This is an example of a Greene Patent Breech Loading carbine that was manufactured by the Massachusetts Arms Co. of Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts, as part of a 2,000 gun contract for the British Army circa 1855-1857. The carbine has a blued 18 inch barrel with 16-sided hand grip in the center. The barrel has a dove-tail mounted, half-moon, front sight and folding leaf rear sight. The receiver has an integral Maynard tape primer stamped with Maynard's patent markings on the door. The carbine has a oil finished walnut stock with iron patch box and a sling ring mounted on the underside behind the trigger guard bow. The receiver, hammer, side plate, trigger guard, patch box and buttplate have a color casehardened finish. "GREENE'S PATENT./JUNE 27. 1854" is stamped on the upper receiver tang. The side plate is roll-stamped: "MASS. ARMS CO/CHICOPEE FALLS /U.S.A. 1856" in three lines followed by the Victorian-era British "VxR" Royal cipher. British "Crown/A/5", "Crown/A/2" and "Crown/SC" inspection marks are stamped on the barrel, receiver, trigger guard, stock and patch box. A British "S X" (Sold Out of Service) mark is stamped on the underside of the barrel. "U.S." is lightly stamped on the heel of the buttplate and on the left side of the stock near the buttplate heel. A small Ordnance Corps escutcheon and a small, block letter "J.L.D." sub-inspection mark are stamped on the left stock wrist. The Ordnance Corps escutcheon was not utilized as an inspection mark on U.S. firearms until the late 1930s, and the U.S. markings are spurious. British Greene carbines are considered to be secondary U.S. Civil War weapons and are scarce and very desirable.

Fine as remarked (see above). The carbine retains about 50% of the original blue and color casehardened finish and shows only storage wear. The bright blue finish on the barrel is thin and there are scattered patches of age discoloration. The case colors on the hammer, receiver, side plate, trigger guard, patch box, and buttplate have faded to a mottled gray brown. The side plate, tang and primer door markings are sharp. The Maynard tape primer is complete and functional. The walnut stock has scattered light storage marks but remains in very good condition. This is a very good example of a scarce British Greene Breech Loading carbine.