Hi all,

My Grandfather has an old 1853 Tower Enfield rifle that has been hung on his staircase wall for a very long time. As a kid I have always seen it on the wall but never asked him about it.

So the other day to settle years of curiosity I asked if I could take a look.

I found out that it is a 1853 Enfield, done some research and I am fairly confidant in my knowledge about them now. But I do know that there have been many reproductions throughout the years.

Parker Hale made some in the 1970's, which is around the time he got it. Now he say's it is a original 1853 but how can you tell?

I dont have any images of it at the moment but Ill be at his tomorrow so I can have a look.

I did remove the barrel from the woodwork and there is, what i presume to be a makers mark on the inner stock just in front of the trigger (cant remember the name either...) And there were some other markings on the barrel but they were sort of faded (Looks like hallmarks, could be proof marks? also stamped number 12(?))

Anyway, so my question is this:

Is there anyway to tell between a original 1853 and a repo?

Cheers.

Jake