loss at some of the repaired folds. Infrequently offered on the market, the last one offered at auction was in 2007, and there are only two copies listed on OCLC. Published as Appendix T to the Report of the Chief of Ordnance to the Secretary of War for 1878. The Winchester Hotchkiss which won the recommendation for purchase of the board is well known but some of the other competitors are relatively unknown. Only one of the three actions submitted by Sharps is shown in the plates and it resembles the Swiss Vetterli more than any American gun. The Chaffee-Reese was completely different from the one that was later produced at Springfield Armory. One of the Remingtons appears to have been modified into the Keene rifle at a later date. The detail drawings are fine and could probably be related to various patents. First edition.
Price: $750.00