Hello All,
 
I'm not certain if this is in the right part of the forum for this post, but none of the other categories seemed appropriate. That aside, just some questions to any of you that might share similar interests.
 
Recently I've become interested in what were the earliest British made (and designed) centre/rim-fire firearms. I've been researching the topic as far as I'm able, but due to my location and a lack of specific source material I haven't made any progress.  
 
So far, all that I have come up with is
 
Earliest Rim-fire Revolver - Model 1863 solid frame revolver by William Tranter
 
For the earliest centre-fire revolvers, there seem to be a couple of possibilities
 
- 1867 revolver in .450 Boxer by John Adams
- 1867 Webley RIC
 
I would be grateful if anyone could either confirm or correct me on whether these were the earlist models of their type.
 
In the centre-fire rifle category, the earlist I could find was the Snider rifle. But I noticed that Col. Edward Boxer obtained his patent for the Boxer cartridge on the 15 Jan 1866. So the question is, what firearm did he test his ammunition in? Because surely this date predates even the early Snider prototypes?
 
I find it slightly perplexing that I haven't been able to find any English centre or rim-fire rifle predating the Snider. Surely some of the American Civil war breech loaders would have crossed the pond before 1866, and surely some enterprising gun-smith would have created a gun of his own design or at least a clone.
 
Anyway, I look forward to any replies
 
Regards
Dave

Although there were several British pinfire shotguns, the first centre-fire cartridge was for Needham's Needle Gun, of 1850. This was a shotgun based on the Dreyse system, where the bolts pivoted out to load. A needle pierced two cardboard wads in the base of the cartridge to strike a percussion cap. Lancaster's central-fire system was introduced in 1852. This consisted of a cartridge base with four holes, spread with fulminate and crimped over with a copper cover. The centre of the base was struck by a flat firing pin to detonate the fulminate. It is suspected that dropping one of these on its base would have the same effect. The centre fire cartridge we know today was introduced by George Daw in 1861. (I own gun No. 637, which will take modern, black powder-loaded cases). This cartridge was based on the Potet system, improved by Francois Schneider. Although Daw was the only exhibitor of centre fire guns at the 1862 International Exhibition, he lost the British patent rights to Eley when it was discovered that the original French patent had lapsed.
The same Francois Schneider worked with Jacob Snider to produce the action patented in 1862. The similarity in the pronounciation of their names caused untold confusion. This accounts for the original Snider cartridge's resemblance to a shotgun cartridge. It was the only metallic, centre fire cartridge system of the 8 types accepted for the 1864 trials. Although Col. Boxer inproved on the original cartridge in 1865, the Committee set up to source a breechloading rifle were very reluctant to allow him to describe the ammunition as 'Boxer Cartridges', as George Daw was in possession of the British patent for central fire cartridges at this time. It was the Secretary of State who ruled that Boxer could put his name on cartridge labels. This added a British dimension to a French-American design, making the Snider the first British centre fire rifle.
Tranter is acknowledged as producing the first rimfire revolvers in 1863. Webley's massive No 1 revolver of 1866, in .577, is the first centre fire design that was not a conversion of a percussion arm. The 1867 design, adopted by the RIC in 1868, appears to be the first practical centre-fire revolver.