This original Enfield is a shooter's dream musket! The previous owner of this Tipping & Lawden Enfield intended to skirmish with it when he purchased it from an antique shop in Kansas last year. Shortly after it was purchased the barrel was sent off to Bob Hoyt to be relined. When the relining work was completed the musket was reassembled and taken to the range to be test fired. When the first shot was fired, tragedy struck, and the stock splintered and split diagonally through the lock mortise and the wrist so badly that the stock was deemed damaged beyond repair. Disheartened, the previous owner boxed up the rifle and sold it to us.
Our original intent was to part-out the musket and sell its components individually, but upon seeing it in person, we realized that the components were in such excellent condition that it would be criminal to separate them. So we sent the components, along with a Dunlap English Walnut stock, to Steve Krolick.
Steve re stocked the musket using the original broken stock as a pattern to insure that the dimensions were correct. He then stained and antiqued the stock to make it match the patined parts. The resulting musket is a beautifully restocked Tipping & Lawden Birmingham Contract Enfield utilizing all original parts.
The musket is in beautiful condition from top to bottom. The lock is excellent with a beautifully smooth action that holds solid on both full and half cock. The stamps are deep and legible and the original color case hardened finish has patined to a beautiful, untouched, blue-brown.
The barrel retains most of its original bluing with no rust or pitting. The stamps are deep and legible. The front and rear sights are both original and in excellent condition. The bore is newly relined by Bob Hoyt (only one shot was fired through the barrel before the original stock split). The bore is as clean as a whistle and the rifling is as sharp and as crisp as can be.
All the hardware is original and matching. The brass components have a great patina and the barrel bands retain much of their original finish. The ramrod is an American-made reproduction which was lightly patined to match the rest of the musket.
The stock is brand new and in perfect condition. Steve copied the dimensions of the original stock exactly before staining and patining it to match the hardware. We also stamped the stock with the same Tipping & Lawden and BSAT stamps found on the original.
This musket would be a perfect choice for a skirmisher or reenactor. Its newly relined barrel and new stock will insure both accuracy and strength. This would also be a great musket for a collector as original Enfields in similar condition often sell for $2500 to $2700. The benefit of this musket is that its not a built-up parts gun, but a meticulously restocked original.
