An interesting and rare .577” Ordnance marked five groove rifled, Enfield Pattern 1856/60 two band short rifle dated 1859.
£2750 SALE £1750
An interesting and rare .577” Ordnance marked five groove rifled, Enfield Pattern 1856/60 two band short rifle dated 1859. Border engraved lock of Enfield pattern 1856 form is engraved to the tail with a Queens’s crown over 1859. Figured walnut stock with regulation P56 iron furniture is stamped behind the trigger guard tang JOSEPH SMITH with No.8 to the butt tang and also faintly struck 8 to the trigger guard tang. Barrel struck with British Ordnance proof marks and broad arrow ownership marks has crowned Birmingham military inspection mark and is struck to the knox form with number 8. Ladder rear sight graduated to 1100 yards, bayonet bar with front extension to take mortise slot Yataghan sword bayonet. Rifled on the Enfield pattern with five grooves of progressive depth. This is a commercially made rifle that has been purchased by the board of ordnance and proofed at the tower in 1859 presumably as part of the trials of five groove rifled barrels that led to the adoption of the pattern 1860 short rifle. The barrel of this rifle conforms to pattern finally adopted in 1860 apart from the weight which is the lighter, thinner walled barrel as used on the then in service Patt 56 which was found not to perform as well as the heavy barrel adopted by the Navy in 1858 for their service rifle. In good condition with very good bore, nice sharp stock and very good mechanical order. An interesting rifle and a significant step on the road to the adoption of the best and last muzzle loader adopted by the British army, the 8 mark struck on several parts presumably relating to the trials carried out on the rifle by the Board of Ordnance at the time.
