Making the Enfield Pattern 1853 Rifle-Musket

The Evolution of Gun Making, 1820–1860

Peter G. Smithurst

• Publisher: Pen and Sword
• Year: 2025
• eBook ISBN: 9781036106898
• Edition: 0
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: 19th Century History
• Index: History

Explores the transition from hand-crafted to mechanized production of military firearms, focusing on the French Model 1777 and Russian Model 1808 muskets. A variety of factors surround military firearms –they needed to be produced in large numbers to astandardised pattern at an affordable price. This bookexamines the transition from traditional hand-craftmethods to the beginnings of mechanised manufactureusing as examples the French Model 1777 and theRussian Model 1808 infantry muskets. A number of factors led to this choice. The FrenchModel 1777 musket, designed by Honoré Blancworking under General Gribeauval, contained manynovel features which became blueprints for thearms of numerous countries and was copied in itsentirety by Russia. Another factor is that they arethe only firearms whose manufacture is covered incontemporary accounts. A third factor is that theyprovide contrasts in their methods of manufacture;the French 1777 musket was largely produced byhand-craft methods, whereas in Russia we see thebeginnings of extensive mechanisation in the early19th century. Another important aspect which appears is'interchangeability' – the ability to exchange identicalparts of identical mechanism without 'specialadjustment'. This is a vital factor at the foundation ofmodern manufacturing and first appears in early 18thcentury France, was pursued again by Blanc in 1777and was picked up in Russia. For the first time, all these 'technologies' areexamined, explained, compared and contrasted inextensive detail.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Book Title
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• Chapter 1 Introduction
• Chapter 2 Basic Technology of the Enfield Rifle
• Chapter 3 Origins and Procurement
• Chapter 4 Manufacture of the Lock
• Chapter 5 Manufacture of the Stock
• Chapter 6 Manufacture of the Barrel Part 1 – creating the tube
• Chapter 7 Manufacture of the BarrelPart 2 – finishing the barrel
• Chapter 8 Conclusion
• Appendix 1 The Percussion Cap
• Appendix 2 Joseph Smith
• Appendix 3 James Burton
• Appendix 4 R.S.A.F. Enfield Orders To Greenwood & Batley, Leeds
• Appendix 5 Enfield Expenditure Memorandum 1855
• Appendix 6 Official Returns
• Appendix 7 Enfield Pattern 1853 Lockplate Hole Metrology Data
• Appendix 8 Messrs. Fox, Henderson and Co.’s Contract for rifles
• Bibliography
• References
• Back Cover