Item Description
Original Item: Part of our exclusive discovery of antique firearms in the royal palace of Nepal. The great success of the P-1871 Martini Henry Short Lever Rifle had only been marred by the occasional difficulty experienced with the ejection of the spent cartridge from powder residue fouling the chamber.
The solution was the introduction of the P-1885 "long lever" model that provided great leverage for case extraction. In front line service for only three years when it was superseded by the .303 cal P-1888 magazine Rifle the P-1885 Martini saw principal use in Britain's overseas colonial empire.
Official documentation tells us that approximately 100,000 Pattern C MkIV Martini Henry rifles were ever produced.
Approximate MKIV Production numbers:
Pattern A- 22,000
Pattern B- 40,000
Pattern C- 100,000
Every MKIV Martini-Henry rifle bears a date within the 1880's.
Martini Henry Pattern C is a conversion of the Enfield Martini MK1.
Unique Features
1) Block or Ramp style front sight
2) Long knocks-form (but will be approximately 1/2 of an inch shorter than Pattern B)
3) Two rows of proof marks under barrel.
Below copy is courtesy of martinihenry.org-
With the decision to make general issue of the Martini Henry MKII & MkIII to the militia and Volunteers in January 1885 and the impending new .303" caliber and the suspension and ultimate cancellation of the .402" bore Enfield Martini in June 1887, it was decided as a short term measure to convert those 65000 .402" Enfield Martinis already made into a usable .577/450" arm. The new rifle was to be designated the Martini Henry MkIV at a cost to convert those arms was expected to be 6s 6d per piece.
The success of enhanced extraction of the longer lever of the Enfield-Martini Pattern B rifle was readily adopted for all MkIV patterns, those existing Enfield-Martini A pattern walnut stocks required the brass stock cup re-siting to correspond with the long levers' tip. The process required a fresh recess hole to be drilled and the cup re-set. A purpose made wooden plug was glued into the hole completing the process. As the stocks were all removed there is no consistency as which stock was fitted to A or B pattern, so they will be found on any pattern. Wherever possible the old components were re-used, and the "E-M" designation originally marked on many of the parts betrays today its original pedigree often scored through thus: E-M. The A pattern trigger assembly, designed to accept the E-M's safety was reamed to remove the original configuration, whilst Receivers and butt stocks of the old pattern had an extra Roman numeral "V" stamped alongside the original "I", whilst newly made but un-used components have a distinctive "IV" classification. A new pattern clearing rod, designed to spring into place and to be suitable with use of the new steel jag was installed and the nosecap was redesigned, however it was decided to retain to old pattern Barleycorn on Block foresight on the pattern "A".
Martini Henry MkIV pattern B & C
The Enfields' records throw into confusion as to what happened to the 49,902 Pattern B .402" arms manufactured, these rifles required less conversion, the obvious re-bore to .577/450 calibre, and apart from sighting alteration and re-tooling of the extractor it was a far easier task to convert. These existing Pattern B rifles after barrel conversion to the new .577/450 were designated as the Martini Henry MkIV Pattern "C", or "conversions", whilst those rifles made as new pieces, from new components which were rifled to .577/.450" were known as Martini Henry Pattern "B",
The author begs to be controversial and also doubts conventional thinking on the issue, In my collection I have a Martini Henry pattern B, with a "B" designation to the serial number, several B markings on the knocks form, and B on the receiver, I have inspected 15 other examples and found the same, all proof marks are single line, not a twin line of proofs clearly, a discrepancy, or maybe proof indeed of the original nomenclature, however to confuse matters, the official List of change No 5603, announcing the issue of the MH MkIV clearly states the knocks form of pattern A & B are 1/8th inch shorter than the pattern C, which ever, the new sealed patterns were offered for adoption and accepted on the same date 15th Sept 1887
In 1895 BSA & M Co was contracted to refurbish 5000 Martini Henry MkIV, it is to be noted these rifles carry the BSA & M Co logo, however these rifles have Enfield made barrels, and therefore are not BSA original pieces.
Specifications-
Years of Manufacture: 1884-1889
Caliber: .577/450 Martini-Henry
Ammunition Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 32 inches
Overall Length: 49 Inches
Action type: Lever Action Falling Block
Feed System: Single Shot
NOTE: "Cleaned and Complete" antique guns are often cleaned to order, so these may not be available for same-day expedited shipping. International orders of antique firearms MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services (courier). USPS Priority Mail international will not accept these.
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Mostly satisfied.
Bought one of these after a decade of dreaming about it. Payed for hand select option. Finally got the chance to get the rifle out. I was very happy to see furniture in great shape, especially considering it's age. Metal and finish exceeded my expectations. Minor pitting and only one area of red rust. No biggy. Then came rifling. It actually far exceeds my expectations. Everything I asked for. Minus the big issue. There is a case neck stuck in the chamber. No idea if a recent customer did that and returned the rifle. Or if it's been there for a century. But needless to say, I'm pretty disappointed seeing as it was cleaned by a gunsmith. I paid extra for the rifle and that's something I believe should have been caught and dealt with before selling. Fingers crossed I can get it out and the chambers not rusted out.
Excellent
Ordered a hand picked cleaned and complete pattern C. Waited approximately 5 weeks. I asked for a good crown, rifling and action. Was more than happy when it arrived. Wood was in great condition and had 80 percent of its original bluing. Rifling / crown/ action is lightly used. I am more than satisfied
Original Martini Henry
Item looked fantastic on the outside, but the bore was better than expected. Extremely happy with purchase and customer service. Will definitely purchase from again.
Martini Henry
My order was shipped in a very timely manner, in fact it shipped much quicker than expected. The Martini Rifle is in fantastic condition, overall, I'm very pleased and I highly recommend this item.
Martini-Henry MKIV pattern "C"
Just received my pattern "C" Martini-Henry professionally restored. I'm glad I opted for the hand select. Took about 4 weeks to arrive at my house (well worth the wait). With my skills I could never have matched this restoration, well worth the extra expense. presently hanging over my fireplace, looks great. thanks IMA.
Martini-Henry MkIV Pattern C
IMA were a pleasure to do business with, and their excellent work of restoring the Martini (mine was made in 1887) I received reflects that. Gun had bare minimum wear and tear on the stock. The metalwork of the barrel and receiver was done so brilliantly, the gun pretty much looked and felt brand new! Rifling is immaculate, and looks in more than good enough condition for occasional firing. An excellent service to whom I recommend to anyone looking to buy these iconic guns!
An immaculate example
The rifle came in just over 4 weeks. The folks at IMA work hard to clean these up and there are limited staff, so I might expect a similar wait time. The rifle itself was in immaculate condition with clear details and nice wood. They clearly took care when restoring it. Thanks IMA.
Better than expected
I paid the extra for "hand pick" and added a description of my requirements; then waited for the delivery. It came well packed and in good time. When I unpacked it I was delighted.The condition of the metalwork and the woodwork was grade 1 and the bore was bright with crisp rifling. Great for display and shoots great.
Second Martini Henry
This was my second martini henry from IMA. I had to bother the customer service a few times because of some import business. But it was easy to get in contact and fix everything. I think it is important to say they completed my order very fast and the delivery did also go fast. I live in Norway so its a long way for this package to travel. When i got it home i was really excited when i opened the package. And WOW! I got a nice one! No pitting on the barrel or the cleaning rod. Barrel also looks nice and shiny inside after some cleaning. The gunsmith did a really good job on this. I also see he did a stock repair on the buttstock that fits nicely in. All the original buttstock markings are there and just a few dings in front of the stock like expected. They sent me a really nice example and im very pleased! Highly recommanded!
Martini Henry
Rifle was excellent!! Thank You