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Old military gun

thequoonthequoon Member Posts: 5 ✭✭
edited February 2009 in Ask the Experts
I got an old gun from my father in law when we passed away, and I have no information about it (history/valuation especially).
On the top of the barrel just ahead of the rear sight, it says "Armi Sao Paulo-Brescia-Italy" and "Cal .58 - 3 dram black powder only". On the side of the barrel by the rear sight, it has "HAWES" stamped on it and "1516" (serial number?)
Finally, on the plate where the side lock hammer is located, it says "1861 Enfield".
The rifling is excellent and there are no scratches and only a couple of very small dents in the stock, so I am guessing that this rifle never saw much use. The barrel is not rusted or pitted.
If anyone has any info on this gun or can at least point me in the right direction, please let me know. Thanks!
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Comments

  • thequoonthequoon Member Posts: 5 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    My Grandfather has a breech block made by Hudson Motor Company. It is marked MK 14 Mod. 5. We can not find anything about it. The base of a 45-70 shell will fit in the shell holder/extractor. It also is fired by pulling a string. After firing you pull down or up (depending how it is supposed to be mounted) to eject the spent shell. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Barrel looks to be about 2" outside diameter by looking where it screws into. they are 1/4 turn threads.
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  • thequoonthequoon Member Posts: 5 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Uh, I think I made a mistake in the original posting that made it appear that both my father in law AND I had passed away. Like Mark Twain said: "Reports of my death have been greatly exagerated".
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  • PearywPearyw Member Posts: 3,699
    edited November -1
    It is an Italian replica of a 1861 Enfield.
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  • Spider7115Spider7115 Member Posts: 29,704 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    The correct spelling should be Armi San Paolo. Previous trademark previously named Armi San Paolo beginning 1971 and originaly located in San Paolo, Italy. Armi San Paolo S.r.l. currently located in Concesio, Italy, changed its name to Euroarms Italia S.r.l. in January 2002. Euroarms Italia S.r.l. (formerly Armi San Paolo) also owns Euroarms of America and is currently imported by Cabela's, located in Sydney, NE, Euroarms of America located in Winchester, VA, Dixie Gun Works, Inc. located in Union City, IN, and Navy Arms Co. located in Union City, NJ. Previously imported by Kendall International located in Paris, KY, and Muzzle Loaders, Inc. located in Burke, VA. Available through dealers and catalog houses. See the Euroarms Italia S.r.l. section for current model pricing.

    The origin of Armi San Paolo can be traced back to 1957 when two young Americans asked Luciano Amadi to reproduce the original 1851 Colt Navy revolver. Val Forgett, Sr., a businessman in the firearms field, and William B. Edwards, the technical editor of Guns magazine, were in Europe as part of an American gun tour, and in search of a manufacturer for black powder reproductions and replicas.
    At that time, Luciano Amadi was employed at Beretta, and assisted a group of Indonesian military officers who resided in Gardone VT, Italy, for three years to follow up a commitment of 55,000 M1 Garands for their government. He was also one of the few people at the plant who could speak English at the time. During dinner with Forgett and Edwards while in Gardone, plans were made to go ahead with the project. It took Mr. Amadi many months to import an original Colt 1851 Navy, and even more time to find an Italian manufacturer willing to accept this new manufacturing proposal.

    Vittorio Gregorelli, who owned a parts supply company making components for Beretta firearms in Brescia, was not licensed to manufacture guns at the time, and finally believed in the project when Mr. Amadi presented him with an initial order for 250 Colt 1851 Navy revolvers. A $500 check started the tooling process!

    During this same time period, Aldo Uberti, also a previous Beretta employee, began manufacturing black powder reproductions in Gardone, next to Brescia. Uberti records indicate that the first Uberti model was returned from the Italian proof house on Oct. 14th, 1959.

    By 1959, the black powder reproduction and replica industry was already off to a good start in Italy, and Gregorelli was followed by Davide Pedersoli, who started producing muzzle loading replicas in 1960-1961, when Amadi presented him with a Kentucky pistol to replicate.

    In the early 1960s Giacomo Grassi, Giuseppe Doninelli, along with a person named Gazzola, were involved in a company manufacturing small caliber semi-auto pistols called Gradoga. In 1971, when Gradoga closed, Giacomo Grassi and Giuseppe Doninelli joined Luciano Amadi (who already had a small gun trading company) to form Armi San Paolo in a small town 25 Km south of Brescia called San Paolo.

    Armi San Paolo grew to employ approx. 60 people, and Euroarms of America Inc. was formed in Winchester, VA, to distribute all Armi San Paolo products. In 1987, the replica market shrank, and Armi San Paolo started the move from San Paolo, Italy to Concesio, Italy with the move being completed during 1990.
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  • sockssocks Member Posts: 189 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Jeepers, Spider; Couldn't you have been a little more thorough?
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  • thequoonthequoon Member Posts: 5 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Wow, thanks, Spider, for all the great info!
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  • givettegivette Member Posts: 10,886 ✭
    edited November -1
    Sidenote: (I can't top Spider!)

    Please note that the reproduction "front-end loaders" are a few thousandths thicker in the barrels' thickness than the originals (period Zouave/Enfields, etc). to prevent denting, etc. and, or course are of modern ordnance steel.

    So, * out, and shoot!!

    Best, Joe
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