manufactured Parker Hales of any type currently available.
Part of the Parker Hale legacy is that in the void created by their absence, demand for a quality reproduction of the P53 Enfield has remained strong. After Euroarms went out of business, there has been a marked improvement in the form of newly available “defarbed” Enfield offerings from both Italian gun makers Armi Chiappa (Armi Sport) and in particular Davide Pedersoli. Existing 1st generation ‘made in Birmingham’ Parker Hales in good condition still come up from time to time. If you happen to find one of those, they are well worth the cost. My own Parker Hale P53 Enfield serial number 5556 was over thirty years old when purchased, and virtually in unfired condition. It has since been “defarbed” to more closely resemble a London Armoury produced P53, which it closely resembles since the Civil War-era LA Co Parker Hale was itself a parts interchangeable copy of the RSAF Enfield. An original LA Co 1862 lock assembly was dropped right into the lock mortise and it functions perfectly.
Joe Bilby, Colt Six Guns and Parker Hale, www.civilwarguns.com. February 1996.
Ibid The Italian made Parker Hale Enfields are easily distinguished by their lock plate markings that read Parker Hale in front of the hammer with no date. The Birminghammade version reads “1853” over “ENFIELD.” Neither one is period correct but besides an early four digit serial number, the lock plate is a quick way to identify a 1st generation Birmingham made Parker Hale. Armi Sport offers both a defarbed and (believe it or not) what they call a “farbed” version. Their defarbed version has a few of the worst historical accuracy mistakes corrected. D. Pedersoli makes a very good quality reproduction Birmingham Tower 1861 P53 Enfield which is historically accurate pretty much right out of the box. It still requires refinishing with linseed oil, etc.
Buying and Selling the Finest Confederate, Obsolete and Southern States Currency
Craig L. Barry was born in Charlottesville, Va. He holds his BA and Masters degrees from the University of North Carolina The (Charlotte). Craig served Watchdog Civil War Quarterly as Associate Editor and Editor from 2003–2017. The Watchdog published books and columns on 19th-century material and donated all funds from publications to battlefield preservation. He is
Since 1978
Collector’s Arms 1700-1945 Militaria Specializing in Civil War-World War II
the author of several books including The Civil War Musket: A Handbook for Historical Accuracy The Unfinished (2006, 2011), Fight: Essays on Confederate Material Culture Vol. I and II (2012, 2013) and three books (soon to be four) in the Suppliers to the Confederacy series on English Arms & Accoutrements, Quartermaster stores and other European imports.