Snider: Help assesing condition please? (Photo intense)

[Wrong Way]

Hey guys. I was given this Snider to sell, but being as this is the first one I've ever held, I have no idea how to put a condition rating on it, and don't want to mislead anyone. The bore, while not perfect, is surprisingly good. Shiny and strong rifling. Anyway, sorry for all the photos, but I figure thats the best way! The gun is DIRTY....really dirty. I am afraid to take any steel wool or anything to it (too much antiques road show?) But it needs a good cleaning.

As a side note, the story is that this rifle was actually used in battle...any way to verify?

Thanks for any help/advice/info you can give.

Ryan

 

[JP]

Its been through a fire, so collectors value is poor. Depending on how hot the steel was heated up to, shooting safety is probably low. $200.00 range, salvage value for parts I guess.

 

[Wrong Way]

Interesting....but how do you come to that conclusion?

Generally speaking, once brass surpasses 400 degrees, it patinas into the familiar "rainbow", and since the average wood fire burns somewhere near 1100.....how could it have been through a fire?

 

[Lee Enfield]

I believe that JP is refering to the generally dark colouration of the stock, and the extensive amounts of missing stock material (in odd places).....

 

[Calum]

Yup, worth way more as a parts gun.
There are lots of good hard to find parts on that rifle.

 

[Stevo]

I think $200 is low. I think it would be worth more to someone as a complete wallhanger. I'm biased though, I hate to see anything like that broken up for parts.

 

[sunray]

"...how do you come to that conclusion?..." The extensive burned away stock wood on both sides of the action. The sight and barrel have burn marks too. Looks like it might, I say again might, have been fired more than once without a cartridge and it leaked. Looks like the barrel may have leaked near the aft barrel band too. There is some burned stock wood there too.
This is how it should look. Add the W's, ignore the price. .joesalter.com/detail.php?f_qryitem=3936
A shooter it ain't. I lean towards what Stevo says. Sell it as a complete but damaged wall hanger.

 

[JP]

P.S. Cleaning rod is from a Martini-Henry and is not correct for a Snider.

 

[Wrong Way]

Fair enough, thanks. Any clues to the provenance of this gun by the markings?


So....what should I list it at? I'm sue she has no desire to go the parts route. You know, looking at this gun.....I'd shoot it. The barrel, breech and bore seem fine, in fact if it was cleaned up and had a butt section spliced in it would be nice. But at 10 bucks a round........?


Ryan

 

[smellie]

whaddayameanasawbuckaround??????

24-bore plastic casings and lee-mould home-cast minie balls and 65 grains of powder and you're in business for a dime a shot.

fiocchi makes 24-bore casings; you just have to cut them off the right length and taper the mouths a bit: real hot water and a taper die will do wonders.

sorry, guys, but Sniders are just WAY too much fun to shoot!