POTTS & HUNT P1853 Enfield LONDON Rifle-Musket .577 cal 39″ CIVIL WAR
SOLD FOR: $1,226
WOA#:WY240311JH006
Make: Potts and Hunt
Model: 1853 Enfeild (P53)
Serial Number: NVSN
Year of Manufacture: 1868 (on Stock)
Caliber: .577
Action Type: Percussion ignition Muzzelloader
Markings: The lock plate is marked “POTTS & HUNT LONDON”. The left side of the chamber is marked “25” with an encircled “P”. The three barrel bands each have an “x” marked on the left side of the musket length barrel. The right side of the buttstock is marked with a four line address stamp, “x” over “1868” over “Potts & Hunts” over “LOND I%25”
Barrel Length: 39”
Sights / Optics: The front sight is integral to the barrel and is a mound shaped blade. The rear sight is a graduated stair step with 3 level grading out from 4 to 10 with a “v” notch for sight plain.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The stock is “fine” with handling marks but shows great care taken over the last 150 years. The LOP measures 13 from the front of the trigger to the back of the brass buttplate. The stock rates Very fine overall condition.
Magazine Quantity & Condition: none
Type of Finish: Blued originally, patinated to the white
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is dark and the rifling is viable. There is some erosion in the bore. In this writer’s opinion the bore rates 7/10. For its age.
Overall Condition: This Musket length Rifle retains about 10% of its metal finish. The balance of the finish shows wear throughout. The screw heads are smooth but slotted and serviceable. The pins are smoothed but serviceable. The markings are strong for its age. Overall, this Musket length three band rifle rates in about Very good condition.
Mechanics: The action functions Correctly. We did not fire this rifle. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance requirements.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: none
Our Assessment: Here we present an antique Potts & Hunt Pattern 1853 Enfield Percussion Rifle-Musket, made in London, England circa the 1860s. The Enfield 1853 rifle-musket was used by both the North and the South in the American Civil War and was the second most widely used infantry weapon in the war, surpassed only by the Springfield Model 1861 Rifled Musket. The Confederates imported more Enfields during the course of the war than any other small arm, buying from private contractors and gun runners. It has been estimated that over 900,000 P53 Enfields were imported into America and saw service in every major engagement of the war.
One of the London based arms makers that has always had a strong Civil War association was the firm Potts & Hunt. The firm of Potts & Hunt was established in London in 1854. The lineage of this gunmaking firm went back to Thomas Potts, who operated the firm from 1828 through 1847 and was succeeded by his son, Thomas Henry Potts in 1848. In 1854, Thomas H. Potts and Thomas Hunt formed a partnership known as Potts & Hunt, and that partnership remained in business beyond the end of the Civil War in 1867, when the partners split up and went their own ways. Research shows that much of Potts & Hunt’s commercial production of Enfield rifle muskets that were manufactured in the early 1860s was sold to both Confederate and U.S. buyers during the course of the American Civil War, though these Potts & Hunt rifles have historically been characterized as “Most likely Confederate”.
The Pattern 1853 was Britain’s adopted rifle from 1853 until the Snider system was adopted to transform arms into breech-loaders. In addition to its use around the world with the British military, this was one of the most popular arms for the infantry during the American Civil War.
The overall condition is Very Good. Barrel is 39 inches. Light patina. The action is strong. The bore is untouched with good rifling. The stock has a lot of scratches that show field use,otherwise whole and sound.Own an original piece of history. This is a legitimate antique and not a reproduction.Barrel is 39 inches.Overall condition can be seen in photos. Please look at those and enjoy the auction.-K.F.
