Originally Posted by
tacfoley
Remember that if it IS real, and from what you've said it very probably is real, then it will not need to be put on a firearms certificate, which, presumably, you don't have anyhow. It is classed as a genuine antique and it can stay on the wall in good health.
All Parker-Hale-made guns were stamped Parker-Hale Birmingham, usually underneath the barrel, and will have Birmingham proof house stamps - crossed sceptres and letters in between the staves. It will also be marked something like Calibre .577" and 3.5 DRAMS black powder, or similar. It will also have a serial number on the left-hand side of the breech just visible above the wood. The butt-plate will be brass, as will the trigger guard, and the ramrod will be in one piece with a very short head with a slot in it. the other end will have a thread. The barrel bands will be blued steel.
As Tim notes, the P-H gun will also have a Parker-Hale roundel on the lower end of the butt. Anybody who knows anything about this type of firearm will instantly be able to tell you if it is a genuine Enfield or not.
If is is a Parker-Hale-made gun, AND rifled, then it is a modern replication, and as a Section 1 firearm, subject ot the Firearms Acts. To own it you will need a Firearms Certificate, and starting from scratch, as you will be, is a long and tedious process. No doubt there are people here who can advise you best how to proceed from that point, but as I've never done it, I can't advise you. As one gentleman found out to his cost a few years ago, walking into your local police station with an unregistered firearm can lead to all kinds of complications.
Tim's comment about the P-H-made wall hangers is also a valid one. They were, as he notes, de-activated by drilling a hole where no hole should be, thus satisfying the requirements of deactivation of the time. This might pose an added complication, as it will not meet the provisions of the 2017 deactivations criteria, and you cannot sell it, or otherwise dispose of it for any gain, just in case it somehow falls into the wrong hands and gets used to throw acid over somebody's face [sarcasm selected here] or to hold up a corner store...
tac
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