Potts & Hunt Musket

[kmlmoose]

I have a musket, the lock has "POTTS&HUNT" with "LONDON under it. There are two small marks just above the front lock screw but I can not make out what they are. The barrel has the correct proof makes and is 33" long. The stock has the number "217" stamped in the wood on the right rear of the stock next to the butt plate, and a crown with the letter"H" just to the rear of the trigger guard. The rear sight is missing but you can see where it use to be, what is strange is it appears to have been located 7 5/8" from the breech, odd I thought. The other odd thing is that the bayanot lug is on the front band and it has the number "217" stamped on just like the stock. Some pictures that I could find on the E-net showed the barrel extending beyond the nose cap buy a few inchs, this rifle, the barrel only extends 1 1/2". I would like to know what I have and any help would appreciated.

[John Holland]

Hello -

From your description you would seem to have what is known as a British "P-58 Bar-on-Band Rifle". Try doing a search for that and you should find some information.

JDH

[Muley Gil]

I can't put my hands on my reference books right now, but offhand, it sounds like a 1856 sgt's rifle.

[John Holland]

The P-58 Short Rifle is aka as a P-56 Type 2.

See "British Military Longarms 1815 - 1865", by D.W. Bailey, pages 74-5.

JDH

[kmlmoose]

Hello -

From your description you would seem to have what is known as a British "P-58 Bar-on-Band Rifle". Try doing a search for that and you should find some information.

JDH
Thanks for the info, found some stuff were you said. As I said in the post this rifle is missing the rear sight, any ideas as to where to find one of these?

[Southron Sr.]

Potts & Hunt fabricated "non-interchangeable" Enfields. Their firm was located at 27 Tenter Ground in London. They happily sold arms to both the Union and the Confederacy. Matter of fact, they handled several federal contracts for Enfields placed thru the Colt firm. In 1874 Thomas H. Potts left the gunmaking trade in England and emigrated to New Zealand.

[R. McAuley 3014V]

Thanks for the info, found some stuff were you said. As I said in the post this rifle is missing the rear sight, any ideas as to where to find one of these?

Occasionally, Peter Dyson & Sons, Ltd. will have original Enfield backsights for sale, though it's pretty much a gamble whether you'll be able to use what they have. The correct backsight for the P58 Bar-on-band rifle is graduated to 1,100 yards whereas the backsight for the standard P/53 rifle musket is graduated only to 900 or 1,000 yards. Some of the earlier P56 rifles, along with P58 and P60 rifles were subsequently refitted with 1,250 yard sights on the change to J2 Enfield Rifle powder, when the P61 Army rifle was first introduced. But to be the correct pattern, your rifle should have an 1,100 yard backsight. Like many of the sutlers in this country, Dyson sells the reproduction rifle backsight by Rich Cross, which is available in a 1,100 yard rifle sight or a 900 yard rifle musket sight. Dyson gets £45 for the Rich Cross rifle backsight, which with shipping will cost you more than it will cost you ordering from Lodgewood or S&S Firearms. But there may be other items Dyson sells that may fit your fancy not offered by other dealers? Of course, you may find an original backsight someplace else but you may have a difficult time finding one to match the same condition of your rifle, and I've seen original Enfield backsights sell from $150 to $300 depending on condition.

http://www.peterdyson.co.uk/acatalog/EN ... parts.html (http://www.peterdyson.co.uk/acatalog/ENFIELD_RIFLE_parts.html)