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1862 Green Brothers Patent Breech Loader


In 1860 Green Brother, C.E. AND J., took out a provisional patent on a breech loader and in 1862 received the full patent. Reilly produced one (surviving) gun on the Green brothers patent which he serial numbered. In 1865 the Green brothers (possibly with Reilly as a silent partner?) submitted the gun for testing when British Ordinance, panicked by the 1864 Prussian victory over the Danes using breech-loading needle fire guns, decided Britain needed a breech loader. The Green Bros gun did very well but ultimately lost out to the Snider Enfield.

13333. .577 percussion cap breech loader on the Green Brothers Patent marked E.M Reilly & Co., 502 New Oxford St., London on the rib behind the ladder sight and on the bolt. On the bolt also is Reilly's name and address along with Green Bros' with license #23 - one of the first produced. This is an 1862 Green Brothers Patent gun one of the first - serial numbered by Reilly and appropriately engraved. As such it is a definitive date "marker" for serial numbers. Edit: Per subsequent post, Reilly did not start manufacturing this gun until April 1864...it was trialed in June. Thus 13333 should have been made about May 1864.

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1866 Snider Enfield


In early 1864 the armies of Europe were shocked by the decisive victory the Prussian Dreyse Needle Guns brought during the Danish-Prussian War. In 1865 the British began to seriously look for a breech-loading replacement of their Enfield 1853 Pattern rifle muskets. Following trials of various submitted designs Jacob Snider's cartridge conversion was selected and in September 1866 the .577 Snider rifle was introduced becoming Britain's first breech-loading military rifle.

Snider was an American inventor who from 1864 to 66 submitted three versions of his snider breech. He never received a penny and died in poverty in 1866 in London before his invention was adopted. It was ingenious. All it required was to saw off the back of the 1853 barrel and screw on the Snider breech. Ammunition gave some initial problems but was rapidly overcome.

Snider's continued in use for 60 years, and were entered in marksmanship contests up to 1920 in Canada and pre-war in Britain. They were issued to the Indian Army in 1875 after the British adopted the Martini-Henry; (Britian after the Mutiny always made sure Indian troops were one generation behind in rifles). They were instrumental in the Indian Army Abyssinian campaign.

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Because of the ease of conversion, a lot of Reilly 1853 Enfields were converted to Sniders in the 1860's. Here are some Reilly Sniders which he numbered; he did not number guns unless he built them.

11651 - E.M. Reilly, Oxford St., London. .577 cal; Enfield type, percussion muzzle loader converted to Snider breech loader.

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15239 - E.M. Reilly & Co. New Oxford St., London. .577. single barrel Snider Enfield.

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16607 - E.M. Reilly (no address). .577. Rifle; Single barrel. Snider Enfleld.

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XXXXX - .577 caliber Snider, Canadian gun. No Sn mentioned. Snider sporting rifle by Reilly of London (no full name/addreess mentioned).

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Xxxxx - No SN mentioned. .750 caliber. African game gun labeled E.M. Reilly & Co., 502 New Oxford Street, London.

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Last edited by Argo44; 09/07/21 04:13 PM.

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