snider mark III
- Thread starter spencers
- Start date
- Location
- Western Manitoba
De-cipher the stampings - your 5th picture - a Crown over VR - is probably the cipher for ownership by Victoria Regina - Queen Victoria - most all British military stuff was actually "owned" by the monarch, of the time. So that "Crown over VR" would signify that thing was once in the British Military. I believe that your fourth picture is showing end to end broad arrows - I think that meant the thing was "Sold out of Service" - but I had never seen an example before where the arrow heads were vertical - so therefore I could be very wrong about the significance of that mark.
It appears to be a very typical BSA Mk III and I'm guessing it's a short rifle (2-band). Canada received a large number of BSA rifles dated 1872. The 49 on the butt is likely the Canadian Militia battalion number which may be worth doing some research on. Not too much to say about the markings. As noted by Potashminer, it has "sold out of service" markings. I've found that the majority of Canadian Sniders never got those marks when they were sold out of service. The "2P" mark on the receiver (shoe) ring is something found on all new-manufacture (ie. not converted from muzzle-loader) Sniders. The barrel shank will have "1P" and "2P' (1P being the proof of the barrel by itself) and "2P" being the final proof after screwing the barrel to the breech.
milsurpo
milsurpo
Incurable Collectoer
CGN Regular
- Location
- Canada, B.C.
The 49 over 19 suggests that your Snider was issued to the 49th Battalion Hastings Rifles. That unit sent one company out west for the North-West Campaign in 1885.
As milsurpo surmised, you have a two-band short rifle, most often issued to Sergeants. Not only do they have a somewhat thicker barrel, they have five-groove rifling, and are there held to be more accurate than the three-groove infantry rifle. I have one of each, a three-band and a two-band model, both Canadian and both with military history behind them.
Getting these to shoot is a useful exercise, with everything that you need available from just one source, albeit one situated in Spokane WA. Since I'm a furriner here, I'll let the natives advise you on what you need to know to get shooting.
Getting these to shoot is a useful exercise, with everything that you need available from just one source, albeit one situated in Spokane WA. Since I'm a furriner here, I'll let the natives advise you on what you need to know to get shooting.
