This is one of 73 carbines manufactured by Greenwood & Gray of Columbus, Georgia for the State of Alabama.  The payment records for these carbines still exists in the Adjutant General's records in the State of Alabama Archives.  There is some confusion about whether these guns should be called "Columbus Armory", "Greenwood & Gray" or "J. P. Murray."  Whatever you call them, existing records indicate that production is far more limited than one might think.  From the records, production may not have exceeded 1000 guns total, 1500 would be the maximum.  Both long guns and carbines were built for the State of Alabama and there was a 1000 gun contract for Confederate Ordnance, which may not have been fulfilled.  I prefer to call them Greenwood & Gray.  They were the founders of the company.  J. P. Murray was an Englishman, a master armorer who supervised production.  Why his name wound up on some of them, nobody knows.  None of the 73 carbines purchased by the State of Alabama have any lock markings.  The barrels are marked on the left rear "PRO over FCH."  This is the proof mark of Major Frederick C. Humphries, who was the Confederate ordnance inspector at the Columbus Arsenal.  The State of Alabama acceptance mark, which is STATE OF ALA. 1864 is also found on the left rear of the barrel.  This gun appears to be 100% intact and of the period.  It is in .58 caliber with strong rifling in the bore and all markings are sharp.  The tang screw, one lockplate screw, the hammer and the inside of the lockplate are stamped with serial number 7.  The rear lockplate screw is an original Greenwood & Gray screw, which is stamped serial number 11.  That is the only deviation from original configuration that I can find.  There is some stressing of the wood around the lockplate but it is still solid.  An extremely rare Alabama Contract Carbine.  SOLD!!