Muzzleldrs Enfield

[gjpratt]

In the early 1980s I bought this musket at a local black powder shop intending to shoot it. One thing led to another, job, kids, etc. and I never got around to doing anything with it. It has been in the back of my modern gun safe for over 40 years -- out of sight, out of mind. I pulled it out this weekend and now I am curious as to what exactly I have. I only have a very cursory knowledge of CW firearms. After reading through all the Enfield posts here I am frankly intimidated by all the possible variations and the subtle details needed to make a proper i.d. So I am turning to the group for assistance. These are the photos I took in a hurry this morning. The barrel stamping did not turn out that well. There is also a three digit/letter stamp near the tip of the ram rod that did not come out. The gun is now in the front of the safe so I can try to get better photos if needed. All insights and comments welcome.

 

[lelliott19]

Please don't shoot it. As you await information from the experts, I'm going to predict that additional images of the barrel markings and the digits stamped in the ramrod will probably be desirable.

 

[Grayrock Volunteer]

Your Enfield is a pretty standard Birmingham made commercial gun. I can't make out the roundel stamp, but knowing the name on it might be of interest to you if you can get a clearer shot of it. There also might be a setter up name stamped on the belly of the stock about halfway to the toe. I adjusted the brightness on the photo of the ramrod to better see the numbers. They were still pretty unclear, but they don't appear to be Confederate inventory numbers.
The main point of interest is the character stamped into the stock forward of the trigger guard, which is a "Q", and is believed to be a Confederate applied mark stamped when the musket was processed through the CS Ordnance Department in Virginia after being turned in by a unit or collected from a battlefield.

 

[Dbackfed29]

There looks to be a Confederate C and R stamp next to the trigger guard. Q. If I am seeing correctly. I cannot see the three numbers on the ram rod however due to the shadow in the picture. Perhaps if you took it in the light it would be more viewable.

 

[ConfederateCanuck]

Numbered ramrods can be worth a lot of $$$...if they are consistent with known numbering of Confederate imported Enfields. @Lanyard Puller might be able to advise.

 

[lelliott19]

Is that a faint anchor I'm seeing stamped in the stock, rear of the trigger guard? Can you make out any other characters around the "anchor"? Note: the "anchor" is upside down in this snip and in your image of the stock behind the trigger guard.

 

[Old Soldier]

If it has a 'Confederate number' (2nd Batch) it will be on the butt plate tang, neatly engraved. It will be up to 4 figures and under 10,000.

 

[UCVRelics]

@Grayrock Volunteer is spot on as it has the Bham Gun Nice looking warhorse. @Craig L Barry and @Lanyard Puller will know exactly what it is. Post lighter photos of the ramrod and the stock marks to include the big. It one on the right side will help. It doesn't look like a BSA stamp?

 

[Bentonville]

In the early 1980s I bought this musket at a local black powder shop intending to shoot it. One thing led to another, job, kids, etc. and I never got around to doing anything with it. It has been in the back of my modern gun safe for over 40 years -- out of sight, out of mind. I pulled it out this weekend and now I am curious as to what exactly I have. I only have a very cursory knowledge of CW firearms. After reading through all the Enfield posts here I am frankly intimidated by all the possible variations and the subtle details needed to make a proper i.d. So I am turning to the group for assistance. These are the photos I took in a hurry this morning. The barrel stamping did not turn out that well. There is also a three digit/letter stamp near the tip of the ram rod that did not come out. The gun is now in the front of the safe so I can try to get better photos if needed. All insights and comments welcome.

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Cut down from a flared barrel.

 

[bayonet]

Well depending what you paid for it in the 1980s I'd take Vegas odds it's worth a whole lot more $ than you paid for it!

 

[Conquerordie]

Dunno, the bolster looks off, like the shape of it, and the butt plate has a big gap that you can see in the pic. Doesn't seem typical Birmingham to me.

 

[Old Soldier]

Dunno, the bolster looks off, like the shape of it, and the butt plate has a big gap that you can see in the pic. Doesn't seem typical Birmingham to me.

They were never a match for Enfield. Besides, this has had a hard life.