Featured in this lot we have an Enfield model 1862 Tower percussion cap rifled musket chambered in .58 caliber. The rifle displays a 38 1/2" round barrel, walnut stock, adjustable rear sight, brass butt plate and trigger guard, lock plate, and blue'd finish. The Tower British .58 caliber rifled musket was ordered by the thousands and delivered mainly to the Confederacy during the Civil War. This finely made weapon saw wide spread use through the entire conflict. After the war, many of these Tower muskets were retained by the soldiers who were issued them and many of these went West with the thousands of Ex-Confederate soldiers who did not want to remain in the defeated South during Reconstruction. According to the book Arming The West: A Fresh New Look at the Guns that were Actually Carried on the Frontier, “Myth-busting details from the Western shipping records of firearms giant Schuyler, Hartley & Graham, 1868-1886,” by noted arms historian Herbert G. Houze, beginning in 1868 and continuing through the 1870s, many thousand of these British .58 caliber Civil War surplus muskets were shipped to dealers and distributors in the West. They were considered reliable, powerful and accurate arms for economy minded westward pioneers. It also helped that many if not most men going West during this time had military experience and were familiar with the workings of the .58 caliber rifled musket. The lock plate is marked with "1862 Tower" with a stamped crown design. The lockplate shows good condition with the hammer missing. The barrel is stamped "24 24" with import and manufacture marks. The piece shows fair condition overall with wear due to age and use with the hammer and ram rod missing. No Serial Number. This firearm qualifies as an Antique, and does not require FFL Transfer or NICS Background Check.