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Thread: "Once in a lifetime Enfield" Indeed.

  1. #1
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    "Once in a lifetime Enfield" Indeed.

    Gents.
    I can understand as much that some might take to yelling bloody murder but the facts are the facts. Reality in short.

    https://i.postimg.cc/J0hpFpdb/16.jpg

    https://i.postimg.cc/7ZSnKvYF/17.jpg

    https://i.postimg.cc/Rhrc7XxS/18.jpg

    https://i.postimg.cc/Dy6X020y/19.jpg

    https://i.postimg.cc/TwfSMpqG/21.jpg

    https://i.postimg.cc/brvBrWBB/22.jpg

    https://i.postimg.cc/wT7rpKJt/23.jpg

    https://i.postimg.cc/Qd7nFpfh/25.jpg

    https://i.postimg.cc/0QktXhPy/26.jpg

    No. Your eyes ain´t fooling you. That is a brand new P53 Enfield made in 1863, and yes there´s a backstory to it...
    Yes. They DO exist!

    So. 1861. The shots fired at Fort Sumter got to start the US civil war. LOADS of European arms were bought to arm the conflict that came to rage until 1865.
    Ergo the P53 "export model" was born, still in ,577" caliber though.

    As history has it, as the US civil war is raging, there´s an uprising in Warzaw in Poland and these men need to get armed too. So all in all 900 Tower marked Enfields are bought to still this craving.. packed on a ship and set to sea.
    As the ship is about to enter the Baltic sea it is however stopped by Swedish customs, and them 900 rifles are impounded. BIG debacle of course..

    No matter. Them Enfields are impounded, and as yrs go by they´re finally sold off mainly to Swedish sharp shooters corps by the founder of one of the major newspapers here in Sweden.
    Save one.

    ..which is headed for the Swedish regiment I-15 in Borås. So. This sole Enfield is placed on the wall of the officers mess at this place.. and when a new mess hall is built in 1914 this rifle comes along.
    So.
    There it hangs, until one day the regiment is to be dismantled.. in 2012. By this time the rifle has spent almost 100 years on THAT specific wall alone.

    One of the full time officers buys it and brings it home.

    A few yrs pass, and this is where we pick up cause good friend Bengt gets called up by this former mentioned officers and asked if he´d have any interest in "that old Enfield", which he of course has.

    The irony here is that Bengt has spent 37yrs of his life as a Swedish customs officer, too. Previous to that tho an officer at I-15.

    So Bengt picks it up and all is golden right? Yeah well, just about. At the club it´s me and Bengt that are in charge of anything blackpowder so to state that we know each other is.. yeah well..

    All of sudden he calls me up one day and brings said Enfield to mention stating that "you know it brother, this is really more you than me".
    So we do a barter. He gets my Gallager carbine..

    https://i.postimg.cc/Vv3WwhQM/27.jpg

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    https://i.postimg.cc/Dyxb1DYc/36.jpg

    These are known to be a bit picky as far as fudder, so i talked it all over with Brett at "Paper cartridges" who´s a real authority on the matter.
    He told that for accuracy i should really start with the so called Hay bullet and be real anal about casting plugs to fill out the base cavity.

    As we cut our own molds, one Hay mold coming up..

    But yes.
    This is what they looked like off the show room floor. New.

    I´m at a loss for words. Really i am..
    Last edited by Racing; 28-07-2022 at 09:24 PM.

  2. #2
    CannonFodder is online now Brown envelope round the back Squire...
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    In a word: Wow!

  3. #3
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    Very nice and a intresting story as well.

  4. #4
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    I’ve got a couple of original Enfield (India pattern) so I read the mrs your story. First thing she said was “what would that be worth?”
    [I]DesG
    Domani e troppo tardi

  5. #5
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    Well, she´s got a point.
    How do you value something like this?

    In all honesty, no friggin idea. Not that it matters much either TBH but.. yeah.
    How do you value something like this?

    You tell me.

  6. #6
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    You go on the auction price from Holts, around 800 quid but certainly “used”. Mint ???!
    [I]DesG
    Domani e troppo tardi

  7. #7
    davederrick's Avatar
    davederrick is online now With our thoughts, we make the world
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    Looks amazing !!
    "I'm all in favour of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools. Lets start with typewriters." - Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959)

  8. #8
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    I would think it would bring in a fair sum of money. I know a shop that wants around £1200 for smokepoles that have rust on the exterior, pits in the barrel and knocks and dents on the woodwork, and, in some case, worn rifling. And they sell!!!

    The place I am referring to buy their guns from auctions and sell them at twice the price they paid for them. I've seen what they were bought for, and later, the sale price.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by enfield2band View Post
    I would think it would bring in a fair sum of money. I know a shop that wants around £1200 for smokepoles that have rust on the exterior, pits in the barrel and knocks and dents on the woodwork, and, in some case, worn rifling. And they sell!!!

    The place I am referring to buy their guns from auctions and sell them at twice the price they paid for them. I've seen what they were bought for, and later, the sale price.
    If it's the same place I am thinking of a friend of mine did a straight swap with a cased Colt Model 1849 Pocket pistol, all matching, correct accessories but dubious case for a ... Get this... Un-named smooth-bore musket of mixed parentage with a tapered, almost blunderbuss style barrel, around .45 cal in the bore. It was a wall-hanger at the very most and a scrapper at the very least. We (4 of us) all advised against it but he went ahead anyway.... Bloody fool. I watched the companies web-site for a good 12 months but the Colt didn't appear.

  10. #10
    edbear2 Guest
    And this is how they were shipped...

    https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfo...logy-1.4954444

    ATB, Ed

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by edbear2 View Post
    And this is how they were shipped...

    https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfo...logy-1.4954444

    ATB, Ed
    That is interesting about the crate.

    Do you happen to know where I can get the dimensions for the shipping crate that Singer treadle sewing machines were sent out in?

    Its worth a try.

  12. #12
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    What impresses me is that you are going to shoot it. Too many cabinet queens & wall hangers not getting used as intended is a bloody tragedy in itself. Good on you sir.

    John
    Law of any kind only affects those willing to abide by it.

  13. #13
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    Yeah well, that was what they were intended for.

    Have tried reading up and asking around. A picture is starting to emerge at least.

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