Musket

[brasskeeper]

I wonder If you guys could help me find out more about my musket?

On the side of the barrel near the breach there is a number 220 then a symbol like a crown and under the crown the letters AR then under those letters is a T. On top of the barrel near the breach is another crown with the letters "AZ"
On the lock is the number 220 and then a Crown. Under that crown is "Madrid" then under Madrid is "1861". That is all the markings there are.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d32/bacman05/musket_01.jpg

I know this musket was in the cival war. My great great grandfather was a Farrier for the calvery near Ohio KY border and this was his rifle and my uncle has his sword. I have found him listed in a few books. I found a form ancestry.com that his wife had filled out for his pension.

[Mark Latham, 9982]

Hello,

What you have is a Spanish "copy" of an British Pattern 1853 rifle musket, or rifle. I cannot tell from your pictures if the weopon has two barrel bands or three. If two, rifle. If three, rifle musket.

Mark Latham

[Southron Sr.]

It is not suprising that the Spanish made an Enfield copy as a close diplomatic and militart alliance existed between England and Spain during much of the 19th Century. The genesis of this alliance been with Napoleon's invasion and occupation of Spain.

[brasskeeper]

Thanks Guys

Mark it dos not have a third band.

On another web site I was told this rifle should have a rear sight but it doesnt and I don't see where on was attached. On the other had it has a good front sight and nothing to line it up with at the rear.

Any ideas where I can look for information like books or web sites?

[Southron Sr.]

On Enfields, the rear sight was soldered on just behind the rear barrel band. Look at the top of that area of the barrel carefully and you might spot some evidence of that old soldering.

One of my G-G Grandfathers was a member of the Dekalb Guard from Bulloch County, Georgia. Early in the war they were stationed on Jekyll Island, GA. While stationed on Jekyll the company was issued P-53 Enfields, most likely some of those that came into Savannah Harbor on the blockade runner "Fingal."

According to the regimental history, when the soldiers received their Enfields, one of the first things they did was to knock off the rear sights!
Apparantly, they did not understand what a rear sight was for! I grew up in the county next to Bullloch and I recall that even as late as the late 1950's, rifles were disdained-although almost everyone had a shotgun.

So the likely explanation is that G-G-Pa and his comrades were so used to shotguns, they knocked the rear sights off of their Enfields to make them more like the shotguns they were familiar with!!!

Is the bore of your Enfield .577 or .580 caliber (a little over a half-inch)? Is any rifling visible inside the bore? In the post-war era, especially after large game disappeared (deer, elk, bear, etc.) from overhunting, some rifles were converted to smoothbores and used as shotguns on small game like squirrels, rabbits and birds.

IF that was the case with your Spanish Enfield, that might also explain why it is missing the rear sight. Usually a local gunsmith would ream out the bore to remove the rifling and then remove the rear sight.

One fella that lives near me has an original LG&Y Civil War Rifle Musket that was "civilized" in the post-war era by having the barrel and forestock shortened, and the bore reamed out to approximately a .60 caliber smooth bore. Both sights (front and rear) on the LG&Y removed and a bead (shotgun) front sight installed.

So look with a sharp eye at your Spanish Enfield, by looking very carefully at some the small details, it can tell you a lot about its history!

[Mark Latham, 9982]

Hello,

College Hill Arsenal has one at the moment, here is the link:

https://collegehillarsenal.com/shop/pro ... ctid=16195 (https://collegehillarsenal.com/shop/product.php?productid=16195)

I think you will find obtaining the correct rear sight difficult at best, but you might try Lodgewood or other antique gun parts guys....

Good Luck

Mark latham[/img]

[brasskeeper]

Mark thanks for posting that link. That rilfe is almost a twin of mine. It looks like somebody has cleaned the finish off of that rifle?

[Wshifflett]

https://collegehillarsenal.com/shop/pro ... ctid=16195 (https://collegehillarsenal.com/shop/product.php?productid=16195)



25 lbs! Wow! :shock:


I know I know :wink:

[Johan Steele]

Spanish Model 1860 Rifle made in Madrid Spain. The rear site was actualt clamped on instead of the English style solder job. As I understand it there is more provenance for it's use in CS service than US. 2500 at the extrodinary price of $32.50 per were purhased by the CS govt in 1861.

The Spanish were quite fond of the 2 band P56 and Enfield carbine. I am unaware that Spain ever made a copy of the P53... though I've been wrong before.

Firearms from Europe has some info on the Madrid made Enfields.

[brasskeeper]

I know this is a old thread but I thought I would see if anybody had anything else to add.

[Robt. Propst]

Civil War Guns by William B. Edwards does mention the Madrid Enfield. You should notice in the stock two divots where the clip for the rear sight went. See page 271 and there are two pictures of the arm. The Madrid I had was stamped with the same 3 digits throughout, even on some of the screws. (248 in my case). It did not have the original rear site, but an ordinary Enfield sight soldered in place. After I sold it in Atlanta it appeared in a Dalton GA gunshow marked "unknown Confederate" for several thousand dollars. The legend was that it was an "attic find in Georgia". The guy got hostile when I offered to show him my SSN engraved on the underside of the buttplate, as I had owned the gun for a number of years. Mine was rifled, and it shot well; had an overall dark patina, and fine pitting on the lockplate so that it almost obscured the Madrid 1861, hence the unknown confederate. If you ever want to part with yours, give me a shout. They're kinda cool. Regards, bob 44th GA

[brasskeeper]

Thanks for the sharing the information. Every little bit helps.

[brasskeeper]

This is a Oldie But I thought I'd see if anybody had anything new to add.