1856 Tower Musket proof marks

[loiner1965]

i have been informed it is this......35th Battalion Kent Volunteers, formed at Westerham in 1860

[tacfoley]

Can't help you much, except to say that the first line V indicates that the arm was originally issued to a Volunteer unit - K35. I'm doing a bit of digging for that one, but it clearly shows that this arm was ORIGINALLY a .58" cal arm that was bored out to the new dimension as a shotgun. The '25' is the rack number in the armoury.

[tacfoley]

i have been informed it is this......35th Battalion Kent Volunteers, formed at Westerham in 1860

Beat me! Well done that man!!

[loiner1965]

Beat me! Well done that man!!

cheers tac but i cannot take the credit as i asked others on another forum.
it as been comfirmed by the most knowledgeble man on this planet......the master himself....bill curtiss

[enfield2band]

i have been informed it is this......35th Battalion Kent Volunteers, formed at Westerham in 1860

Thats interesting. I wonder if it was one intended for Indian troops, or, from after, the Indian Mutiny?

The British only issued smoothbores to the Indian Regimnets after the mutiny.

[tacfoley]

After the change to the short-lived Snider had taken place, there were still tens of thousands of P53 in armouries all over the British Isles. Many of them were sold out of service, as the one belonging to Mr Huttles was - hence the SOOS - 'sold out of service' stamp I noted in one of my earlier posts here - post #3. I don't think that this one ever went to India...

[Huttles94]

Thanks for all the replies.

I now have a decent history of the gun. And even better, if I were to shoot it one day, I would only need a sgc due to it being rebored as a shogun. Much easier than a FAC thats for sure.

Thanks all.

[enfield2band]

Thanks for all the replies.

I now have a decent history of the gun. And even better, if I were to shoot it one day, I would only need a sgc due to it being rebored as a shogun. Much easier than a FAC thats for sure.

Thanks all.

Make sure the barrel is not less than 24" or it will have to go on an FAC.

A friend of mine recently bought an Indian musket (smoothbore) that was bored to .600". The barrel is less than 24" so he will have put it on FAC when he starts using it.