The Potts & Hunt Gun

Somewhat simpler is the complex of marks and stamps on a machine-made Potts & Hunt short rifle of similar design, but London made.
The 33-inch barrel does not have a bayonet stud; instead, the stock is approximately four inches longer, the nose cap fitted 1%-inches from the muzzle. The front band is fixed with both screw tightener and a cross pin, and the bayonet lug is forged integral and machined out of the band metal. Located l⁵/a inches
a works in Birmingham and a shop in London for some time during the early part of the 19th century.

Breech detail of three different Enfield rifles. Top is long Enfield with rear sight near to line drawn forward of lockplate; bottom two are short two-band sword bayonet rifles, 33" barrels, which have sights farther forward out of photo view. Word TOWER may be above or below date; numerals may be Arabic or Italic, though latter is associated with Bagot Road Government factory in Birmingham also called “Tower.” Non-British government guns without Broad Arrow mark usually do not have VR under Crown, though Crown is always used. Washer devices on nipples are leather-padded snap caps for aiming and trigger pull practice, usually attached to rifle by link chain.

The Potts & Hunt barrel is a Birmingham tube, stamped underneath six inches from the breech, millward. Charles Millward was a prominent member of the Birmingham gun trade. In 1859 he was a member of the Board of Guardians of the Proof House; he and W. L. Harrison were the company auditors. Charles and Ezra Millward conducted an extensive business in military barrels, and supplied a great many to the Colt enterprise during the Civil War.

The Potts & Hunt gun number, probably of a lot of one dozen or twenty guns which were fitted up by the same set of workmen in their factory, is 8. The numeral appears on the barrel and close by on the bottom edge of the barrel plug wedge. It is also scribed VIII in Roman characters on the barrel bottom, and again with narrow chisel, in the ramrod groove to match tube with the stock for which it was inletted. The initials P& H are on the bottom of the barrel, mostly for edification of the Proof House in London, and on the top left edge of the barrel breech appear the London provisional, definitive proof marks, and view marks, all of the Gunmakers Company. The government crown over an inspector numeral, 22, appears on the back face of the barrel and fitted plug, and again on the plug below the tang, but there is no other evidence of any government inspection of the gun.
All the locks appear fundamentally similar, but will not interchange in the stocks without slight fitting. This may be due to age and shrinkage, as they are very close. Original stock tolerances might have been enough to allow the locks to interchange. Interior workmanship is good on all locks.
The stock maker of the Potts & Hunt gun stamped his name p. wedge clearly in the ramrod groove closest to the rear band. A second workman j. wicks fitted barrel to stock. Between these two marks appears the stamp, in small Vs -inch characters, of potts & hunt. The initials J. n. appear once on lock inside, bottom of barrel, and at the rear edge of the stock face opposite
from the breech (IVi inches on the Tower-Birmingham rifle) is the rear sight fixed base. Both short rifles have identical sights, calibrated on the right wing with elevation marks to 400 yards (1, 2, 3, 4) and on the raised leaf up to 1100 (11). The Tower sight is unmarked otherwise, except for the Government “crown-B-36” inspector stamp at the root of the raised leaf near to the cross pin. The Potts & Hunt sight does not have this mark.
On the right wing of the Potts & Hunt sight is a maker’s cypher, w & s, possibly for Robert Wheeler & Sons, a firm which subscribed £100 for aiding to build the Birmingham Proof House in 1813 and maintained

Lock marks on both sides of Birmingham “Tower” two-band short rifle. This arm appears to be refinished, but years ago, as bore is in perfect condition. It may be what was denoted in records as “cleaned and refinished,” or “C & R.” Italic date is unusual. Lockmaker’s name is —ORD, possibly Ford, but inspector’s mark has defaced initial letter.

Tower-mark cavalry carbine had swivel to attach ramrod to muzzle so it would not get lost while reloading on horseback. Rifles regularly had spring “spoon” in stock to hold ramrods in by friction. Very few short Enfields of any type were used by North.

the lock. This is evidently the mark of the final inspector in the Potts & Hunt shop.