Request Information on Shul Enfield

These were manufactured with block style rear sights in the same manner as most other Prussian style arms. The rear sights were dovetailed onto the breech plug tang, and it isn't particularly uncommon to find examples (usually Prussian M1809 Muskets) that have had the rear sights removed. Sometimes the mortise is filled, which is the case with the examples shown in this thread.



Ditto. The Prussians even added rear sights to Brown Bess Muskets and French ANIX Muskets that were acquired during the Napoleonic Wars. It wasn't until they began rifling their smoothbore muskets that the block type sights were removed and replaced with barrel mounted long range sights.

Well, Grayrock Volunteer, that's interesting info about the Germans/Prussians adding rear sights to foreign muskets they acquired - there has got to be some sort of German national characteristic demonstrated here!

Jeff
 
Well, Grayrock Volunteer, that's interesting info about the Germans/Prussians adding rear sights to foreign muskets they acquired - there has got to be some sort of German national characteristic demonstrated here!

Jeff


It is a curious choice for smoothbore arms, but then again that may just be American bias (and well pretty much every other country too). But I suppose there was a legitimate reason; after all, they seem popular with N-SSA shooters today. The only contemporary muskets that I can think of that were manufactured with rear sights were the Pattern 1805 New Land Light Infantry Muskets, but those were an almost specialist weapon and not general issue.
I have one of the New Land Light Infantry Pattern muskets in my collection that is also a Prussian percussion conversion. Interestingly enough, they removed the original barrel mounted rear sight and added a Prussian style sight to the tang.
Prussian Besses.jpg
 
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