Parker Hale 1858 Enfield

[bobATL]

I have a Parker Hale 2 band 1858 Enfield with a shielded front sight, chequered stock and no bayonet lug. Is anyone familiar with all the Parker Hale Enfield models? Would this have been a variant made for target shooters as opposed to re-enactors?

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[Gil Boyd]

Bob,
Albeit I have a vested interest in all things Parker Hale, the pre 1900 series of rifles including yours I believe did have the two band as standard and solely for the shooting community, and driven as I also believe by Militaristic design of the period ie the 2 Band Navy musket, and certainly not for the re enactment community, who try mostly to emulate the real thing anyway, and carry the rights arms for the period, in a deactivated but authentic manner.
I have spoken to a couple of the former PH employees and they agree with that too.

Added: I meant to say, could you put a picture up when you get a minute

[bobATL]

Trying to get prepared to shoot this recently acquired Parker Hale and I discovered that it has .451 bore so it's not an 1858 Enfield. I got it from the son of the original owner so it's understandable that he didn't really know exactly what it was. Searching on the internet I gather that this must be a Parker Hale Volunteer. Am I right in surmising that the PH Volunteer is not actually a reproduction of a real vintage gun but a representation of what might have been produced by the "gun trade", based on the Enfield design, for volunteer rifleman? I bought what I thought was an 1858 Enfield because that model might have been used by an ancestor in the 7th Virginia Cavalry but it appears that what I actually got might be considered more desirable as a shooter.

[bobATL]

photos attached

[Gil Boyd]

Bob,
Nice bondook there and certainly doesn't look fiddled with from the photos you have put up, and quite genuine.
I have a large number of PH Volunteers recorded in the PH records all in the 7000-1200+ numbered, some are 577 and others are 451. As an example: PH enfield 1858 2 band 577 s/n 1060.
I think it safe to say they did name them in the early days to suit wars and campaigns but there is little supporting evidence for that other than, the years that they manufactuered them in certain calibres and what was then large quantities. If you PM your S/N I will see if it is in the records and whether there is any indication as to where it was sent.

[Gil Boyd]

Bob,
An interesting fact which is recorded on the Parker Hale files, is that the British Pattern Enfield Parker 1853 was one of the most used in the American Civil War, with the Springfield Model of 1861 a close second. So that in itself shows the amount of weapons that were either already on U.S soil or sent over, which have today become such a collectors item.

It is also fact that the shorter rifled barrel of 40" length British version of the Enfield Parker was produced for specialist rifle regiments, with the longer rifled musket version of 56" held together with three metal bands, the shorter one was held together by two, which is what you have there. I can say, that the numbering with all things PH leaves me and many others scratching their heads. There is no rhyme or reason in this other than, if 2000 were produced, the numbers often started at 500 and went up from there, or thats what the records show anyway.

It also appears many of these rifles entered the U.S via a firm in Norfolk Virginia, so maybe the Smithsonian has some records.
Certainly there does exist documentation to corroberate what in essence was an Army Trials unit who were desperate to move from smooth bore to rifled barrels for better accuracy, and at the same time move away from the issued .69 and the .58 calibre to the British .577 pattern from Enfield.

It is also documented that Chiefs of Staff put great store on bayonet use in CQB and wanted the 3 Band rifles to be able to extend a soldiers reach on the longer muskets, and many 2 band rifles did not have a bayonet lug fitted to them, as they were deemed as I said earlier, issued to the better shots in Rifle Regiments who could kill from afar and therefore more emphamis was therefore put on not having bayonet lugs fitted to them.

In respect of your foresight cover, this was common, but not around that period unless, a really proficient sharpshooter saw the benefit of shading the foreblade from the suns reflection and did the work himself.

There must be B/W imagery to corroberate that in the Smithsonian and I am sure I have seen cavalry units with the 2 banders on horseback but can't seem to find them now.

Anybody who has some I would dearly like them for the PH history archive.

[bobATL]

Removed the barrel from the stock and found the proof markings from Birmingham proof house. The LC code in the crossed scepters indicates 1985. From 1985-1997, the first letter changed each year ending with ZC in 1997. Code AB was used in 1975, progressing through to KB in 1984. There are a couple other items that may interest anyone with a Parker Hale. The ramrod threads were only rough cut. I got a threading cutter lined up with them well enough to clean them up on my lathe well enough to then finish them with a die. I bought a spare 5/16-18 nipple to use and found that it wouldn't start into the threads on the breech bolster. The new nipple threads were the correct 18 pitch but measured .318 diameter. Fortunately, they fit into a 5/16-18 die which cut them to the correct size. The wrenching lug on the new nipple was not square but instead was trapezoidal so that a 1/4 open end wrench would slip on from one side but not the other. Some filing corrected that.

[Jim]

The three band musket was maintained for the Napoleonic style of formations still used in the war. The soldiers in the rear rank had to perform a half step to the right, extend the musket over the shoulder of the guy in front and juggle position to keep the muzzle away for the front rank's faces w/out popping the cap in his ear. The 2 band length rifles would have discharged almost in the front rank's faces.

Concerning the Parker Hale P1853 it's a fine weapon and I have one. I was a reenactor back in the 1980s (Co A 5th Texas Volunteer Infantry, Hood's Texas Brigade) when 'defarbing' the muskets wasn't so heavily attended to. If your musket came a certain way, it was generally accepted as ok.
but, the P-H 1853 was pretty far afield- technically, a 4th model with Baddely bands among other variations, not right at all for American War Between the States w/out considerable changes which I had done.

I won't push it further since the thread is about the 2 band rifle and I don't want to hijack the thread. But, gotta put up ONE picture anyway.
Attachment 75342
The barrel bands, back side lock screw escutcheons, nipple protector chain and bayonet are original parts.