.577 inch Ball Mark VI to Mark X
.577 inch Ball Mark VI
The desire for economy that had driven the introduction of the Pattern V had been carried too far as it proved too weak and was withdrawn from overseas service and sentenced to be used for practice in the United Kingdom.
As a result, "Cartridge Ball Boxer for Snider Rifle .577 inch Bore 2 1/2 Drams Mark VI" was introduced for all Snider arms in October 1868 and shown in LoC Paragraph 1703 dated December 1868.
With this introduction the nomenclature was changed and the use of "Mark" substituted for "Pattern" in the title.
The case construction was changed by increasing the thickness of the brass foil to 5 thou. of an inch and only using one thickness with an overlap of 0.4 inches. Two base cups were used with an iron base disc. The case was covered with brown paper and a single black ring was printed around the centre for identification.
The bullet and propellant charge were similar to the Pattern V, but overall bullet diameter was changed.
In Patterns I to V actual bullet diameter was .573 inch, but with the addition of the wax lubricant the diameter varied. For the Mark VI the bullet diameter was maintained at .573 inch but the wax thickness was controlled to a total of .575 inch. It was found that this produced more accurate shooting and this diameter was retained for all subsequent marks.
The Mark VI was only made in 1868/69.
.577 inch Ball Mark VII
The .577 inch Ball Mark VII was generally similar to the Mark VI but utilised a different bullet.
"Cartridge Ball Boxer for Snider Rifle .577 inch Bore 2 1/2 Drams Mark VII" was approved in March 1869 to design RL 712 for all Snider arms and shown in LoC Paragraph 1760 dated April 1869.
The weight remained the same at 480 grains with four saw toothed cannelures but instead of a sycamore wood nose plug filling the nose cavity it was left empty and the open nose "spun over" to give the impression of a solid bullet.
In all other respects it was similar to the Mark VI and had the single black band printed around the centre.
The Mark VII was issued in both 1868/69 and 1869/70.
.577 inch Ball Mark VIII
"Cartridge S.A. Ball Breech-Loading Boxer for .577 inch Snider Rifles 2 1/2 Drs Mark VIII" was approved in September 1869 to design RL 760 and shown in LoC Paragraph 1831 dated September 1869.
The case was generally similar to that of the Mark VII but differed in two respects. Whereas the cap chamber of all previous marks had been made of brass, that of the Mark VIII was copper. Also, to improve waterproofing the inside of the case was thickly coated with shellac and lined with thin white paper. Externally the Mark VIII case retained the brown paper wrapping but had two black bands printed for identification.
In other respects the Mark VIII was similar to the previous mark with a 480 grain bullet with four saw toothed cannelures, a clay base plug and a hollow nose with the lead spun over. The propellant charge was about 70 grains of RFG Blackpowder.
As the Mark VIII had been particularly introduced for use in tropical climates, the bullet was coated with spirit varnish to improve waterproofing, but this was discontinued by approval in March 1871.
The Mark VIII was manufactured from 1869/70 through to 1871/72.
Bundle wrapper for Ball Mark VIII
.577 inch Ball Mark IX
"Cartridge S.A. Ball Breech-Loading Boxer for .577 inch Snider Rifles 2 1/2 Drs Mark IX" was approved to design RL 912 for all Snider arms in August 1871 and shown in LoC Paragraph 2105 dated August 1871. The title was changed in September 1877 to "Cartridge S.A. Ball Rifle Breech-loading Snider Service Mark IX" and later again to "Cartridge S.A. Ball Snider Mark IX".
The Ball Mark IX utilised the same case as the Mark VIII but had a single red band printed round the centre for identification. Some production had a brass cap chamber instead of copper.
The bullet still weighed 480 grains but differed as it had three saw toothed cannelures rather than four. It was in effect the same bullet as the Pattern IV cartridge but without the sycamore wood plug and with the hollow nose spun over.
The propellant charge remained at about 70 grains of RFG Blackpowder and muzzle velocity was about 1,270 feet per second.
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The Ball Mark IX was the final mark of Snider ball cartridge approved for British service although a further mark was approved in India.
Long after the Snider was replaced in British service the Ball Mark IX continued to be manufactured as the weapons were passed first to British reserve units, then Colonial units and finally to native militias. Manufacture by the trade on contract continued until well into the 1920s.
Bundle wrapper for Ball Mark IX
.577 inch Ball Mark X
The "Cartridge S.A.Ball Snider Mark X" is something of a mystery, as it is not shown in Lists of Changes, either in the United Kingdom or India, yet it is known to have been introduced for Indian service.
To all intents and purposes it appears to be simply an Indian made version of the Ball Mark IX in terms of dimensions and weights.
The case is that of the Mark IX, covered in brown paper with two thin red rings printed round the centre. The inside is lined with thin paper.
The bullet weighs 480 grains with three rounded cannelures, a clay base plug and a presumed nose cavity with the lead spun over.
The propellant charge on one sample specimen was 68.5 grains of blackpowder.