Enfield

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The family of British Service Rifles and Carbines introduced during the 1850’s and 1860’s in 0.577 calibre marked the culmination of the soldiers’ muzzle loading firearm.

‘A Short History of the Rifle Musket, Pattern 1853‘ is an article written by Charles Hay, Colonel Commandant, Hythe School of Musketry. It was published in the ‘Annual Report of Instructors and Experiments which have been carried on at the School of Musketry, For the Year ending 31st March 1855.’ The full text is reprinted in Research Press Digest 2021.

  • The Enfield Rifle, 1859 – A visit to the Ordnance Factory, Enfield. [1859]
  • The Enfield Rifle, 1860 – On the manufacture of the muzzle loading Enfield rifle. [1860]
  • War Department Notes – Samples of notes written by G.C. Holden in the mid 1860s covering muzzle stopper, snap cap, nipple wrench and the barrel.
  • P.53 Enfield Production Markings – A synopsis of Enfield production markings to help answer some common questions, with regards to identifying British government arms.
  • The Long Enfield 1853 – In 1861 the Secretary of the NRA sought a ‘definition’ of the P.53 Enfield rifle from Major-General Charles Hay, the Commandant and Inspector-General of Musketry, at the School of Musketry, Hythe. 
  • Managing the Enfield – A short treatise for shooting the Enfield rifle today, covering the rifle, equipment, ammunition, shooting, sighting, cleaning and bedding.
  • Enfield Paper Cartridges – This article draws from Hawes’ work on Rifle Ammunition (1859) and other contemporary sources.
  • Rifle Musket /53 .568 Cartridges – A short article illustrating an original pack of .568 diameter cartridges by Ludlow Brothers dated 1864, and for the Pattern 1853 Rifle Musket.
  • Military Percussion Caps – In 1858 British military percussion caps were issued in packs of 75 along with 60 cartridges. That year an additional 20 Eley waterproof caps were also issued.

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The Enfield Rifle, 1860

The first thing that strikes a visitor on entering the forges at Enfield where the barrels are made is the apparent rudeness and inadequacy of the machinery to its purpose. It may be urged that it makes the barrels very well, but the same excuse might be advanced for non-improvement in every stage of manufacture, and we are sure that among the clear-headed American mechanists now at the works are many who could at a day’s notice devise a far better apparatus for working up the iron of the barrels than that now in use.

Managing the Enfield

The family of British Service Rifles and Carbines introduced during the 1850’s and 1860’s in 0.577 calibre marked the culmination of the soldiers’ muzzle loading firearm. This article does not attempt to deal with the historical aspects of these arms but merely to cover their modern use by enthusiasts. It has to be assumed that the person wishing to shoot these arms can show that he is a competent shot with rifles that are already established as being accurate. The author hopes that these notes intended for the guidance of the newcomer to that superb rifle, the Enfield, will prove of assistance and that, perhaps, there may even be a useful hint to the more experienced.

War Department Notes

In the mid 1860’s a fortunate event occurred, the vast majority of the activities of the Ordnance Department of the British Empire was captured on paper. That is to say that an immense amount of information in the form of written descriptions, original drawings, official printed reports, circulars, proformas & tables etc were bound together in the shape of 5 handsome leather covered volumes.