SniderEnfield

Snider-Enfield refers to a family of breech-loading rifles produced in the 1860s for the British Army, based on the Pattern 1853 Enfield rifle-musket. The system introduced a hinged breech-block conversion that replaced the muzzle-loading mechanism and allowed a metallic cartridge to be loaded from the breech. The standard cartridge was around .577 caliber and used a central-fire primer; when the breech was closed, the hammer struck the primer to fire the cartridge. The conversion could be fitted to rifle and carbine lengths, giving a longer service life to the Enfield action while eliminating the need for a separate percussion cap.

Development and adoption: The Snider breech system was developed to provide a quicker, more reliable method of field reloading than the traditional percussion-primed Enfield. After testing, it was adopted by the British Army in the mid-1860s and produced at Enfield and other contractors. The effect was to extend the service life of the Pattern 1853 action while newer rifles were developed.

Operational use: Snider-Enfield rifles were issued widely within the British Empire and saw service in various colonial theaters during the 1860s and 1870s. They were gradually superseded by the Martini-Henry rifle and later breech-loaders, but remained in use in secondary roles for some years.