.577 Snider.

[christhurston]

Hello All,Most of the inert rounds in my small SAA collection are made with fairly modern components I think, apart from various dated military pieces.I add what is hopefully an older,more original round from time to time when I come across something of interest.I'm thinking of adding another .577 Snider round which is headstamped Kynoch at the top,and .577.S at the bottom.The round that I have already,has .577 at the top,a kangaroo either side and BB at the bottom.What should these headstamps tell me about these rounds?

 

[TonyE]

.577

Both are modern versions of the Snider, although the Kynoch one could date from any time in the last fifty years.

The Australian one with the kangeroo is by the Bertram Bullet Co.

Original Snider military rounds were rolled brass foil with a covering of whitish paper and different Marks had different coloured rings on them.

Photo shows different marks plus the Mark I and II buckshot versions.

Regards
TonyE

 

[christhurston]

Many thanks,Tony,there's nothing much to choose between either of these rounds,I guess.I'll just have to settle for the one I have,I did wonder if the Kynoch one would be a bit more of the"real thing",but apparently it's not
although it may well be somewhat older.I'll just keep on looking!!!!

 

[TonyE]

.577s

There are still quite a few early Snider roounds about at reasonable prices, mostly Mark IX. I come across them occassionally.

Here are some earlier ones. L. to R,
Pattern I
Pattern IV
Pattern V
Mark VI
Mark VII

Note the Potet base on the Pattern I, different to the Boxer base on all the others. They changed the nomenclature from "Pattern" to "Mark" with the Mark VI.

I am still missing a Pattern II and III to complete the British set from I to X.

Second picture is of Canadian versions and I also have a New Zealand one with a Witney base but have not photographed it yet.

Regards
TonyE

 

[christhurston]

A great selection,Tony,at least I'll know what I'm looking at,if I ever come across any.I assume that the Snider rifle was still in use in foreign parts
long after they were replaced in British service.I do wonder at what stage
drawn brass cases were introduced,there would still have been a demand for the ammunition somewhere,I'm thinking.If that was indeed the case,is it possible to spot the earliest examples?

 

[TonyE]

.577

The Snider remained in service until quite late in the Dominions. Canada still had units armed with the Snider in 1905, but I do not have a date for New Zealand, where it remained popular.

The British military never introduced a solid drawn case version of the Snider, unlike the Martini-Henry, even though these were available commercially.

The earliest Kynoch catalogue I have is 1884 and that has the drawn case Snider listed, but the converse is also true. The rolled case versions were still being advertised by Kynoch in the mid 1930s.

The early drawn case commercial cases can be identified by the style of the lettering in the headstamp, but that is difficult to show here as I do not collect commercial ammo so cannot picture one. If you find one by Eley it will be pre-1920 as they merged with Kynoch in 1919.

Regards
TonyE

 

[TonyE]

NZ

Here is the new Zealand Snider made by Whitney, the company that later became CAC.

Note that althogh it still has the iron base disk, the case itself is a drawn brass cup.

Regards
TonyE

 

[christhurston]

That's a rather more familiar looking image,Tony,to me,at least.The bullet appears to be retained with stab crimps,if that's not an accidental ding I can see.Although,as you've said previously,never adopted in British service
I would imagine that most of the Snider rifles in the Dominions would have
been provided with similar ammunition at some stage.