Tower Pattern 1853 Enfield Rifled Musket with Original Bayonet

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Tower Pattern 1853 Enfield Rifled Musket with Original Bayonet – This is a fine example of the P53 Enfield, rifled musket; the lock plate is marked “TOWER/1862” at the front and the St. Edward’s Crown without the “VR” below, at the back end of the plate; the lack of the “VR” is indicative that this rifle was a commercial arm, made for trade or import. There were many British companies exporting these rifles for use by both the Confederate and Union forces; it has been suggested that the Pattern 1853 “Enfields” were the second most widely used rifle of the war. The nose cap, trigger guard and butt plate are brass, with the barrel bands iron. The solid front sight served as a mounting for a socket bayonet, which is included with this rifle. The rear sight is the typical, Enfield, ladder style. At the breech of barrel the standard *25* *25* gauge marks, indicating .577 caliber, are clearly stamped. On the reverse side of the stock, in small, block letters, the name “Baker” is stamped, which is possibly the name of a stock maker or import inspector. The rifle remains in fine condition, with crisp, firing action and a pleasing, dark plum finish, with some areas of remaining casehardening; the stock is a nicely figured maple, featuring “striping”. There is a very small, superficial, shallow, short crack, on the flat, opposite the lock plate. The bore is clean and retains a considerable amount of rifling. This is a superior example of one of the most significant long arms of the Civil War.