Massive Todd Watts Enfield Defarb!!!

[DBURT]

Re: Massive Todd Watts Enfield Defarb!!!

Craig,
Yes, that is the lockplate stamp that Todd is going to recreate for my Barnett.
It will be stamped 'Barnett' over 'London' forward of the hammer, with the 'Crown' over 'Tower' to the rear of the hammer. I look forward to you giving it your seal of approval.

Dave Burt, England

[Craig L Barry]

Re: Massive Todd Watts Enfield Defarb!!!

David Burt will post the images shortly, as soon as his hard drive recovers...here is the review on the Todd Watts P53 Barnett.


PRODUCT REVIEW
TODD WATTS BARNETT P53 ENFIELD DE-FARB


By Craig L Barry

Across the pond in London there was a Civil War-era gun-maker similar to the American firm of Eli Whitney in many respects, J.E. BARNETT & SONS, gun-makers, contractors to the Crown, Honourable East India Co. (HEIC) and Hudson Bay Co., 134 Minories, 1842-59; 134 Minories and Brewhouse Lane, Wapping. Thomas Barnett was a well established gun-maker in the 1790s producing “trade guns” for the Hudson Bay Company in British America, as Canada was known at the time (1). T. Barnett supplied arms, some listed as “Tower” guns, from 1793 to 1818 at which time the firm changed names to Thomas Barnett & Sons, then later J. E. Barnett (& Sons). The firm did business at various London addresses throughout the remainder of the 19th century. An interesting item about Barnett is that their trade muskets were “the standard” that other contractors had to meet. Northwest trade gun contracts sometimes used little language in terms of specifications other than that the musket be “equal to the Barnett” (2). This certainly would not have been the case for the majority of their Civil War-era military arms that were sent to America. In another interesting twist, London gun-maker Thomas H. Potts (Potts & Hunt) was an apprentice to Barnett & Sons prior to becoming a freeman in 1846 and opening his own firm in London.

Barnett had long been major producers of military long-arms, both for the British Ordnance department and the commercial market. The original shipment of 6,500 P-53s that landed in Savannah, Georgia on September 18, 1861 aboard the blockade runner Bermuda included a number of Enfield rifle-muskets which were “Barnett marked.” (3) Enormous numbers of Barnett arms saw Civil War service, many with the Confederacy. To use a simple analogy, Barnett was the “Eli Whitney” of the British gun trade. Barnett was an opportunist producing firearms that ranged in quality from government inspected, Ordnance department grade weapons to “trade guns” assembled from surplus or rebuilt parts. Like Whitney and other gun-makers of the time, Barnett produced grade 2 hand fitted arms that had locks, hammers, and side lock washers resembling those on machine made grade one arms for the commercial trade. Also the firm sometimes stamped their locks with a cipher consisting of a letter B surmounting a downward pointing arrow, which resembled the British government crowned broad Arrow acceptance mark. They apparently did this for reasons that could kindly be called deceitful and less kindly be termed fraud. Such were the practices of the British gun trade during the early 1860s.

Barnett produced many variants of locks, some marked with the crown and “TOWER” behind the hammer and marked Barnett in front of the hammer, some stamped in italics, some reading simply BARNETT over LONDON and usually with no date. Barnett is the only London gun-maker known to use the “Tower” mark under the crown. The “TOWER” mark was more common to Birmingham commercial P53 lock plates. This meant the arm passed an inspection with government gauges at “the Tower,” meaning the National Armoury. However, it is difficult to believe the “TOWER” marked Barnett Enfields would have passed any government inspection with gauges and in fact as commercial contract guns being sold to a foreign government they were not required to. The Crown accepted the “Tower” misrepresentation as long as the guns were being exported and not intended for government service. Locks marked BARNETT on the outside will often be found to have internal markings of another maker, such as Pritchett, who occasionally supplied the lock or complete arm to Barnett; conversely, some locks with standard Tower markings and dates are marked Barnett on the inside of the plate. Some P53s have been encountered with Barnett barrels and Liege (Belgian) marked locks. Occasionally, a barrel is found on a Barnett or another maker’s P53 that is stamped on the bottom, “The Gun Barrel Company.” Those barrels may also be marked Barnett, and may have Birmingham or Belgian proofs (sometimes both). It is probable that “The Gun Barrel Company” was an affiliate or subsidiary of Barnett.

The original commercial contract P53 rifle-muskets from J.E. Barnett can fairly be called a mixed lot in terms of their overall quality. No single gun-maker made “best grade” firearms all the time, but Barnett furnished mostly second-class, handmade arms, regardless of how they were marked. Whatever their various deficiencies might have been, J.E. Barnett & Sons sold a large volume of P53 rifle-muskets that shot well, and they were both ready to supply their arms to the highest bidder, very early in the war a large number of Barnetts went to the southern states. Later, in 1862 Barnett entered into a contract with the Union. In the interest of avoiding any historical anachronism, it is recommended to choose a de-farbed reproduction of a weapon with an early war provenance. The various US model smoothbore muskets were the most common and it is still a good choice of reproduction for an early war CS impression. However, if you can afford only one rifle musket to cover almost every possible scenario then because of supplying some of the very first rifles and rifle-muskets available to Confederate soldiers in 1861, an excellent choice would be a reproduction of an Enfield rifle-musket based on the “Tower” marked BARNETT. (4)


Todd Watts (through Blockade Runner) is offering a de-farbed BARNETT Enfield, largely because David Burt (co-author of Supplier to the Confederacy: S. Isaac, Campbell & Company) had always been fascinated with the history of the Barnett Civil War Enfield. (5) While in America to tour battlefields and do research on an upcoming monograph (pamphlet) on J.E. Barnett & Sons (The Civil War Enfield: J.E. Barnett & Sons) Burt met with Todd Watts at his shop in Middle Tennessee and asked if he could make a reproduction Barnett P53 for him. As soon as Todd Watts got the stamps, he made a proto-type for review and will soon sent it to Burt (now back in Congleton, England). Burt received and will post pictures on the Authentic Campaigners Forum. Even before the first one was finished, when word leaked out four more orders for Barnett P53s came in. So if the Tower-marked Barnett is an item of interest in the US Civil War (re)enactment community, how good is the Todd Watts reproduction?

First of all Todd Watts is not the first to offer a de-farbed Enfield based on a Barnett variant. A few years back James River Armory offered their version of a P53 Barnett. It was good, but for whatever reason James River began making mostly World War II arms and equipment, though they still produce skirmish grade Civil War weapons for N-SSA competition, and also “Re-enactor grade” muskets (at least according to their website). However, they have de-emphasized their Civil War line. The main gripe with the James River “Barnett” was that it had the plainly marked BARNETT over LONDON (unlined) lock plate with no crown but the “fancy” double lined hammer, and those two features would not be found together on an original Barnett. (6) Watts chose to do the more interesting “Barnett” variant that is double line engraved, with BARNETT over LONDON (not dated) in front of the hammer, and TOWER under the crown behind the hammer. This combination of lock plate marks was both unique to Barnett and a favorite of many Civil War Enfield enthusiasts. Several years ago, a similar project was attempted for one of The Watchdog battlefield preservation Enfield raffles, but that particular Tower/Barnett lock plate combination was not available from anybody and none of the service providers solicited would take the time to produce one for me. It appears they may have missed out because there are a number of (re)enactors that apparently admired the TOWER marked Barnett P53 and wanted one as well. Perhaps it is the distinct Confederate heritage of the Barnett as one of the first arms to run the blockade in 1861, though they were used in significant numbers on both sides. Or, perhaps it is some kind of latent fascination with London gun-makers--or something a little bit different from the run of the mill Birmingham “Tower 1862”--who knows? Whatever the case, the Todd Watts Tower/Barnett is an interesting addition to what is becoming the most extensive and versatile offering of de-farbed Enfields in the hobby. This is in addition to being the best in terms of historical feature accuracy, at least among the de-farbed Enfields currently available at this time. If you want something versatile and unique, the Tower/Barnett from Todd Watts is a good choice. Another variant of the Tower Barnett offered by Todd Watts is the early war version marked TOWER 1861 on the front and Barnett over London in the wood between the lock plate screws. This is how the very first Barnetts that arrived in the CS in September 1861 (aboard the Bermuda) were marked.


NOTES
1. Though scant records exist on Barnett & Sons prior to 1821, several articles on Northwest Trade Company guns refer to Barnett as a common gun-maker. Some other familiar names show up on the Board of Ordnance records for the HBC, including a few familiar to the Enfield enthusiast: Moxham, E. Bond, Parker Field & Sons and Sargant.
2. Hamilton, T.M. Early American Trade Guns. Great Plains Publishing 1968. American Fur Company order to JJ Henry reads (in part): “…all (Northwest) trade guns must be equal to Barnetts.” Apparently Barnett was operating in Colonial American territory as well.
3. Wise, Stephen R. Lifeline of the Confederacy: Blockade Running During the Civil War. University of South Carolina Press, 1991. p. 49. See also Tucker, Spencer C. A Short History of the Civil War at Sea. Scholarly Resources, Wilmington, DE 2002. 188 pages. Note: According to the cargo manifests of the Bermuda, Enfields that unloaded at Savannah, Georgia in September 1861 included a mixture of guns from E. W. Bond, Field & Son, CW James, Scott, Barnett, & LACo (James Kerr). Source: Original shipping manifests and documents in the private collection of Wm O. Adams.
4. Blockade Runner offers the standard Barnett marked reproduction P-53. It is not dated on the lock plate so it would be historically accurate for an early-to-late war CS impression, and a mid-1862 and later Union impression.
5. David Burt is co-authoring an upcoming monograph on the Barnett firm which will be published by BRI (www.blockaderunner.com).
6. If the lock plate is double line engraved, then the hammer is etched as well. However, if the lock is plain, or unmarked, then the hammer is plain, meaning not line engraved. James River Armory made this mistake with their Potts & Hunt as well. Also James River polished the barrels but left the rear ladder sight blued, and there is a decided lack of evidence that this was a practice of soldiers during the time period. Thankfully, Todd Watts does not duplicate any of the previous mistakes of other service providers.

[DBURT]

Re: Massive Todd Watts Enfield Defarb!!!

Attached are the first two images of the Barnett defarb by Todd Watts as promised. The attention to detail is second to none, and the lockplate stamps of BARNETT LONDON, and the crown over the word TOWER are an exact copy of the originals. Another exclusive stamp on this gun is the "IC" stamp, which are the initials of one Isaac Curtis, who was a viewer working for S Isaac Campbell & Co. His "IC" mark is found on at least three original Barnett Enfields in the collection of the Atlanta History Center. Documents from the McRae papers show Curtis examining Barnett guns destined for the Confederacy through SIC&Co for the first few months of 1862. Todd is able to reproduce this mark accurately from pictures I sent him. On the side opposite the lockplate stamped into the wood are also the words BARNETT over LONDON, this is also found on originals. (See Attachment)

There will be a 24 page booklet available in the next couple of weeks written by myself and Craig L Barry detailing the history of the Barnett gun making company in London. It will be called 'The Civil War Enfield: J.E. Barnett & Sons'. This will detail the history of the firm, and the various members of the Barnett gunmaking dynasty, right up to the company of J.E. Barnett and its dealings with the Confederacy, along with pictures of original Barnett weapons.
It will be available shortly from Blockade Runner Sutlery.

Regards,

Dave Burt,ACWS, England.

[jppard]

Re: Massive Todd Watts Enfield Defarb!!!

It looks great, can you post some more pictures. I'm having my PH defarbed to LA Co Enfield at the present time I'm looking foward to it arriving soon.

J. Michael Perry

Jppard

[DBURT]

Re: Massive Todd Watts Enfield Defarb!!!

Sorry, those are the only two I have. They were taken at Blockade Runner, I am just awaiting its arrival now over here.

Dave Burt, ACWS, England.

[Craig L Barry]

Re: Massive Todd Watts Enfield Defarb!!!

David:

The Middle TN member of the Trans-Atlantic Barnett pamphlet writing team will be going by BRI this week to look over the final draft of the booklet before it goes to the printer. BRI has one on Birmingham Enfields and another on LACo in the works, too. I have the original pics you posted, seven shots in fact, but those two are the best images believe it or not. Despite the apparent difference in coloration, that is the same rifle in both pics. The color is more like image # 2, but that is just how the pics came out.

The brass buckle English sling we saw them working on in the shop when you were here touring battlefields last month is about finished as well. For those wanting the skinny on their Todd Watts Enfield, new defarbed Enfield models or parts to dress your defarbed Enfield up, times are good. I think the rifle sling is going to be $25 or something, about half the price I would have expected on it. I mean the right brass buckle alone was something like $11.95 when I made an English rifle sling like that for my son a few years back. Anyway, Mr Burt, you may want one of these for your Barnett defarb...the link is www.blockaderunner.com/other/hotnewitems.html. Note: this is the correct Civil War-era British rifle sling, no loose leather thong ties at the bottom, it has a fixed sling loop at the base, waxed black leather. Richmond Depot used to make one like it but it was not on their website the last time I checked. Honestly, I think I am as excited about that sling as you are about your Tower marked Barnett de-farb.

Todd Watts and I are about to start work on a couple Mississippi Rifles. I found a nice old Antonio Zoli US 1841 percussion rifle from Navy Arms in good shape, as well as an old repro US 1841 rifle made by Bernadelli. Todd is taking on the Bernadelli and I will have the Zoli. Found a long range ladder rear sight for it, Todd has the right barrel browning solution, may do mine as a Whitney...at any rate these two are NOT FOR SALE...these are going to be our babies for CS skirmish drill and historic weapons demos out at Stones River and we hope to have them done by the anniversary programs in late December. If these projects come out decently, de-farbed Mississippi rifle variants may be something you see down the road from Todd Watts. The US 1841s have long been a love of mine and Todd's CS ancestor actually carried one in .54 during the Civil War. As you Brits like repatriating your Enfields, we Americans like our US Model rifles and muskets.

[sf46]

Re: Massive Todd Watts Enfield Defarb!!!

... . Unfortunately, real blackpowder is unavailable anywhere within several hundred miles of where I live, and hazmat costs are prohibitive (I'd have to buy more powder than I could reasonably afford at one time, at the rate I tend to use it up, just to justify the hazmat fees!), and I absolutely REFUSE to use Pyrodex (I've had too many problems with rust, no matter how carefully I cleaned the gun and oiled it, after using the stuff, and the last thing my gun needs is more rust in the bore...:confused_). So it's definitely a matter of caveat emptor - consider what you're getting into, and what you're willing to put into it, before you buy!

You could try splitting an order with others near you that are in need of black powder.

A lot of events prohibit use of Pyrodex. Pyrodex is safe to use in your vintage or modern muzzleloader, it just doesn't work well when fired as a blank during reenactments. If you do use it to fire a projectile, read carefully the amount to use. Less Pyrodex is used than true black powder. Pyrodex burns slower and hotter than black powder. In a reenactment scenario when fired as a blank, there is no compression for it. It will fire, but instead of a loud bang, it will make a low bang noise. Instead of smoke zooming out of your barrel, it will simply ooze out in slow motion, and will look real cheesy.

[Todd Watts]

Re: Massive Todd Watts Enfield Defarb!!!

Pyrodex is also unbelievably corrossive compared to black powder. I did a test with it a few yrs ago and was aghast at the rapid development of rust on steel with Pyrodex soot on it. Within 24 hrs there was a fine covering of rust all over the Pyrodex sooted plate. The Goex sooted plate did not start forming specks of rust for about 48 hrs and did not get a solid covering of rust for about a month. Within 72 hrs the rust on the plate of the Pyrodex soot had visibly pitted the steel. It leaves less fouling than black powder, but what it leaves is disasterous to steel if not cleaned within 24 hrs and certainly 48 hrs.

EDIT:: I take that back. The Goex plate took well over a year to develop the solid rust that Pyrodex formed in only a few days. I located my pictures of the test and that refreshed my memory. I'll try attaching them to show the evil results.

Hmm, can't figure out how to attach pics here. I have some if anyone wants me to e-mail them to you, or if someone can get them and attach them that'd be fine.

[Todd Watts]

Re: Massive Todd Watts Enfield Defarb!!!

I am pleased to announce that The Blockade Runner will be receiving their first batch of truly "drop-in ready" de-farbbed Armi-Sport Enfield lockplates this weekend. I have threaded the holes that were still not right and then correctly marked them using my de-farb stamps. As with my de-farbbed guns' plates, I also have marked correct makers' marks on the back of the plates, and colored them to mimic a color-case hardening and to give them some rust protection. This 1st batch has 1 pre-BSAT version with a "crude" 1859/TOWER, 1 1862/LAC, about 6 1862/TOWERs and I think 4 BARNETTs. The only thing not accurate on them is the spring stud which is round instead of half-moon. The machinist copied the master plate with the Armi's stud screw in on them. If that flaw matters to you, a little Dremel cut-off tool work will fix it. You can't cut too much of the bottom of it though or the pressure on the spring might lessen enough to let it pop off the stud. I'd leave it since it of course is totally hidden from view. I do not know yet what the prices will be. Keep an eye on their website to see what Uncle Jerry comes up with for them.

Mr. Smith and I have discussed a process of offering for-sale various other of my de-farbbed parts such as barrels and stocks. He will (assuming we do this) get some guns and I will defarb the parts. The customer wanting to do it piece by piece themself can send in his stock/lockplate/barrel etc for trade for a pre-defarbbed part. I then would defarb his part if it is in good shape and be ready to trade it out to someone else, etc. Sounded like a cool idea anyway (as though I need something else to do).

[Greg Barnett]

Re: Massive Todd Watts Enfield Defarb!!!

I surely do need one of the Barnett Enfields. The prices on the site look fair. I have several original Barnett Lock plates, but a new Barnett will be very nice.

Thanks for the time and effort with these rifles.

Cheers

[Auld Pelty]

Re: Massive Todd Watts Enfield Defarb!!!

Has anyone had experience using "Jim Shockey's Gold" FFG powder? The gun shop owner told me that after firing, the muskets can be cleaned with water. There must be some dis-advantage because I do not recall hearing about it elsewhere.

http://www.americanpioneerpowder.com/products.html

[Craig L Barry]

Re: Massive Todd Watts Enfield Defarb!!!

I have seen the Jim Shockey GOLD powder, but not used it. My impression is that it is not black powder. The barrels of the muskets we use are marked BLACK POWDER ONLY.

[sf46]

Re: Massive Todd Watts Enfield Defarb!!!

I've seen the Jim Shockey as well, but also have not used it. My understanding is that it is advertised as a black powder substitute. If it is the only thing you can get in your area, as others have stated about black powder availability, it might be worth trying some out before going to an event. I'd also carefully read any and all warnings as well as do a little research before using it.

[Todd Watts]

Re: Massive Todd Watts Enfield Defarb!!!

Most black powder guns made up through the late 90s were marked "balck powder only" out of the 2 reasons that there were no decent substitutes except for Pyrodex (some barrels mention this) and the lawyerism problem that overly affects all aspects of the shooting industry. There is nothing inherently unsafe with using the substitutes like Shockeys' or other BP subs. They are however classified as "accelerants" and not "explossives" which means they burn rather than explode. This makes them easier to store and sell from the retailer point of view. However, as accelerants, they often require packing to burn fast enough to go "bang" instead of "swish!" I have used Pyrodex a few times and gotten a decent bang, but find the powder has to all be in the breech to do it. If I level the barrel it goes "swish" and not "bang."

[David Fox]

Re: Massive Todd Watts Enfield Defarb!!!

Yes, Mr Watts. I found in the '70s when Pyrodex first came out that it wasn't useful for minie balls. It, and several other newer substitutes, requires a tightly sealed chamber to ignite uniformly and to achieve ideal burn. With the loose minie ball, it fails to expand the skirt while giving the projectile a slow exceleration with wildly inconsistent results. Black powder gives a minie an instant wallop. In the early '70s the sole source of black powder, DuPont, had its plant explode and there was a drought. To eke-out my hoard of black powder I did what others did: tried varous duplex loads with a small amount of black loaded first to jump-start the main Pyrodex charge. It sorta worked. I still use this formula in flintlock sporting rifles as Pyrodex isn't easily ignited. Pyrodex and like propellants work reasonably well in a sporting rifle with a tightly patched ball. I use it in my sporting rifles because accuracy isn't bad and one can fire long strings without cleaning, someting impossible with black. It's good in cartridge guns, too. I've yet to find anything useful for rifle-muskets for either live fire or blanks approaching the various brands of good old black powder. Having said this, a caveat: new substitutes seem to hit the market monthly, only a fraction of them are available locally, and I've not experimented with many of them. However, the North-South Skirmish boys, who actually wear weapons out with usage, have long had a simple rule for all their classifications, cannon to revolver: "black powder only". I believe it still applies.