U.S. 1860 Heavy Cavalry Saber

At the outbreak of the American Civil War, there were two types of sabers issued to the Federal Cavalry: "light" and "heavy". The light version was popular, but the heavy model, dubbed the "Old Wrist Breaker" was the one worth owning, as it was a far superior weapon. Its 36" blade offered big reach advantages over most sabers, and its substantial weight gave it the leverage to easily crush bones and sever limbs or even a head with a single blow. The brass guard had three bars to protect the hand and the grip was wire bound leather and capped with a sturdy pommel. In its double ringed, steel scabbard, it could be easily attached to a saddle or to a belt.

After examining and handling a number of original 1860 Heavy Cavalry Sabers, Cold Steel has decided to make their own reproduction, with a few improvements. The blade is made from 1055 carbon steel with a hard spring temper and will pass the British Proof Test.

U.S. 1860 Heavy Cavalry Saber

Blade steel	1055 Carbon
Rc hardness	60-64
Blade length	36"
Length overall	41 1/2"
Blade thickness	1/3"
Weight	42.9 oz
Made in	India

More about 1055 Carbon steel:
1055 steel is right on the border between a medium and a high carbon steel, with a carbon content between 0.50%-0.60% and with manganese between 0.60%-0.90% as the only other component. The carbon content and lean alloy make this a shallow hardening steel with a quenched hardness between Rc 60-64 depending on exact carbon content. These combination of factors make this one of the toughest steels available because, when quenched, it produces a near saturated lathe martensite with no excess carbides, avoiding the brittleness of higher carbon materials. This steel is particularly suited to applications where strength and impact resistance is valued above all other considerations and will produce blades of almost legendary toughness.