My Confederate 1861 P-53 Enfield

[Reale1741]

Greetings all,

I recently picked up this P-1853 Enfield rifle made in 1861. This one was made by Pryse & Redman, who was a known supplier to the Confederate Army. It does not have any Confederate acceptance markings, so it may have been one of the many that was captured through the Union blockades. I wish it could talk! Either way, it makes an awesome addition to my Civil War collection! The rifling and mechanics are in great condition, so it should be a good shooter. I just need to find some time to go to the range! By the way, I found this at a flea market!

 

[rugertoter]

Wow, that's something! Yeah, if it could talk, it would have a long list of stories behind it to tell.

 

[Max Volume]

Do you need to free up the nipple and remove it for cleaning. I honestly don't know and am just seeking info on
shooting the older ones.

 

[KokomoDave]

Great find in a flea market!

 

[indiucky]

The Lord blessed you there...great piece J....

 

[MrSmitty]

Awesome, with a capital Awe!!! Beautiful!!

 

[VostocK]

What a cool piece of history ! I've never found anything cool at a flea market, and I had no idea they sold guns. Congratulations on finding something so cool.

I wonder if confederate weapons that were taken by the union were pressed into service back then ?

 

[DadSmith]

Greetings all,

I recently picked up this P-1853 Enfield rifle made in 1861. This one was made by Pryse & Redman, who was a known supplier to the Confederate Army. It does not have any Confederate acceptance markings, so it may have been one of the many that was captured through the Union blockades. I wish it could talk! Either way, it makes an awesome addition to my Civil War collection! The rifling and mechanics are in great condition, so it should be a good shooter. I just need to find some time to go to the range! By the way, I found this at a flea market!

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If you don't mind telling. How much did it go for?
I've seen prices on some in that condition for around $1000, some in bad condition for around $500.

 

[Slow Hand]

Very neat! Congrats on that one!

 

[LuckyDucky]

If I may jump into this thread. Hello, yesterday I purchased two (almost identical) Enfield's from an unusually attractive antique store in northwestern Indiana. I've done the research and are dated 1861 and 1857. Both have a faint stamp of "London" on the right side of the stock. '57 has a unique symbol on the left stock (inscribed lines like arrows with dots on top of a dent with dots around it). '61 has the date 1861 stamped on the left stock side. All parts appear, in my unprofessional view, to be original. The ram rod measures short about 1 inch in the bore, indicating something is in there. I viewed the barrel with light and can see what looks like a white paper or cloth wad at the bottom of the bore. I think they're both loaded. The bores are rusty a bit and appear to have been forgotten which leads me to believe the wad is a charge in both from the original battlefield. Dunno about this for sure. Checked the nipples and they seem fairly clear. Should I engage with a professional to clear the rifles? Or will they hold more value remaining in the condition that they are? I have not disturbed patina or cleaned the guns, however, I did slightly lube the trigger mechanism as I have cocked them and the lube has smoothed the process. Overall, they look in great shape and the final point is that the 1857 is quite popular as the Sepoy's in India - well, you can research somewhat the first Indian Revolution from the British and the East India Company. Fascinating!! Along with the purchase of the Enfields's I picked up an Ames 1862 Musician's Sword in untouched/undamaged condition, good patina on that too. I'm building a small collection of Civil War artifacts to go with the fact that I am on a team of three who have discovered the whereabouts of the gold that Capt. James A. Semple was to get to the British by way of the sea, but he did not make to England; but, rather, he made it to the Bay of Fundy which was, that day, controlled by the British. We're currently arranging for a major magazine to publish this story. Thank anyone and everyone for your words of assistance and interest. I'm interested to know just how valuable the set of artifacts is. Thank you. LuckyDucky.