Original Item: Only One Available. Just purchased from a local customer, this lovely fully cleaned and restored rifle is 100% all British manufacture, starting life in 1864 as a .577 caliber three band ENFIELD Percussion Rifle model of P-1853. It has the correct "Baddeley" type bands with a recessed screw, as would be used on the later Martini-Henry rifles, and shows a lovely patina of age. It also shows some fantastic "flame figuring" in the stock, which we rarely see!

The lock is plate stamped "CROWN" over V.R. and 1864 / ENFIELD, indicating manufacture at the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield Lock. There is also the correct CROWN / ARROW "lock viewer's mark" on the lock plate as well, along with some other smaller marks. This was a military issued rifle, as indicated by the royal monogram. The left side of the barrel and the snider breech both have CROWN / TP "Tower" proofs from the Tower Wharf proof house, along with some other proofs. There is the correct * II stamped on top of the breech "shoe", indicating it is the MkII* version of the breech. This was a version before the "latch" was introduced, though it does have a small "button" at the bottom of the breech plug that grips the breech block. The top of the breech block is marked with an overlapping LSAC marking, for the London Small Arms Company, who performed the conversion.

The whole rifle is in lovely condition, having been cleaned and restored to put it in the best possible light. The metalwork has a very nice aged patina, showing some traces of past peppered oxidation, but no major pit rust or other damage. The front sight is still present, and the rear ladder sight is present and fully functional. The breech opens correctly, and is still held closed by the retaining button on the bottom. The firing pin is present and moves easily, and the cartridge extractor mechanism works great, though we have not tested it on real brass. The lock is fully functional, holding correctly at half cock and firing at full, and there is a lovely "nipple protector" on the bolster. The barrel has standard three grove rifling and the bore shows clear lands and grooves, though there is definitely some past fouling and oxidation, as the finish is partly dark, especially towards the muzzle. The rifle definitely looks to have seen a good amount of use during service.

The wood stock is in lovely shape, having been cleaned and re-oiled, which has allowed the flame figuring to be easily seen. There are the usual dents and dings from age and use, but no major damage or repairs. The right butt stock has some personalized markings, and retains its original stock cartouche, though it is unfortunately not legible. Both swivels are present and move easily, and the cleaning rod is present and in great shape.

An all British P-1853 Converted Snider Rifle originally made at ENFIELD. A lovely rifle with a very attractive figured stock, ready to display!

Specifications:

Year of Manufacture: 1864 - Converted Later
Caliber: .58 inches
Ammunition Type: .577 Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 36.5 inches
Overall Length: 54 inches
Action: Side Action Lock
Feed System: Side Hinge Rotating Breech block

More on the P-1853 Rifle-Musket: The Enfield Pattern 1853 rifle-musket (also known as the Pattern 1853 Enfield, P53 Enfield, and Enfield rifle-musket) was a .577 calibre Minié-type muzzle-loading rifle-musket, used by the British Empire from 1853 to 1867, after which many Enfield 1853 rifle-muskets were converted to (and replaced in service by) the cartridge-loaded Snider-Enfield rifle.

The term "rifle-musket" originally referred to muskets with the smooth-bored barrels replaced with rifled barrels. The length of the barrels were unchanged, allowing the weapons to be fired by rank, since a long rifle was necessary to enable the muzzles of the second rank of soldiers to project beyond the faces of the men in front. The weapon would also be sufficiently long when fitted with a bayonet to be effective against cavalry. Such guns manufactured with rifled barrels, muzzle loading, single shot, and utilizing the same firing mechanism, also came to be called rifle-muskets.

The 39 in (99 cm) barrel had three grooves, with a 1:78 rifling twist, and was fastened to the stock with three metal bands, so that the rifle was often called a "three band" model.

History of the Snider rifle- Jacob Snider, an American from New York, developed this breech loading system for the P-1853 Enfield, the most prolific imported Percussion rifle in use by both the North and South during the U.S. Civil War. When the British Board of Ordnance appointed a Select Committee in 1864 the Snider system was swiftly adopted with the first breech loaders being issued in 1865 to British forces.

Improved in 1867 by the use of Colonel Boxer's center fire brass bodied cartridge, the rifle was used very effectively in the Abyssinian Campaign of 1868. The system utilized a hinged breech block with an internal firing pin assembly that permitted the use of a self contained cartridge of lead bullet in cardboard, and, after 1867, brass casing. This highly efficient conversion system prolonged the active life of the P-1853 rifles up until 1871 when the Martini System was adopted. Snider rifles saw continued use throughout the Empire but were officially obsoleted by the late 1880s.

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