Which model?

[ssb73q]

Hi, there is one era rifle that I don't have, a rifle BP replica of the Civil War.  I am thinking of either an 1853 Enfield, or 1861 Springfield. What would you select and why?

Regards,
Richard

[Hawg]

I bought an 1853 Enfield back in 1980 and still have it. The rear sight isn't the same as the original and there are other minor differences. 15 years or so ago I could still hit a 5 gallon bucket at 300 yards with it but I doubt I can still do it with my eyesight now. I bought it because at the time I thought Enfields were predominantly used by the south. If I had it to do over again I'd probably go with the Springfield.

[ShotgunDave]

I'd probably go with the Springfield. Mainly because I like the looks better. It was also the most widely used rifle in the war.

[ssb73q]

Hi guys, thanks for the replies. The Springfield is all in the white, a magnet for rust. The Enfield has blued steel parts that would be easier to maintain. From what I understand, the Springfield was mostly a northern gun, the Enfield used by both north and south. I kind of like the leaf sight of the Enfield. I'm leaning towards the Enfield.

Have I missed anything?

Regards,
Richard

[Hawg]

Hi guys, thanks for the replies. The Springfield is all in the white, a magnet for rust. The Enfield has blued steel parts that would be easier to maintain. From what I understand, the Springfield was mostly a northern gun, the Enfield used by both north and south. I kind of like the leaf sight of the Enfield. I'm leaning towards the Enfield.

Have I missed anything?

Regards,
Richard

The south took them off of dead yankees, so by the end of the war they probably had as many Springfields as the north did.

[ssb73q]

Hi, I used some of my Trump money to order this 1853 Enfield:

https://www.oldsouthfirearms.com/Traditions1853EnfieldMusket3-Band.58rifle-Band.58Cal.percussion.aspx

Photos when it arrives.

Regards,
Richard

[Electric Miner]

And you coulda' had an 1842 Springfield in .69 caliber. I'm sure they were used somewhere in the Civil War.

[Hawg]

And you coulda' had an 1842 Springfield in .69 caliber. I'm sure they were used somewhere in the Civil War.

Yes they were. I passed up a chance to get an original Austrian Lorenz for 200 bucks back in the 90's. I paid 900 for my original Enfield not long after. IIRC I paid 159.00 for my repro Enfield from Cabela's in 1980.

[ssb73q]

Hi, while the presenter is young, this is a good comparison of the 1853 Enfield and 1861 Springfield:



Glad I bought the Enfield.

Regards,
Richard

[ssb73q]

Hi, the Traditons 1853 Enfield purchased from Old South Firearms arrived today. Other than one problem, the rifle is beautiful. The forearm of the stock has a 3/8x1/8" deep dent. The rifle box showed no damage. I could probably fix those dents, but I emailed Traditions to see if their lifetime warrantee covered this damage and if they would send me a new stock. Traditions is now closed because of the virus.  Photos of the 1853 Enfield:

Regards,
Richard

[ShotgunDave]

Nice looking rifle Richard. Too bad about the dents. That one looks pretty dang big too.

[Hawg]

Ouch!! They will probably swap rifles but returning it will probably be on your dime.

[AntiqueSledMan]

Hello Richard,

Oh, those dents would have made me sick.
Did you contact Old South about it?

AntiqueSledMan.

[ssb73q]

Hi, the gouge occurred on shipping. Both boxes are penetrated right at the point of damage on the stock forend. The Priority Mail package was insured, but would probably only cover the cost for a new stock, at best. The trouble is that all the original metal parts may not fit the new stock well. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. As a side note, before I saw the damage to the boxes, I emailed Traditions about the gouge. They were very responsive and said that they would take care of my problem. Of course that was before I discovered that the damage occurred in shipping and it wasn't Traditions fault.

I will try raising the gouge with a wet towel and hot iron. Any remaining hole will be filled with walnut colored wood filler and then locally finished with Tru-Oil. I'll just think of this project as a gun kit. lol

The 1853 Enfield was disassembled to inspect all the parts. The bluing on the barrel of this rifle is the most beautiful bluing I have ever seen. All the other parts are well made and finished. I was skeptical going with Traditions with this rifle, but Traditions 1853 is built as well if not better than my best factory finished Pedersoli's. It also cost a lot less than an equivalent Pedersoli 1853 Enfield. The Traditions 1853 Enfield is made by Chiappa Italy.

I have ordered a sling and bayonet for the rifle. A surprise to me was that the rifle requires musket caps, #11 caps are too small. The musket caps were ordered this morning from Graf & Sons. Graf has been very show to ship lately, so shooting this rifle may not occur soon.

I have "smoked" the Lee Minie ball mold with Franklin's Drop-Out and will cast Minie balls for the rifle this morning. I already have 0.575" balls previously cast that can be used with patch for the 1853 Enfield.

Regards,
Richard

[ssb73q]

Hi, casting the Minie balls went well. Lee Alox Bullet Lube will be used to lube the bullets.

I would now give my kingdom for some musket caps.

Regards,
Richard