Starr Carbine Serial Numbers

[j.howardcycles]

Hi All;
  First post on the board and a new member. I have been reading post here for sometime. But now I need to ask for some help. I have two Starr carbines and want to see if anybody {Two Flints} has some info on them. The first is my percussion carbine #8785. Next is my cartridge model #30105. Would like any info that may be available . I shoot the percussion model in the N-SSA and the cartridge model will be going on the line in the spring nationals.

I will also  have my Armi Sport Spencer at the spring nationals if Bobby Hoyt can get the barrel relined in time. The bore on it was like new. But it would not group at all. I slugged the bore and found out why. The bore grew larger in diameter as the slug went to the muzzle from the breach . Not good. Anyway thanks for any help with info on my Starr carbines.
                                                                               John
                                                                                     C.S.A.

[Two Flints]

John,

Checked on your Starr Carbine.  You wrote serial #8785 -  closest serial # I found is 8786, issued to Company F, 13th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry in 1864 (no day or month given).

There were no serial #s even close to the other serial #30105 you gave me. Only about 20,000 Starrs were produced during the Civil War.  Your Starr came after the War . . . and the serial # you gave me is not listed. Even for Civil War Starrs there are few serial # listings in my SRS Books.

Two Flints

[j.howardcycles]

Thanks Two Flints;
 I was hoping that the cartridge model was one of the batch that went to Winchester Ordnance Depot in Va. In March of 1865. I know that  Starr made 5002 cartridge models in 1865 After the war the government sold off most to Canada and France . The ones that I have seen from France and Canada are easy to tell from the markings they put on them. This one is only marked with US cartouche . 30105 is the lowest serial number for a cartridge models that I have seen. So I am vary confused as to how Starr went about with their serial number blocks. A total between the two models of carbines is only 25603. So how did the cartridge models get such a high serial number. All the ones that I know of are in the 30,000 number block. Well thank you for taking your time out to try and help me. Maybe something will pop up down the road if I keep on looking.
                                                              John
                                                                 C.S.A.

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[j.howardcycles]

Two Flints;
 Here are some of the numbers that I have found for the cartridge model Starr carbine. 30105,30328,30951,31969a,32061a,
323?3a,32909a,33528a,36107,37602,37684,37757,38363.  They are all in that 30,000 number block.
                                                                        Thanks
                                                                                John
                                                                                     C.S.A.

[Two Flints]

Hi John,

I went through all of my Civil War Arms books dealing with the Starr Manufacturing Company.

Perhaps the original Starr-Percussion contract with the Federal Government required the eventual delivery of "up to and including" 30,000 Starr-Percussion models, and the "30,000 number was so stated in the original contact.

However, with the success of the Spencer rimfire cartridge   the Federal government (perhaps)revoked the original contract with Starr, and requested manufacture of the newer cartridge model that would chamber the Spencer 56-52 metallic rimfire cartridge, and the Starr manufacturing plant began production of the NEW cartridge models with the next sequence of available serial #s i.e., in the 30,000 range.  Maybe

The rimfire cartridge model was successfuly tested in January 1865, and between March 28, 1865 and and April 11, 1865, 5,002 Starr rimfire cartridge models were manufactured, however, not many of these models were actually used in the Civil War, as they were produced too late; the earlier percussion-Starrs were delivered and issued in greater numbers to units during the Civil War.

Two Flints

[j.howardcycles]

 That`s along the lines I was thinking. I also found out that Starr did not use the Spencer 56/50 round. But used their own 52 Starr cartridge. I was doing some reading on a cartridge collectors site and they had a discussion on it. Then I made a cero safe casting of my chamber and slugged the bore. The bullet diameter is .529 and the chamber is much different then the 56/50 or 56/56. It would seem that Starr was cutting their own throat by not using the spencer 56/50 round which was already being used by the fed government.
                                                                              John
                                                                                   C.S.A.

[Dusty Tagalon]

Two Flints, picked up a Starr carbine at an online auction, no mention of ARK markings. None the less it is marked as 1st ARK co E. SN 12412. Legit ARK, or hoax?

Thanks
Dusty

[Two Flints]

Dusty,

My listings ONLY show Company M (issued May, 1865) or Company C (issued August, 1864), 1st Arkansas Volunteer Cavalry for Starrs in that serial # range.

Two Flints