In 1864 a special committee was formed to consider converting the single barrelled percussion Enfield rifles; of which the British army had huge numbers; to fire a breech loading cartridge. A man with a breech loading rifle could fire 3 times faster than one with a muzzle loader.

The committee tested 50 designs and in 1866 opted for one by Joseph Snider, an American, who used all the existing wood, lock and hammer from the Enfield by incorporating a swing out breech block with an angled firing pin. Unfortunately he died in poverty in London in 1866, while trying to recover promised compensation from the British Government, and is buried in Kensal Green Cemetery.

 

Many thousands of the Enfields were converted and were known as the Snider-Enfield. They only began being superseded by the Martini-Henry in 1874. It stayed in service with the Indian Army until the mid 1890’s, mainly because of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 the British kept the Indian Army one weapon generation behind the British Units.

 

Some Snider-Enfields were converted to shotguns for use by prison officers in the United States using this cartridge!!