The other day I received a P 1853 Enfield "parts gun" from IMA. I plan to restore it as close to like new condition as possible, and since I would like to get into Civil War reenacting someday I may even add British markings to it so it will look authentic. The buttstock was snapped off and not present (as is the case will all "parts guns"). The lock came already detached due to extensive damage to the stock, but is in quite good shape with only the trigger missing. The barrel is very rusty and the muzzle appears to be out of round. The nipple appears to be damaged and will probably need replaced. I also received the trigger guard, both sling swivels, all three barrel bands and band springs, and the brass piece on the front end of the stock. I will need the following parts:
*Stock
*Ramrod
*Trigger
*Nipple
*The screw that goes through that thing at the back of the barrel (to hold the barrel in the stock?)
*Bayonet
*Sling
*Entire rear sight assembly

The jury is still out on whether or not the barrel will be usable (it is very rusty), and I have some questions on the best ways to clean the rust off. I gave naval jelly a try, but that will take a long time to do. I tried to find a product called Evapo-Rust, but none of the local stores have it. Is it safe to soak antique gun barrels in CLR or Lime-Away (keep in mind if the barrel proves to be useable I will be rebluing it)? Also, I have heard of machine shops removing rust from engine parts by literally baking them. Is it a problem that the muzzle is not perfectly round, or is that just a common thing with 19th century manufacturing?

I did take pics during the cleaning I have done already and will try to post them later.

First, welcome to the forum!

The ramrod, nipple, and a reproduction bayonet can be found at http://www.atlantacutlery.com. IMA has a nice reproduction sling. For derusting, you should build an electrolysis tank http://www.surplusrifleforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=80&t=62728. The more juice you run through your system, the faster the rust will come off. I like to use a car battery charger. I purchased a P-1853 from Atlanta Cutlery a few months ago, but was "untouched", not one of the parts guns. Here is what I did http://www.surplusrifleforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=82557. I was talked out of shooting mine by a few members of this forum. One told a story about a reenactor firing blanks and the rifle blowing up... At least it looks nice
I hope you are ready for a long yet fun project. Think of yourself as saving this rife from history's garbage heap.

I guess this one's a wall-hanger then. The electrolysis tank looks like a real nifty idea; will an "orphaned" cellphone charger work for this?

Yes it will

One thing you don't have to worry about if you go into reenacting; no need to re-blue, as C.W. rifles had "bright" barrels. Was told this was so the Sun could shine off the barrels and intimidate the enemy! Spent eleven years in the Fourth U.S. Inf. Co.K. Fort Tejon Historical Association. MM

Actually all enfield barrels were blued upon arrival to this country along with the socket of the bayonet. What happed after that is all speculation but here is a link to a great article on 30 years of enfield research along with some period photos of soldiers with blued barreld enfields.

http://www.authentic-campaigner.com/art ... nfblue.htm

Those Enfields are a lot of fun, I have cleaned up two of the Untouched Enfield's with good results. As far getting the rust off the Untouched Enfields I soaked everything real good with penetrating oil and cleaned the metal with 0000 steel wool and had good results. IMA also has replacement stocks but you have to inlay the lock plate it should be a fun project. Good luck and post some photos of your rifle

A little gunsmithing porn for y'all! This is my first project so unfortunately I didn't take a whole lot of pics. But I've also got a Francotte Martini-Henry still awaiting work, so I'll take more detailed pics on that project.



My Enfield before restoration. Note the already detached lock.



Some of the parts soaking in boiling water and dishwashing soap.



Lock assembly and trigger guard prior to cleaning. The screw on that sling swivel was stripped, but I used a saw blade to deepen the groove and it came out after lots of WD40.



Barrel bands, band springs, screws, etc. before rust removal.



Out of round muzzle. Will be going into electrolysis tank on my next day off.

I've also got my lock cleaned and reassembled and the trigger guard cleaned, so I'll post pics of those later.

You can check with JPelot (mod in German rifle forum) but I don't think some reenactor orginations allow the IMA P1853s to be used due to safety issues but they sure make nice wallhangers. Here is mine.

That chain thing that's on the nipple; I think I read somewhere that's called a "snap cap" but what is their purpose?

Yeah even before posting here I was having doubts about my Enfield being safe to shoot, especially with that out of round muzzle. Kind of a bummer, but my Francotte Martini-Henry looks like it's got potential!

Jred

its call a nipple protector, or a fire pin protector on a Snider,you can get one at http://blockaderunner.com/Catalog/catpg1.htm



NORM

Your rifle will not shoot with a bore like that. I had the same muzzle and the rifle threw the bullets all over the place. I found The Winchester Sutler Inc. online to solve my problem. I sent in my barrel and it was relined by a guy who builds competition muzzle loaders.

I have had a Lyman mould in .575 that I could not use, so I decided to use it for this rifle. (mould #575213CR, designed for the PH replicas)
I cast up a couple of sample bullets and sent them in with the barrel. My instructions were that I wanted the bullet to fit snugly, not .002" oversize as is the custom. Accuracy is more important to me than speed of loading. The barrel returned with the bullets fitting to perfection. They are lightly engraved upon loading and fit with finger pressure. The muzzle was trued and all the external parts retain the original patina outside of a little heat bluing at the breech end from the process of removing the breach plug. There is a nearly invisible line at the muzzle where the liner is visible. It is the most masterful job of gunsmithing I have seen. The job cost $200 and was well worth it.

I got a stainless replacement nipple that was made for the English made Enfield replicas, and it screwed right in. I built up the front sight with JB Weld, filed it to shape, and used a marker to blacken it.

My rifle was a cleaned version that fortunately arrived with a good stock and all the parts. It came with a new butt plate and I installed it. I was able to repair the lock screws and the tang screw. The wood screws were replaced with flat head machine screws that were ground oval on a belt sander while chucked in a drill. The screw holes in the stock were undercut with a dremel and filled with JB Weld. After hardening, the epoxy was ground for clearance, drilled and tapped.

The lock was in good condition, so it was cleaned and lubed with Sylglide, which is a silicone based grease used in automotive applications. It does not dry up or harden. The trigger broke cleanly at 5#, so I left it alone. I did deepen the half-cock notch because the lock would trip on half-cock.

At the range yesterday, I used 90 grains of loose pyrodex RS and bore butter to shoot a ragged hole with 3 shots at 50 yards. At 100 yards, my first three shots made 2 holes 2.5" apart and a 4th shot made a nice triangle of less than 3". The ram at 200 yards was no trouble once I figured out my hold-off. (It shot 12" left at 100 yards) I never clean between shots. The bore butter works great and accuracy and loading are not affected even after 30 shots. I am very pleased with the accuracym especially given that the sights are not that good.

I have redone the epoxy on the front sight and I will zero it again. I already have the height measured with a dial caliper, so that will be easy to get. The windage will be tricky though.

I applied BLO on the stock and melted industrial stick wax into the barrel channel as it was bone dry with no finish.

It will be my deer rifle this year and it will be out regardless of the weather. I can't wait to get a deer with a 150 year old rifle!

That's where I got my sling, nipple protector, and a vintage nipple that I hand threaded to fit. It did not have a nipple when I got it. I live fairly close so I just went to his house and got the items. He did say my rifle was a real good canadate for a reline as it really had no other issues other than a bit of slop in the lock work. My muzzle is slightly out of round due to cleaning rod wear and the rifleing is pitted right much but as I wanted it for display I just left it alone.

viewtopic.php?f=18&t=78650 for more info on Tom at Winchester Sutler.

Thanks for the tip on the sling. I need one for deer season. I called last night and they are sending one out. The price is about $16, which is reasonable.

How is the 1853 coming along ?