BRITISH 1856 ENFIELD CAVALRY CARBINE RIFLE
HISTORY
The
British Pattern 1856 Cavalry Carbine was a .577 caliber, muzzle-loading percussion firearm widely used by the British military and notably imported for use by the Confederacy during the American Civil War. It was developed as a pragmatic stopgap measure while the British War Department explored various breech-loading designs.
The Pattern 1856 carbine was also known in service as the "East India" or "East India Service Pattern" because it was essentially based on a carbine already in service with the East India Company.
Despite being an essentially obsolete muzzle-loading design in an era when cavalry forces were transitioning to more modern breech-loading carbines, it saw extensive service due to the British military's difficulty in selecting a standard breech-loader.
During the American Civil War, commercially produced versions were imported by both the Union and Confederacy, though in significantly fewer numbers than the full-size P-1853 rifle musket. The Confederacy acquired an estimated 10,000 of these carbines, many of which were marked with the "JS / {ANCHOR}" or "{ANCHOR} / S" inspection marks. Due to the hard use they saw and the fact that many captured examples were simply destroyed by Federal troops, Confederate-marked examples are scarce on the collector's market today.
ITEM DESCRIPTION
This 1856 pattern cavalry carbine rifle is a nice example The striker palate is stamped and dated 1857 over "ENFIELD" with the VR royal cypher. The Walnut rifle butt also has two Enfield inspection marks. The barrel also has issue markings as shown in the images. The rifle is text book correct and has not been messed with with its correct swivel mechanism on the ramrod and brass fittings on the trigger guard and the butt, also the smaller sights.
Great wall hanger.
# Please Note
There is no license required for this rifle in WA however interstate buyers must ensure they comply with the firearms requirements with owning this rifle in their home State.
This rifle cannot be sent through Australia Post. Postage will be with Pack and Send at a cost of $150 within Australia.