At the beginning of the Civil War there were so many secessionist sympathies in Baltimore that some politicians were arrested and imprisoned at Ft. McHenry. Merrill also had all his firearms and accouterments confiscated and stored at the Federal Customs House. When he was finally able to convince Federal authorities that he was a Union man and wanted to produce firearms for Union forces, he was able to do so. The Shot Tower still exists today, but is in such a dangerous part of the inner City, I would not suggest anyone visit it for fear of losing their life. Shootings and murders occur everyday because the streets are ruled by gangs like in most major US cities. My late neighbor and mentor owned several Merrill Carbines and told me they were very much respected by the troops that used them. He also owned Hall Carbines and 1847 Musketoons used by the US Dragoons. I believe he owned at least one example of every long arm and pistol made at a US Armory in his collection. RIP
A lot of Southern sympathizers from Maryland ended up in the Army of Northern Virginia; I've read some of their letters and diary entries. Many were mere boys when the fighting broke out.
Hi Dave, pleased that you caught the presentation. The feature that allows the breech plunger to flip out of the way was of particular interest to me. ...Doc
As always, a lot of information packed in 20 minutes. I have to watch these a couple of times to try and digest all that is presented in an artful and entertaining way. I could see the gremlins in the holy black creating issues in that action like they do in my Sharps carbine. Thanks for all your hard work researching and videoing this interesting shootin' iron. Gp
Thanks so much Gp, I appreciate your support. I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of gas leakage in this arm. The long breech lever never really got difficult to operate. The opening latch and the plunger did get sluggish but a little sputum worked miraculously. I suspect this would have been the "solution" in battle also. Best Regards...Doc
@@dr.durellshepard398 Your "solution" to a sluggish action sounds better than reports of soldiers peeing on their Sharps in desperation to free up the breech block. Gp
Merrill really had a creative streak; I'm surprised these weren't more of a competitor to the Sharps. As always, I greatly admire the immense amount of research you put into these videos.
Hi Dale, Sharps did have a great gun, but I must say the Merrill leaked little or no gas, a great accomplishment for the day. The ammo build was comparatively easy to assemble and the carbine performed admirable. Thanks so much......Doc
This is actually not a Merrill design. William Jenks (U.S. pat. 747) developed it. It was called the Mule Ear carbine because of the side hammer and it was adopted by the U.S. Navy in 1845. Merrill later converted many of them to his system.
You are absolutely correct Sir. Jenks patent of 1838 predates Merrill's by 20 years. I believe the distinction would be that the Jenks arm was designed for loose powder and ball and the Merrill gun was built to use his new cartridge. Merrill did add some refinements to the action, like flipping the breech plug out of the way ( without tools ) for maintenance. The Jenks-Merrill Carbines were trails guns modified to use the newer cartridges. Thank you for you comment to bring this up for discussion. Best regards. .....Doc
Interesting guns for sure. Gotta love all the clever mechanisms of these early transitional era cartridge gun. Also you have an impressive collection of weights. Well done!
Good morning John, pleased to hear from you. I must say I was pleasantly surprised at the very little gas leaking of this design. She was very polite in operation with no miss-fires. Good leverage with that long lever and linkage. A little spit on the plunger and latch and she would work freely all day. Best wishes.....Doc
Me complace que compartamos un interés común. Muchas gracias por el amable comentario. Saludos desde EE.UU. ( I am pleased that we share a common interest. Thank you so much for the kind comment. Greetings from U.S.A. )
Thanks so much for the kind review Sir. The old school powder scale is relaxing to use. No beeping and no batteries. No playing beat-the-clock before something times out. Best regards....Doc
Another great one Doc. I am sure all it took to get that thing was to trade that Yankee horse soldier a broken down Sharps. Could you imagine the manual of arms for that thing on horseback.
Good morning Hugh, I suspect exchanges like that occurred. I feel that fumbling with the primers would be most frustrating, with the horse flailing about and the enemy shooting at you. Regards, Doc
You have some of the coolest firearms. This one is no exception. Very unique design to say the least. I'll bet it was a nightmare to inlet a stock for. Can you imagine trying to load and shoot that gun from a galloping horse...
4:26 pick 4:49 nitrated paper thank you for this reminder, one last thing for lovers of thrills with "black powder", put a little lubricant in the barrel of the barrel (diesel, in moderation, just a very thin layer)
Возможно, но, как говорят в моей стране, «болезни роста» в технологическом развитии. Perhaps, but as we say in my country, "growing pains" in the technological development.
@@dr.durellshepard398 согласен, ещё мне кажется большую роль играло патентное право. Конструктора возможно и рады были сделать попроще, но простых вещей не так уж и много и большинство из них были запатентованы, поэтому и приходилось им напрягать инженерную мысль 😁 Но как инженер - я в восторге от их изобретательности 😜👍
I love how you mark all of your paper cartridges with the gun and caliber information. Have you thought of offering a PDF file of all your different templates?
It's just something I do because I like the way it looks. It is not historically correct in most instances, so would be frowned upon by a person who insists on absolute adherence to traditional rules or structures. More graphics were found on old English ammo than U.S.
Many thanks for posting this excellent video! The result of long and meticulous research into this interesting action, does the toggle system go over lock when in the firing position? I imagine that after a few shots the toggle catch could get "gummed up" and open on firing. I like the views of the Danus plexipus at the end of the video. Stay safe! Chris B.
Hi Chris, thanks so much for the kind review. The toggle does go "over-square" at lock up, below the center line of the bore. The latch did get gummed up after awhile but never popped open. The ram also got gummed up, but a very little saliva does wonders, so you don't break the long lever, which was a complaint in the war. I have been cultivating this patch of Asclepias tuberosa for many years for its magnificent color and as a aid to the survival of the Danus plexipus. Soothing to gaze upon after a head banging day shooting the .54 calibers. Best regards.....Doc
Hi Eric, I fired about 25 shots and surprisingly they all loaded fine. What did gum up soon was the latch that opens the long lever making it almost inoperable. But, in the field, when no one is looking, a little saliva works magic. Regards.....Doc
@@dr.durellshepard398 They are making all such channels difficult to watch, so other formats have appeared where there is no manipulation of 1A rights, scrolling, etc.
At the beginning of the Civil War there were so many secessionist sympathies in Baltimore that some politicians were arrested and imprisoned at Ft. McHenry. Merrill also had all his firearms and accouterments confiscated and stored at the Federal Customs House. When he was finally able to convince Federal authorities that he was a Union man and wanted to produce firearms for
Union forces, he was able to do so. The Shot Tower still exists today, but is in such a dangerous part of the inner City, I would not suggest anyone visit it for fear of losing their life. Shootings and murders occur everyday because the streets are ruled by gangs like in most major US cities.
My late neighbor and mentor owned several Merrill Carbines and told me they were very much respected by the troops that used them. He also owned Hall Carbines and 1847 Musketoons used by the US Dragoons. I believe he owned at least one example of every long arm and pistol made at a US Armory in his collection. RIP
A lot of Southern sympathizers from Maryland ended up in the Army of Northern Virginia; I've read some of their letters and diary entries. Many were mere boys when the fighting broke out.
@@dalemoss4684 Yes they did and NSSA even has shooting teams that are Confederate Maryland regiments.
Yes, at that moment in time Baltimore was a highly charged area and extremely dangerous to anyone.
Thank-you Doc. Mechanics are fascinating and this Era of firearms design particularly so.
A wonderful presentation again.
Hi Dave, pleased that you caught the presentation. The feature that allows the breech plunger to flip out of the way was of particular interest to me. ...Doc
You are truly a genius, Doctor. Thank you for another wonderful installment.
Hi Mark, good to hear from you. And thanks for sharing your Quigley adventure......Doc
@@dr.durellshepard398 It was my pleasure, Doctor.
Very well presented, excellent quality video documentary.
Thank you Peter, Glad you could come along with us in the time machine......Doc
As always, a lot of information packed in 20 minutes. I have to watch these a couple of times to try and digest all that is presented in an artful and entertaining way. I could see the gremlins in the holy black creating issues in that action like they do in my Sharps carbine. Thanks for all your hard work researching and videoing this interesting shootin' iron. Gp
Thanks so much Gp, I appreciate your support. I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of gas leakage in this arm. The long breech lever never really got difficult to operate. The opening latch and the plunger did get sluggish but a little sputum worked miraculously. I suspect this would have been the "solution" in battle also. Best Regards...Doc
@@dr.durellshepard398 Your "solution" to a sluggish action sounds better than reports of soldiers peeing on their Sharps in desperation to free up the breech block. Gp
Merrill really had a creative streak; I'm surprised these weren't more of a competitor to the Sharps.
As always, I greatly admire the immense amount of research you put into these videos.
Hi Dale, Sharps did have a great gun, but I must say the Merrill leaked little or no gas, a great accomplishment for the day. The ammo build was comparatively easy to assemble and the carbine performed admirable. Thanks so much......Doc
This is actually not a Merrill design. William Jenks (U.S. pat. 747) developed it. It was called the Mule Ear carbine because of the side hammer and it was adopted by the U.S. Navy in 1845. Merrill later converted many of them to his system.
You are absolutely correct Sir. Jenks patent of 1838 predates Merrill's by 20 years. I believe the distinction would be that the Jenks arm was designed for loose powder and ball and the Merrill gun was built to use his new cartridge. Merrill did add some refinements to the action, like flipping the breech plug out of the way ( without tools ) for maintenance. The Jenks-Merrill Carbines were trails guns modified to use the newer cartridges. Thank you for you comment to bring this up for discussion. Best regards. .....Doc
Interesting guns for sure. Gotta love all the clever mechanisms of these early transitional era cartridge gun. Also you have an impressive collection of weights. Well done!
Good morning John, pleased to hear from you. I must say I was pleasantly surprised at the very little gas leaking of this design. She was very polite in operation with no miss-fires.
Good leverage with that long lever and linkage. A little spit on the plunger and latch and she would work freely all day. Best wishes.....Doc
Que maestro es UD, doctor! Da gusto mirar sus videos!
Me complace que compartamos un interés común. Muchas gracias por el amable comentario. Saludos desde EE.UU.
( I am pleased that we share a common interest. Thank you so much for the kind comment. Greetings from U.S.A. )
@@dr.durellshepard398 sin dudas dr. Mis respetos desde 🇺🇾
Very nice carbine, as usual your videos are superb, fantastic video editing 😁👍🇺🇸 love your powder scales 😁👍🇺🇸
Thanks so much for the kind review Sir. The old school powder scale is relaxing to use. No beeping and no batteries. No playing beat-the-clock before something times out. Best regards....Doc
Thanks for another wonderful illustration and history video. I never knew about these kinds of cartridges.
Good morning Hans, Thanks so much. I used the dimensions on the old cartridge drawing and they worked very well.....Doc
It's great to see this Type 1 Merrill living again. Thank you Dr. Shepard!
Hi Richard, If the craftsmen who built these could see this video, imagine the surprised faces. Regards...Doc
Very, Very Nice - so well done too !
Thanks!
Hello and thanks so much for the benevolent assessment, it is appreciated. ....Doc
Always excellent work, completely underrated! Keep it up!
I appreciate your continued support, Best wishes.....Doc
Thank you for covering this weapon😊
It was my pleasure, glad that you found it of interest.
Another great one Doc. I am sure all it took to get that thing was to trade that Yankee horse soldier a broken down Sharps. Could you imagine the manual of arms for that thing on horseback.
Good morning Hugh, I suspect exchanges like that occurred. I feel that fumbling with the primers would be most frustrating, with the horse flailing about and the enemy shooting at you. Regards, Doc
You have some of the coolest firearms. This one is no exception. Very unique design to say the least. I'll bet it was a nightmare to inlet a stock for. Can you imagine trying to load and shoot that gun from a galloping horse...
Hi Johnny, Yes, and I did read about many broken stocks because of it.........Doc
Amazing Doc The Antique Measuring Scale Is Awesome and The Rifles are Unique in Design and Pack a Pretty Good Punch 😊😀❤️😀👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼😊👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Hi Chris, thanks for mentioning the old scale. It was fun to use and is very accurate.....Doc
4:26 pick
4:49 nitrated paper
thank you for this reminder, one last thing for lovers of thrills with "black powder",
put a little lubricant in the barrel of the barrel (diesel, in moderation, just a very thin layer)
Thank you for watching and your helpful comment.
Fascinating design, at a glance, the action reminds me of an "opposite" Westley Richards Monkey Tail. Thanks for the video!
Yes Sir, I see the reference, Thank you for your comment.
Интересная модель, но, как мне кажется переусложнённая. Ролик как всегда великолепен 🧐👍
Возможно, но, как говорят в моей стране, «болезни роста» в технологическом развитии.
Perhaps, but as we say in my country, "growing pains" in the technological development.
@@dr.durellshepard398 согласен, ещё мне кажется большую роль играло патентное право. Конструктора возможно и рады были сделать попроще, но простых вещей не так уж и много и большинство из них были запатентованы, поэтому и приходилось им напрягать инженерную мысль 😁 Но как инженер - я в восторге от их изобретательности 😜👍
Loved it thank you.
I'm pleased that you enjoyed the presentation.
Stunning quality vid abt. a very interesitng weapon.
Thanks so much Dan, it is appreciated. Glad you could join us on the "magical history tour"..........Doc
I love how you mark all of your paper cartridges with the gun and caliber information. Have you thought of offering a PDF file of all your different templates?
It's just something I do because I like the way it looks. It is not historically correct in most instances, so would be frowned upon by a person who insists on absolute adherence to traditional rules or structures. More graphics were found on old English ammo than U.S.
Many thanks for posting this excellent video! The result of long and meticulous research into this interesting action, does the toggle system go over lock when in the firing position? I imagine that after a few shots the toggle catch could get "gummed up" and open on firing. I like the views of the Danus plexipus at the end of the video. Stay safe! Chris B.
Hi Chris, thanks so much for the kind review. The toggle does go "over-square" at lock up, below the center line of the bore. The latch did get gummed up after awhile but never popped open. The ram also got gummed up, but a very little saliva does wonders, so you don't break the long lever, which was a complaint in the war. I have been cultivating this patch of Asclepias tuberosa for many years for its magnificent color and as a aid to the survival of the Danus plexipus. Soothing to gaze upon after a head banging day shooting the .54 calibers. Best regards.....Doc
It really makes you wonder how Muzzle loaders stayed in fashion when a simple system like this was available.
Absolutely.
Excellent video. He is a distant relation of mine.
Good morning "Just", so cool that you are related. It was a lot of fun to shoot, very well behaved, good design....Doc
question: How well does dryer lint work as wadding for a muzzle loader?
Wow, good question. I have never tried it but know that it is very flammable.
Very interesting. How many shots do you get before the chamber gets too dirty and cartridges start failing to load.
Hi Eric, I fired about 25 shots and surprisingly they all loaded fine. What did gum up soon was the latch that opens the long lever making it almost inoperable. But, in the field, when no one is looking, a little saliva works magic. Regards.....Doc
Are you on RUMBLE yet?
Just on RUclips.
@@dr.durellshepard398 They are making all such channels difficult to watch, so other formats have appeared where there is no manipulation of 1A rights, scrolling, etc.
Sir, may I ask you a little question ?
Do you live inside the museum, cause I have never seen so many antiques in the hands of a single old chap :)
Sometimes I borrow them from friends to do research and make the video. But my wife does accuse me of living in a museum.