Original Excellent British P-1853 Enfield Three Band Rifle Converted to Snider Mk.I* – dated 1858 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This rifle is 100% all British manufacture, starting life in 1858 as a .577 caliber three band ENFIELD Percussion Rifle model of P-1853. The lock is plate stamped “CROWN” over V.R. and ENFIELD / 1858, indicating manufacture at the Royal Small Arms factory at Enfield. This was a military issue, as indicated by the royal monogram. The barrel has copious British markings and proof marks, and the whole rifle is in just outstanding condition. Functionally, the rifle is just great. The lock functions correctly, the breech opens and ejects, and the rear sight is intact with the slider.

The wood butt stock retains a crisp cartouche, something we almost never see, reading R “Crown” M / ENFIELD / 1 with a proof in the center. The barrel has standard three grove rifling and the bore shows clear lands and grooves, with a mostly bright finish. The finish shows loads of original bluing, with case hardening still on the Snider Breech assembly. There is the correct I. * stamped on top of the breech, indicating it is the MkI* version of the breech. This version modified the chamber to have a square shoulder, as the earlier rounded shoulder ammunition would blow the breech open, definitely not a good thing. Later versions would make additional improvements.

An All British P-1853 Converted Snider Rifle made at ENFIELD in splendid condition and ready to display!

Specifications:

Year of Manufacture: 1858 – Converted Later
Caliber: .58 inches
Ammunition Type: .577 Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 36.5 inches
Overall Length: 54 inches
Action: Side Action Lock
Feed System: Side Hinge Rotating Breech block

More on the P-1853 Rifle-Musket: The Enfield Pattern 1853 rifle-musket (also known as the Pattern 1853 Enfield, P53 Enfield, and Enfield rifle-musket) was a .577 calibre Minié-type muzzle-loading rifle-musket, used by the British Empire from 1853 to 1867, after which many Enfield 1853 rifle-muskets were converted to (and replaced in service by) the cartridge-loaded Snider-Enfield rifle.

The term “rifle-musket” originally referred to muskets with the smooth-bored barrels replaced with rifled barrels. The length of the barrels were unchanged, allowing the weapons to be fired by rank, since a long rifle was necessary to enable the muzzles of the second rank of soldiers to project beyond the faces of the men in front. The weapon would also be sufficiently long when fitted with a bayonet to be effective against cavalry. Such guns manufactured with rifled barrels, muzzle loading, single shot, and utilizing the same firing mechanism, also came to be called rifle-muskets.

The 39 in (99 cm) barrel had three grooves, with a 1:78 rifling twist, and was fastened to the stock with three metal bands, so that the rifle was often called a “three band” model.

History of the Snider rifle– Jacob Snider, an American from New York, developed this breech loading system for the P-1853 Enfield, the most prolific imported Percussion rifle in use by both the North and South during the U.S. Civil War. When the British Board of Ordnance appointed a Select Committee in 1864 the Snider system was swiftly adopted with the first breech loaders being issued in 1865 to British forces.

Improved in 1867 by the use of Colonel Boxer’s center fire brass bodied cartridge, the rifle was used very effectively in the Abyssinian Campaign of 1868. The system utilized a hinged breech block with an internal firing pin assembly that permitted the use of a self contained cartridge of lead bullet in cardboard, and, after 1867, brass casing. This highly efficient conversion system prolonged the active life of the P-1853 rifles up until 1871 when the Martini System was adopted. Snider rifles saw continued use throughout the Empire but were officially obsoleted by the late 1880s.

NOTE: International orders of antique firearms MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services (courier). USPS Priority Mail international will not accept these. International customers should always consult their country’s antique gun laws prior to ordering.