It was the British Army’s first self-contained breech-loading cartridge, developed in the 1860s to fit the Snider conversion of the 1853 Enfield muzzle-loading rifle. It was also the first British centerfire rifle cartridge, and as such it spawned a host of later innovations. Its designer was Col. Edward Mounier Boxer of the Royal Artillery, superintendent of the laboratory at the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich. In the course of developing the .577 Snider, he also developed
