.577 inch Snider

The introduction of the Snider conversion of the Pattern 1853 rifled musket together with its cartridge represented the first self contained breech loading arm and ammunition adopted for British service.

The origins of this were a decision in 1864 to appoint a Committee to report on the desirability of arming the British infantry with a breech loading rifle. The Committee reported favourably in July 1864 and stated that there should be a permanent "Ordnance Select Committee" to decide the type of system and that the new weapon should have shooting qualities at least as good as the .577 inch Enfield muzzle loader and should preferably be a conversion of the same.

Advertisements were placed in August 1864 for solutions from designers and the gun trade and among the conditions was that the conversion should cost no more than £1 per rifle converted.

Eight designers responded including Snider and following trials in early 1865 the Committee reported than none were fully suitable at present but that they anticipated that the Snider ammunition design would soon be perfected and that his system was most advantageous.

Despite this recommendation, the Secretary of State for War ordered that 3,000 Enfield rifles should be converted using the Mont Storm system and an order placed for 750,000 rounds of the special skin cartridge for that system. In the event the conversions were poorly manufactured, the ammunition very defective and the whole trial abandoned in early 1866.

This left the way open for the Committee to recommend the adoption of the Snider system which took place following further trials in September 1866.