Portuguese Snider Carbine
Birmingham Small Arms Company · Carbine · Out Of Production · 1875
Also known as: M1875 Portuguese Contract Snider-Enfield Carbine, BSA Snider Mk III Carbine, Carabina Snider Portuguesa
Overview
The Portuguese Snider Carbine is a single-shot breech-loading cavalry carbine supplied to the Portuguese government in 1875 under contract by the Birmingham Small Arms & Metal Company. Chambered for the .577 Snider Boxer centrefire cartridge, it uses Jacob Snider's side-hinged breech block grafted onto a shortened Pattern-1853-style barrel. Unlike most Snider arms, which were conversions of older muzzle-loaders, these Mark III carbines were purpose-built new for the contract, fitted with a five-groove barrel, an extended trigger guard with a swivelling lanyard ring, and a brass butt-plate with a trap for the cleaning rod.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3200 g (112.9 oz) |
| Overall Length | 940 mm (37.01") |
| Barrel Length | 486 mm (19.13") |
| Action Type | Hinged Breechblock |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 1 rounds |
| Muzzle Velocity | 340 m/s (1115 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 1800 J (1328 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 300 m (328 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 900 m (984 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 10 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Rifling Twist | 1828 mm (71.97") |
| Number of Grooves | 5 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .577 Snider · primary — also known as .577 Snider Boxer, 14.7mm Snider
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Single Round Breech
- Safety mechanisms: Half Cock Hammer
- Features: Side Hinged Breech Block, Swiveling Lanyard Ring, Fixed Ladder Sight, Brass Butt Plate With Cleaning Rod Trap
Base model
Service history
Operators
- Portuguese Army · adopted 1875
Production
Estimated total produced: 1,200 · Production years: 1875
Approximately 1,200 purpose-built Mark III carbines delivered to the Portuguese government in 1875 by BSA & M Co.
Origin
Country of origin: United Kingdom
Designer: Jacob Snider
Discontinued: 1880
Notes
Roughly 1,200 carbines were delivered to Portugal in 1875. Lock-plates carry the BSA & M Co. mark together with the Portuguese Royal Crown alongside British proof marks. Rate of fire is limited to a handful of aimed rounds per minute by the manual extractor and lack of an automatic ejector.
Background
When Portugal needed a modern cavalry carbine in the mid-1870s it turned to Birmingham rather than to its own arsenals, ordering some 1,200 brand-new Snider Mark III carbines stamped with the Portuguese Royal Crown beside the British proofs - an allied nation buying a slice of the Empire's breech-loading technology just as the Snider itself was being retired at home.