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Parker Hale 1853 Serial Number

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GregLaRoche

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I received my Parker Hale 1853 Enfield today. It’s not in mint condition like some of the ones I’ve seen on YouTube. The only defects are some worn off bluing and a few tiny dings in the wood. All just the normal signs of use. The bore looks very good. This rifle was shot, but well taken care of. The few blemishes don’t bother me, because I intended to be shooting it often and would almost be afraid to have a mint condition gun.

I saw in the pictures before I bought it, that the barrel was marked Birmingham England. It also had the BP and crown proof marks. This convinced me it was a British made gun. Recently, I discovered that a significant number of British manufacturing and proofed, were installed on Italian stocks. I quickly removed the barrel and searched for a serial number, but I can’t find one. There are powder charges and bullet sizes marked. The only other thing is the crossed arrows and code. An “L” on the left and “O” on the right and a “1” on the bottom. It’s possible that the “O” could be a “C” or “G”, but for the time being I’ll call it an “O”.

I’ve read that the Italian guns were marked “Made in Italy” behind the trigger guard. This on is not. Should I be looking for more of a serial number?

Can someone help me determine the date of manufacture of this gun and perhaps the serial number. Also, that it was entirely made in the UK, as I had assumed when I bought it?

Thanks
 

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The proof code for your rifle - L C over 1 puts it at 1985. The 1 indicates the seniority of the inspector, in this case, the head man himself. Crown over BP stands for Birmingham Proof.

The serial number will be stamped on the left side of the breech, like this -

1611178082539.png


If it is not there, then this usually means that somebody has removed it - defarbed, in US parlance - an offence in any of the fourteen CIP countries, where it is a means of identification. We need to see the entire gun, not just the shots you have shown us - the lock and the lower left side of the buttstock.

It has been mentioned many times in the last few months, and even today, in the thread that you started, that many Parker-Hale rifles were assembled from Parker-Hale barrels and fittings by Euroarms in Italy. It seems that the wood ran out first, so anything made after # serial#9000 or so, as already mentioned here, will have been made by Euroarms. Barrels seem to have run out at around #14000, so anything after that is certainly devoid of any P-H parts. Your rifle was put together in 1985, so I think it's fair to say that it is entirely English-made. Congratulations.

And while you have it apart, you can do the work needed to make it shoot - read 'Shooting the Enfield' by David Minshall - if you do a search here you'll find his reference.

And BTW, it is NOT a British-made gun. It is an English-made gun. A small point, but an important one.
 
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I found it! #6350 Once I knew where to look it was easy. I first looked for it with the barrel off as well as before cleaning it up.
I’ll be sure and check out Shooting the Enfield' by David Minshall. I did notice a definite line running down the center of the inside of the stock. Not sure yet if it was made by the radius of the barrel or the wood is a little high in the center.
I ordered a 472 grain Lee mould. It was readily available and have heard they are good and no longer produced. It should come in tomorrow’s mail. I didn’t think about ordering any caps. What size should it take and are there any preferred brands?
I noticed that in many pictures there is a nipple cap on a small chain. Is that original? Can they be had these days?
Thanks for the information.
 

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I have a P-H marked bullet mold for your rifle. It casts a .577 minie. I no longer have my PH Enfield, so the mold is available. PM me if interested.

ADK Bigfoot
 
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