Snider-Enfield
Royal Small Arms Factory · Rifle · Out Of Production · 1866
Also known as: Snider rifle, Rifle, Breech-Loading, Snider
Overview
The Snider-Enfield was a British breech-loading rifle adopted in 1866 as a conversion of the muzzle-loading Pattern 1853 Enfield rifled musket. Designed around a side-hinged breech block invented by American Jacob Snider, the conversion cut away the rear of the existing barrel, formed a chamber for the new .577 Snider Boxer centrefire cartridge, and fitted a steel breech 'shoe' housing the block. It served as the British Army's first general-issue metallic-cartridge breechloader until superseded by the Martini-Henry, and soldiered on across the British Empire and allied nations into the early twentieth century.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3900 g (137.6 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1378 mm (54.25") |
| Barrel Length | 914 mm (35.98") |
| Action Type | Break Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 1 rounds |
| Muzzle Velocity | 380 m/s (1247 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 2250 J (1660 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 550 m (601 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 1800 m (1968 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 10 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Rifling Twist | 1828 mm (71.97") |
| Number of Grooves | 3 |
| 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, Muzzle Loader Conversion, Fixed Ladder Sight, Bayonet Lug
Variants
- Snider-Enfield Mark III — Improved Breech
- Snider-Enfield Cavalry Carbine — Carbine
- Snider-Enfield Artillery Carbine — Carbine
Service history
Operators
- British Army · adopted 1866 · as Rifle, Breech-Loading, Snider
- British Indian Army · adopted 1867
- Empire of Japan · adopted 1868
- Portuguese Army
Conflicts
- British Expedition to Abyssinia (1868)
- Boshin War (1868-1869)
- Anglo-Zulu War (1879)
- Second Anglo-Afghan War (1878-1880)
Production
Estimated total produced: 870,000 · Production years: 1866-1880s
Largely conversions of existing Pattern 1853 Enfield muzzle-loaders, plus newly manufactured rifles at RSAF Enfield and contractors
Origin
Country of origin: United Kingdom
Designer: Jacob Snider
Discontinued: 1880
Notes
The Long Rifle (Mark III) figures are given here as the standard infantry pattern. Shorter Cavalry, Artillery and Engineer carbine variants were also produced. Rate of fire roughly 6-10 aimed rounds per minute, limited by the manually operated extractor and lack of an automatic ejector.
Background
Rather than scrap hundreds of thousands of perfectly serviceable Enfield muzzle-loaders, the British sawed off the breech end and grafted on Jacob Snider's hinged trapdoor, turning a Crimean-War musket into a metallic-cartridge breechloader almost overnight and buying the Empire a decade until the Martini-Henry arrived.