Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! The Whitney-Howard Thunderbolt was a notable single-shot lever-action rifle designed by Charles and Sebre Howard, patented in 1862, and manufactured by Whitneyville Armory between 1866 and 1870. The whole loading mechanism was contained within a tube resulting in this small design. Being sold as rifles, sporting rifles, or shotguns, this weapon had an estimated total production of about one thousand seven hundred units across all variations. A prototype military rifle-musket model was unsuccessfully tested by the U.S. Army in 1867. This extremely rare musket version came with the unique semi-tubular socket bayonet which could slide back over the barrel when not fixed – only two examples of that kind are known to exist. Another problem was the Thunderbolt’s dangerous locking mechanism that could blow open under firing. Despite its innovative lever-action design from the post-Civil War era, no military contract was awarded to Whitney-Howard. Because of its size and poor performance, it remained more like a small novelty rather than a successful service arm. Just over two thousand were made before production shut down in 1870 after less than three years.
“This lever action single shot breechloader is also known as the Howard Thunderbolt. It is estimated that less than 2,000 of these arms in all variations (rifle, carbine and shotgun) were manufactured between 1855 and 1870. The design was invented and patented by brothers Charles and Sebre Howard and production was by Whitney. The arm was trial tested and rejected for military purchase by the State of New York and the U.S. Army. Offered here is a Whitney-Howard rifle-musket, the rarest of all Thunderbolt variations. In “Flayderman’s” it is noted that only two rifle-muskets are known, and according to the consignor this is one of those two known examples. This is certainly a very rare post-Civil War breechloader made even rarer by the included bayonet believed to be the only known example. The rifle-musket was designed for a unique fitting semi-tubular socket bayonet. The concaved shape allowed the bayonet to slip backwards over the barrel when not affixed, thus allowing the bayonet to safety be carried with the rifle. “
Lot 3300: Whitney-Howard Thunderbolt Rifle-Musket – Extremely Rare Whitney-Howard Thunderbolt Lever Action Single Shot Rifle-Musket with Bayonet. (n.d.-aj). Rock Island Auction Company. photograph. Retrieved June 20, 2024, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/84/3300/whitneyhoward-thunderbolt-riflemusket.
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