Hi Bill,
It is really hard not to be attracted to carbines, and the Snider is no exception. I do recall the development of the Snider was the installation of the breech block on the Enfield.
Some years ago, actually in my early collecting days, one of my favorite movies was "King, of the Khyber Rifles" based of course on the Talbot Mundy novel, in turn based on the memoirs of Sir Robert Warburton, "Eighteen Years in the Khyber". My curiosity naively led me to wondering what kind of rifles would 'Khyber Rifles' have been. The ensuing research left me hopelessly empassioned with studying everything about the British Raj, and discovering that the 'Khyber Rifles' were not a type of gun, but a specialized unit of tribal police effectively patrolling the Khyber Pass region.
I also discovered that the rifles used, after the tribesmen gave up thier trusty jezails, would presumably have been the early Snider rifles after they were being replaced by the Martini-Henry's.
It really became fascinating studying the history of the Raj, particularly the Northwest Frontier, and these guns are distinctly representative of much of its history.
In another note, regarding the howdah pistol, it is interesting that many of the early pistols used for this purpose were actually sawed off .577 Sniders, probably of course the rifles, not the carbines though.
Richard, great story on the 'Lazarus' gun! and I have very much admired the work you have constantly done to save these old warriors! I recall very distinctly the Northwest Frontier/Afghan tulwar you also quite literally returned to life some time ago. Beautifully done work!!!
Thank you so much guys!
All the best,
Jim
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