Three very nice Civil War era rifles up for auction, but you’d better have some extra cash as I think all their estimates are rather low. Nevertheless these are fine examples of the British arms used by both sides but the more so by the Confederacy. However, none of these have any actual connection to the conflict.
An R. T. Pritchett contract 3-band Enfield. Pritchett was the inventor of the smooth-sided Pritchett bullet used by the British Army and by American forces when they used British ammo. Pritchett was also an entrepreneur and arms manufacturer in his own right, with his factory in London. All Enfields used in the Late Unpleasantness were contract models like this made by various contractors, not actual Enfields made at the Enfield works, all of which went to the British government.
A Volunteer rifle made by the London Armoury Company. LAC rifles were very high quality and unlike most had fully interchangeable parts. This rifle was the cream of the crop and would have been something a gentleman Volunteer would have purchased. It has a finely checkered walnut stock and is made more like a sporting rifle than a military arm. A fair number of these made it to the Confederacy, and lucky was the man who carried one.
Finally, a really nice Whitworth target rifle (below).
The Whitworth, which served as a superlative Confederate sharpshooter’s rifle, needs no introduction. Bill Adams says it’s an army target rifle and as you can see it comes with a tang target rear sight and a globe front sight. Like the LAC it is finished more as a sporting arm, as you can see below.
All these are up for grabs at the Rock Island Action Company in mid-September.
Full Disclosure: Other than having entered a few unsuccessful bids at some of their auctions I have no connection with RIA and get no perks or benefits. However I’d like to thank them for permitting me to post these images and providing me with h-res copies.
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