Snider questions

tokguy

tokguy

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Drank too much coffee this morning and am contemplated the semi-complete remnants of a gifted ( as in a gift)Snider.
Bucheleplansrifle007.jpg

It's all there and after a few passes with a wire brush, there are 3 wide and shallow rifling grooves quite evident.
It's got a steel barrel and a homemade firing pin. Beyond that I'm drawing a blank on where to get parts for this old dog.
Any directions on a good place to start?
 
Not to discourage you, but to be truthfull, the cost of any parts would severely outweigh it's worth in the end.

Parts from time to time turn up on EE.

That poor thing looks like it was ridden hard and put away wet, as the saying goes.
 
that breech face is damaged you can see the extractor is pulled back with the breech open parts are not easy to come by for british sniders

you have a very eraly pattern of action9 and a mk3 barrel
 
When it was still trying to be used, it must have been having extraction problems, and the breech block was hammered back. As mentioned, it has had the barrel changed. Is there a lock?
Probably best to just use it as a wall decoration.
 
It's got everything minus that front stock section actually.
And while it's been rode hard and put away wet, it was gifted to me from an elderly in-laws estate...so it's got a certain history attached to it as well.
Got to at least try.
I think that I can build up and grind down the breechblock to close enough to function.
As far as original, I really don't care.
If I can get it back to lobbing the odd chunk of lead the size of a Smart car, that'd be cool. The original owner ( now desceased) would be most pleased.
 
tokguy said:
It's got everything minus that front stock section actually.
And while it's been rode hard and put away wet, it was gifted to me from an elderly in-laws estate...so it's got a certain history attached to it as well.
Got to at least try.
I think that I can build up and grind down the breechblock to close enough to function.
As far as original, I really don't care.
If I can get it back to lobbing the odd chunk of lead the size of a Smart car, that'd be cool. The original owner ( now desceased) would be most pleased.
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grindign away the breech block is a bad idea this action is known for blowing open as is making more of a gap would only make that worse what would have to be done is the breech faced off and a new piece of steel dovetailed in and machined to shape.

a new stock may bee needed as i have not see a stock so dried out also see whats going on with the pin and spring for the breech

lock parts can be had p1853 parts are the same. breech parts your on your own i dont know what would fit it
 
Try IMA out of the states as they sell untouched sniders from the nepal cashe. They are extreemly dirty and covered in grease but a fine rifle under it all. I bought one a while back and it cleaned up well. The only thing is they don't have steel barrels but you already have one LOL
You could canibalize all the parts off a IMA snider and make one really nice snider.
Oh and they are really fun to shoot. Casses can be made from trimmed/reformed 24 guage Magtech brass.
Hope this helps

P.S. IMA ships thier sniders to Canada as they are antiques. I have never waited longer than 2 weeks for sniders or martini henrys from them.

IMA: w ww.ima-usa.com/nation/british-militaria/british-antique-guns/snider-rifle/snider-rifles-bayonets.html

Reloading: w ww.youtube.com/watch?v=yQJSNDdesEQ
 
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the IMA sniders are made in nepal and are a modified version of the mk 3 action the lock is just about the only part that will work. nepal sniders also need alot of work before they can be fired unless you get a odd ball out of round cases are not uncommon not a problem if you mark and index your brass. also the barrels are just like the rest of the nepal made guns mandrel wrapped the same way it was done with damascus barrel but its just iron

you need british parts for a british gun
 
antiqueguy said:
the IMA sniders are made in nepal and are a modified version of the mk 3 action the lock is just about the only part that will work. nepal sniders also need alot of work before they can be fired unless you get a odd ball out of round cases are not uncommon not a problem if you mark and index your brass. also the barrels are just like the rest of the nepal made guns mandrel wrapped the same way it was done with damascus barrel but its just iron

you need british parts for a british gun
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My Nepal snider only took a really good, good cleaning. It was 100% complete and I was at the range within a week shooting it. My load is 70 grns of FF goex, milk carton, wadding, gease cookie, milk carton and lee lead minnie ball. I liked it so much I bought another. I have yet to clean the new one. It took no "work" as you say. Just alot of cleaning and degreasing. Kroil really helps but can be hard to find. Again this is my 5th rifle (2 sniders and 3 martinis) all were 100% complete 100% shootable, all just needed a good cleaning.

Just offering a sugestion as to where the OP could get parts at a good value.
Do you know of a good source of british parts?
 
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Mean Steak said:
My Nepal snider only took a really good, good cleaning. It was 100% complete and I was at the range within a week shooting it. My load is 70 grns of FF goex, milk carton, wadding, gease cookie, milk carton and lee lead minnie ball. I liked it so much I bought another. I have yet to clean the new one. It took no "work" as you say. Just alot of cleaning and degreasing. Kroil really helps but can be hard to find. Again this is my 5th rifle (2 sniders and 3 martinis) all were 100% complete 100% shootable, all just needed a good cleaning.

Just offering a sugestion as to where the OP could get parts at a good value.
Do you know of a good source of british parts?
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nope there is no source its go on the serch for parts or dont get them for most of it http://www.peterdyson.co.uk/acatalog/SNIDER.html has some small stuff. almost all nepal guns are i need of something the sniders seem to have some issues out of round chambers being the most common(inclusions are also common in the nepal guns) and the action parts will not work in british guns and even if they did it would be mk 3 only the gun above is not a mk 3 action
 
Why would anyone buy a Nepal firearm when we in Canada have a ready source of excellent quality British made rifles both Sniders and MH's? Any money saved by buying from IMA will be quickly spent on shipping and repairs. Just try to re-sell one of those!! Put that old girl on the wall and buy yourself a "DC" marked snider which is a shooter. It does not appear that any labour or parts would be worthwhile. Good luck. Dave
 
I've owed close to 20 Snider/p53 enfields over the years. Yours can be brought to full military profile and functionality. Very easily.
You appear to have a 3groove- This will be a Long Rifle Model. orrrrrrrrrr maybe some cut down sporter.
I see a II* on top of that action and steel on barrel. A Mark II- iron action and Mk III steel barrel.- This was done a few times when Mk III's were 1st being produced.
You will need 1. A full length stock, . 2. A common Mk II Block not a more rare MkIII with button. 3. Firing pin. 4. Looks like Block pin & spring and 2 sleeves. 5. Stock screws. 6. Brass forend, bands and swivel??? 7 Rod? Do you have a rear sight, brass Tguard, trig mech or buttplate?
I have over the years bought sporterized models for 50-70 bucks and used the parts for projects. So parts are out there. You may have to buy a semi inletted forstock from Dyson,IMA or SS firearms (about $200 to your door)and finish it Or extend your present wood $0. You will be lookin at total $200-$400 or more for this project.
 
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Thanks for the opinions and help all.
As I'd stated earlier it appears to be complete minus the wooden forearm.
At this point I'm half arsed contemplating that afgani version that's been made into a pistol.
Sort of a Canadian Howda pistol is what I'd call it.
And it's got the full length 3 groove bbl FYI.
 
II* never came with a steel barrel, so it is likely a cadet carbine. The II** is sometimes found with a steel barrel, but most of those are Mk.III's that had their actions replaced by the earlier one. You can tell these, because they have a little bit of extra inletting for the extra metal on the Mk.III. It seems to me that most cadet carbines have the II* action, and they often have mis matched parts. I had one that had the barrel installed incorrectly, which resulted in a gap in the chamber. It needed expensive repairs to get it shootable.
 
its restorable but it will take alot to ge it there it be better if you have your own lathe atleast and milling machine on top of that would be nice

as for bushman thinking the barrels where replaced on the mk2 action bucause the mk3 action was not that good i call BS its more of a parts is parts thing
 
Many of the "experts" at the tail end of the Snider era felt that the Mk.III action was inferior to the earlier one, due to having less metal behind the breech block. There was quite a market for a time, supplying the older pattern actions to target shooters. Also the steel barrels were considered less accurate than the iron. Antiqueguy, I have read almost every piece of literature on the Snider. Stuff that was written when they were actually in use. Google books used to be full of great Snider stuff, but lately they have taken down many of the best books.
 
BUSHMAN79 said:
Many of the "experts" at the tail end of the Snider era felt that the Mk.III action was inferior to the earlier one, due to having less metal behind the breech block. There was quite a market for a time, supplying the older pattern actions to target shooters. Also the steel barrels were considered less accurate than the iron. Antiqueguy, I have read almost every piece of literature on the Snider. Stuff that was written when they were actually in use. Google books used to be full of great Snider stuff, but lately they have taken down many of the best books.
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granted the snider was used for along time id really like to find a good date on when the RCMP stoped using them and martinis (some time after ww1 most likely when lee enfields were plenty)

the mk3 action is still better then the eraly patterns not that it matter much for our use of these guns but many of the farmer mods to keep the breech closed better i have seen fencing wire used once or twice also alot of them did get beaten up i think it was dominion who loaded a smokeless round not the best idea they had
 
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