I planned for the worse when I opened the box because the hammer was protruding and it appeared as though it had been rolled around quite a bit. Upon
opening I was quite impressed at first. A very nice looking short rifle with a nicely checkered wrist and a decorative edging around the lock plate and nails.
I was expecting to see a simple two line edging.
Nice grain to the wood and a well fitted buttplate. A few dings but no gouges and nothing missing. A little wear to the bluing in some spots but otherwise a
complete blue aside from the brass and breechblock which is in the white.
The only disappointment was damage behind the lock area which is so fresh I'm assuming it's from shipping. A good chunk about 1.5x1 inches is
completely separated and a fresh crack below behind the trigger. Nothing major as far as I'm concerned and an easy fix for me. (You should have seen the
Parker shotgun buttstock I had to piece and splice back together for a friend last month!) It is dry and it will get at least a months worth of linseed oil
before I dare to fire it. After the repair is done, once a day for a week and once a week for a month. I'd go once a month for a year but I can't wait
that long! LOL
The bore on this one is a wee bit worn but shows good 5 groove rifling. After being forewarned by RichardWV, I looked at the chamber and found it too is
slightly off. I can see a distinct line around 3/4 but at the top it disappears with marks from the rifling broach evident into the chamber for about 1/16 at
the top. This was AC's last short rifle so there is no replacement available (now) so I'll simply have to live with that.
It will need a good cleaning and some adjustments along with dressing the screws. Those are bad. I will probably have to make a new screw for the forward
band. The nosecap is loose and will be refitted.
The hammer will need to be adjusted to strike the FP closer to center and the breech latch needs some attention. I may have to make an oversized
screw/retaining pin so the bolt will fully retract, or bush the hole on the underside to take up the sloppiness. Option #1 seems to be the fastest and easiest
but I need to study things a while before making any moves.
Any suggestions?
Also seeking opinions to address very loose barrel bands sliding forward since there are no band springs. Do I....
1: Pack the bands.
2: File the inside of the band at the screw so it pulls together tighter.
3: Add a band retaining pin to the stock just ahead of the bands
4: A combination of any of the above
5: Something else I haven't thought of?
For peace of mind I'm inclined to add a couple of pins to the stock. However I prefer to stay as 'correct' as possible and if the pins don't
appear on them, then they won't be used. Since this is my first Snider I could surely use some direction.
All told, there is nothing wrong with this rifle I haven't encountered before aside from things distinctly Snider. This one just has a lot more of the
little things to be fixed than some others. I'm satisfied for now (I have to be) and hoping to be very pleased with it after it's first outing.
Thanks,
JB
PS. I suspect this was someones return or a parts rifle as some screws were loose and showed evidence of being worked. Also, some screws are misfitted as
though they came from a different rifle. The rifle as delivered would not have been field ready prior to it's long-term nap.
