Original Enfield Question

[medbill]

Why would an Enfield imported into the US at some point have a Belgian proof mark on its barrel? Is it a replacement barrel or something? I found it strange, thanks for any info. Is there a good book out there to learn about Enfields and their variations, etc?

Thanks,

B

[R. McAuley 3014V]

Why would an Enfield imported into the US at some point have a Belgian proof mark on its barrel? Is it a replacement barrel or something?

Best answer: "Although English, Belgian, and German Proof Marks frank guns of English, Belgian, and German manufacture in all three countries, a gun of English manufacture bearing a Belgian or German Proof Mark only is an "unproved" gun, if offered for sale in England as an English gun. Like postal stamps, guns must bear the stamp of the country of their origin."
[“Artifex� and “Opifex� (1907) The Causes in Decay in a British Industry, p120fn1]

The second or fourth book listed below would likely provide the most background on the Liege trade and its competition with the Birmingham trade, but Hartley was the primary purchaser for the Union and purchased upwards of 100,000 Enfields from the trades in London, Birmingham, and Liege, circa 1862-64, and just guessing, your Belgian Enfield most likely pertains to his purchases for the Union. If a arm has Belgian proofs, it was made in Belgium, as many thousands of Belgian Enfields bear Birmingham proofs on account of their purchase of barrels in the rough having been proved in the Birmingham Proof House then exported and completed in Liege; and it is not uncommon to find Enfields bearing proofmarks of both trades, particularly on commercial export articles. The author, William Greener (1858) was one of the five old Birmingham gunmakers and is the individual who first invented (1835) what we know to-day as the Minie ball, though was most notable as being the patentee of the first electric light in England (1846). Per the article by John D. Goodman (1865) some 1,078,205 firearms from the Birmingham and London Trades were sent to America, 1861-65. Similar statistics are given not for the number of guns exported from Liege, but certainly the value in millions of pounds.

William Greener (1858) Gunnery in 1858

http://books.google.com/books?id=A4TPW7 ... t&resnum=1 (http://books.google.com/books?id=A4TPW796iD8C&dq=William+Greener,+Gunnery&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=HtJK0YC_In&sig=eIRra0uLrCv1ABB1uqcDBCIvqQo&hl=en&ei=KL87StLaF4XAMo6V6awO&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1)

“On the Progress of Small Arms Manufacture" by John Dent Goodman (Chairman of the Birmingham Small Arms Company) in the Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, London, December 1865, pp494-506

http://books.google.com/books?id=EA82AA ... dman+(1865 (http://books.google.com/books?id=EA82AAAAMAAJ&pg=PP11&lpg=PP11&dq=J.+D.Goodman+(1865))++in+the+Journal+of+the+Roy al+Statistical+Society&source=bl&ots=v7Vg67ER1L&sig=XjbpjvJbxj5PttL6j7hASQrRGRo&hl=en&ei=PtM7StfBBYamM7_63bwO&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1

William Scholuer (1868) A history of Massachusetts in the civil war, pp219-20

http://books.google.com/books?id=4gkTAA ... t&resnum=9 (http://books.google.com/books?id=4gkTAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA219&lpg=PA219&dq=Birmingham+Small+Arms+Trade+chairman+Goodman,+1 865&source=bl&ots=9vtqF77j2V&sig=h_S39EQvc_jtCnNoRGgmbIGJC5w&hl=en&ei=Gs87SsftMYaaMreh-aAO&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9)

Marcellus Hartley (1903) A Brief Memoir

http://www.archive.org/stream/marcellus ... f_djvu.txt (http://www.archive.org/stream/marcellushartley00jwhf/marcellushartley00jwhf_djvu.txt)

“Artifex� and “Opifex� (1907) The Causes in Decay in a British Industry

http://books.google.com/books?id=R9jl0Z ... 0%9D+(1907 (http://books.google.com/books?id=R9jl0Zt_LAoC&dq=%E2%80%9CArtifex%E2%80%9D+and+%E2%80%9COpifex%E 2%80%9D+(1907))+The+Causes+in+Decay+in+a+British+I ndustry&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=N7-Qm3HBm5&sig=V2zbSFBO0BylMyWMaD-Uyrrd090&hl=en&ei=lMA7SqeSFo2gMsLF5aAO&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5

William W. Greener (1907) The Gun and Its Development

http://books.google.com/books?id=3HMCAA ... ener+(1907 (http://books.google.com/books?id=3HMCAAAAYAAJ&pg=PR7&lpg=PR7&dq=W.+W.+Greener+(1907))+The+Gun+and+Its+Developme nt&source=bl&ots=W6UWDvyY0f&sig=27A7U_rZPmrNKDr20xRN-8f1JVk&hl=en&ei=wsA7Svn8DabAMpT4mMMO&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1[/i]

[medbill]

Thank you, I have a lot of reading to do! I found it interesting because the lock has the the crown, date and tower stamped on it. This explains a lot to me.

Thank you for going to the trouble to answer in such detail, its greatly appreciated.

Billy

[Southron Sr.]

British Ordnance placed orders for P-53 Enfields to be manufactured in not only England, but also Belgium and France by various contractors. After their service career, many of these arms were sold on the surplus market.

Generally, Belgian Enfields had dates that were stamped in ITALIC letters.

[le piaf]

British Ordnance placed orders for P-53 Enfields to be manufactured in not only England, but also Belgium and France by various contractors. After their service career, many of these arms were sold on the surplus market.

Generally, Belgian Enfields had dates that were stamped in ITALIC letters.
In France the most known sub-contractor is "Escoffier Ã* St Etienne" .
His "two band" was very often issued by our rural milice after the prussian war of 1870.
Theses "two bands" , made by a famous gunmaker are nice guns.
On the same design , Escoffier make also target rifles for civilian market ( but they are not copy of volunteers or whitworth Enfield rifles)

[curry]

I have a belgium enfield that the union contracted to buy 5000 in 1861 it still has th original eagle and sheild crest on the stock. jim 37th ga