Enfield Sgt's Tool

johan_steele

Regimental Armorer
Retired Moderator
Joined
Feb 20, 2005
Location
South of the North 40
A close up view of the Enfield Sgt's Tool. One of four models imported during the ACW. There were two T handled models. The Sgt's model as you see here and the simpler enlisted model which lacked the mainspring vice, nipple wrench and ball puller.

The musket tool seen here contained a mainspring vice on the body, a nipple pick, ball puller, worm, oil applicator, an oil bottle as well as a turn screw. The T of the tool could also be removed and applied to the ramrod to apply more force as needed.
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One thing of note is the hand made nature of the Enfield also had threads & ramrods that weren't all the same size. The threads don't always match and the ramrod can be slightly off in size creating issues with using the worm or ball puller.
 
Thanks. There had to have been a lot of these tools imported.
The majority were by far the privates tool. I was actually hoping to acquire a privates tool but the Sgt's tool is what I ended up with. So now I have two Sgt's tools with my Y tool being likely a post war Brit Army intended for the Sepoys.
 
Below are the various Y tools. The left is the typical privates tool and the right is likely a post war Sgt's model.

A friend picked it up for me while he was in Kabul. He saw it in the market and asked how much. "$50 American." Zac figured that was fair and handed it over, he received a complete box (85 IIRC) in return. He sold me the Sgt's tool and sold off the other Privates tools for $75 per. I think he made his money back.
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Very Nice I put this in the category of the First Swiss Army Knife
 
Nice examples Johan, thanks.
However there is one more "tool" found in all four types [and Ptn. 1839, 1842 and 1852 tools] ... Inside the bottom of the round center shaft, on the opposite end of the "T" or "Y" top is a nipple wrench..DA DA !!.
These tools used to be fairly common and reasonably priced, but now are as rare as hen's teeth at shows, and as usual, the Indian/Afgan copies are looking very good to the unwary buyer.
 
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There is a section in one of the Suppliers to the Confederacy books (I think Vol II) on the different types of Enfield tools. David Burt did a nice job with the research and somehow he got access to a fairly large collection of artifacts. I was surprised with the number of different variations to what is a pretty straightforward and basic tool.

They are very handy little gadgets!
 
Nice examples Johan, thanks.
However there is one more "tool" found in all four types [and Ptn. 1839, 1842 and 1852 tools] ... Inside the bottom of the round center shaft, on the opposite end of the "T" or "Y" top is a nipple wrench..DA DA !!.
These tools used to be fairly common and reasonably priced, but now are as rare as hen's teeth at shows, and as usual, the Indian/Afgan copies are looking very good to the unwary buyer.
Good point on the nipple wrench; I can't believe I forgot to mention that. The irony is that my Y Sgt's tool has a slightly different nipple wrench in that the threads aren't there for the wrench part but are set further in to engage the ball puller. I figure that was because someone figured out a quick way to bugger up the threads was to actually use the tool.

I've had the opportunity to look at and study a half dozen or so of the T type Sgt's tools, I was seriously thinking of seeing about manufacturing a quality repros which we couldn't figure how to do for less than the cost of an original ($250-$300). Every one of the original T Sgt's Tools had damaged threads on the nipple wrench. The 3-4 original Y tools threads were ok on the nipple wrench as the threads were recessed a bit.

The conclusion I came to was that while I like the capability of the Enfield tools I can see the simplicity of the US tools as an advantage. I had an interesting conversation with a fellow collector who told me that US musket tools were roughly 1/10 the cost of an Enfield Privates tool but were equally useful.

Sorry if I'm not making a lot of sense, I started my day at 0330 and didn't hit the hotel till 1800. Sleep sounds real good about now.
 
You make sense, I could not believe how cheap the US musket tool is, if I lost one, it was so cheap to replace. It is probably higher to replace one than it once was. I think the Enfield tool was much more expensive even then.
 
No, you are quite correct, even being in Idaho... The Indian made copies of only one type were extremely well made and have now 'aged' for quite a few years. There are a few distinctive, albeit quite small, differences from the originals. They were made for the reinactor community on a small, one time basis. No; I'm not telling !
 
A close up view of the Enfield Sgt's Tool. One of four models imported during the ACW. There were two T handled models. The Sgt's model as you see here and the simpler enlisted model which lacked the mainspring vice, nipple wrench and ball puller.

The musket tool seen here contained a mainspring vice on the body, a nipple pick, ball puller, worm, oil applicator, an oil bottle as well as a turn screw. The T of the tool could also be removed and applied to the ramrod to apply more force as needed.
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Thanks for sharing this! I've never seen one before!
 
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