Tower musket

**efritz** · 03-12-2023

I will be taking a tower 3 band musket to Baltimore gun show next weekend. It isn?t mine but for sale. 2 flaws are incorrect front band and ramrod. Bore is very poor. Quite possible there was an attempt to make it a smoothbore for shotgun as barrel wall thickness is very thin but still some rifling present. I found it interesting underneath on the bottom of the barrel Greener stamped. There were some numbers present. Noticeably a 29 on the barrel next to the breech plug and a 29 on the breech plug. Confusing me. If a s/n. Is it 29 or 2929. Anyhow a search of the internet for Greener revealed a William Greener in 1800s maker of fine shotguns. He also had a son that was old enough he was working on guns. Both around the civil war period. Eventually Webley joined in there venture later to become Webley and Scott. Makers of fine shotguns.

Does anyone have additional info on this matter about the tower and Geener?

fyi. I also will be taking a very nice colt 3 band special contract musket and an 1835 harpers ferry original flint. Very nice piece. Wood was redone but still very nice.

going to Baltimore Saturday.

**Muley Gil** · 03-13-2023

Can you post pictures of the stampings on the breech? The Brits marked these by gauge & most of the ones I've seen were "24" and "25". IIRC, "25" is the equivalent of .577".

**efritz** · 03-13-2023

https://www.n-ssa.net/vbforum/newrep...4820&noquote=1

pic not that good but greener stamped. Also what may look like a crown stamp. 29 29 stamped on barrel and breech plug. I did see the 25 26 stamped upside down on side opposite bolster.

so who made Tower muskets.

**Muley Gil** · 03-13-2023

Enfield marked rifle muskets went to the British military. Tower marked rifle muskets were sold to volunteer corps within the British Empire and to the Confederacy and the Union. Many different contractors built Tower marked weapons. John Holland will hopefully chime in on this thread and provide a list of these contractors.

**Carolina Reb** · 03-13-2023

Commercial Enfields were a cottage industry on a grand scale. Various contractors made parts, which were turned in to the BSAT guild hall, who then issued them out to ?Fitters Up? for final assembly. Rarely will all the part be from the same manufactures. There is a lot of variation in markings, but typically the barrel maker will be stamped on the bottom of the barrel (Greener in this case). The 29s in the barrel and breechplug are assembly numbers so the parts can be matched up after finishing. The lock maker will be stamped on the back side of the lock, usually around the main spring lug. The stock maker will be stamped in the ramrod channel or barrel channel. Often the sights and ramrods will have makers marks too. The final fitter will be either in a Parker Hale style BSAT roundel on the buttstock, or more commonly in the stock belly behind the trigger plate.

There are a few exceptions, like Barnett and Potts & Hunt, who put their names on their lockplates rather than the anonymous TOWER. But, they still used a lot of parts from other manufacturers.

By the way, Greener made some really deluxe volunteer rifles in addition to their knockoffs of regular P-53s.

**efritz** · 03-13-2023

Many thanks guys. Interesting read. I did find a JR on opposite side of lock plate and under trigger guard. Nothing on stock. Butt plate screw slot is shallow so I didn?t mess with it.