Muzzleldrs Very interesting Enfield Carbine

Rusk County Avengers

Captain
Muster Stunt Master Stones River / Franklin 2022
Joined
Apr 8, 2018
Location
Coffeeville, TX
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My SUPER GREAT friend many here know Tom has been after me to stop by his museum here lately, even telling an SCV compatriot Virginian exile buddy of mine a couple weeks ago when he stopped by to tell me to get my behind down there. I figured it was to go digging at his new spot at a CW and apparently Reconstruction era Camp and see the finds, (yesterday he found a pile of 32 shoulder scales in awesome condition along with a bunch of deliberately broken Union spurs), so being free from all the craziness life has thrown my way here lately today I stopped by and he had a very interesting Enfield to show me.

One as he put it "Reeks Confederate."

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I'm pretty inclined to agree with Tom its Confederate It looks to me like a 1861 Tower dated P1853, cut down to a carbine with the very interesting blacksmith looking saddlebar and ring added with an iron or pewter nosecap and no sights which while I haven't looked at the bore yet I'm pretty sure its a smoothbore. Also apologies for the not so great pictures for inspection.

Photographing and showing off what I got on the internet is not really my thing as I'm a private person in that regard, but I simply got to ask what say all y'all about this different Enfield. A film director that hires me for period movies said on a recent western shoot "I don't need to know history or guns I got Pepper for that!" which while I love to have old guns, and repros of them and study they're usuage, a gun like this is out of comfort zone on passing judgement, so I like that director I got to say I got people like @ucvrelics and @Grayrock Volunteer for this and anyone else of the great pool of more knowledgeable crowd here on CWT.

Also looking under the forearm I'm seeing what looks like the remains of a "z" stamped or carved in.

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Getting back on the story today, Tom said he found it in Texarkana, and then he proceeded to give it to me as a very late Birthday present as he put it! I don't know if it was his kind and giving nature, or me on the hunt here lately for a beat up old original gun not likely to offend teachers to have at Friday School Days at reenactments and let the more inquisitive of students actually put they're hands on it in hope of getting them interested in history. But whatever it was it was a shock to me he'd give me such an interesting gun!

What are y'alls thoughts? Confederate job, or very interesting post-war job?
 
Awesome Present. It is indeed a cut-down and from the looks if you hold it to your ear you will hear Dixie. I'm going to defer to @Lanyard Puller as he has a few of these in his war room.

My current theories are its either a Union purchased Enfield that was collected off a battlefield and cut down in an armory somewhere by the grand ole CSA, or that someone had a cut-down "sporterized" Enfield many, many years ago and did the work. The reason for the latter is the smoothbore and no sights of any kind.

But then again when it comes to detailed minutia I'm out of my league.
 
I'm inclined to believe this is more modern assemblage. The hammer appears to be a stretched Snyder hammer, and the cone and hammer screw are both replacements. The sling bar doesn't seem to have the same patina as the rest of the piece, and the relative sharpness of the escutcheon mortises seems at odds with something that was carried via the sling bar. I can't really provide any more insight than that based on the pics.

It's certainly interesting, but I wouldn't feel comfortable selling it as a Confederate altered piece. Others' opinions may differ.
 
I've got to go along with Greyrock on this one.

It's a shame that Ole Dixie has inherited the credit and mostly blame for more than her share of altered and unidentified military and civilian firearms {and swords}.

The "Z" in the wood is not the same stamp used after Richmond repair and/or alteration. Also not using the {removed} brass side washers, which would lend excellent padding and support, and installing the saddle ring mounts over a hole is just a bad "gunsmith".

I'll have to put her in the undecided category. Thanks JCVrelics for the reference, but if offered to me I'd pass. Nothing like any of my P56s or cut-downs, or others I've seen.
 
I appreciate all the educated input. I'm not a diehard collector on CW guns like others, (western era guns are more my speed), but I'd say this is a very interesting piece to me that could or couldn't be. Some of the "gunsmithing" on it gives me pause on calling it Confederate, but considering how the CSA had some "what the devil were they thinking" guns like the Arkadelphia Rifle and so on, for what I got in mind for this gun it doesn't matter and fits the ticket perfectly.

Besides I'd call it an awesome gift!:D

Who knows, maybe I'll also sneak it into a western movie this May...
 
Last night I cleaned and looked over the bore. It's smooth with minimal pitting, and measures out real close around .59 or .60 rather than original .577 range.

I'd say that's in the margin of error for a gun shot out smooth rather than bored smooth. But I ain't an expert...
 
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