About 25 years ago I was visiting the museum in Brecon and being the only visitor there , got into conversation with the curator. He took me in the back and allowed me to hold one of the Martini -Henrys they have ,complete with bayonet that was used in the Zulu wars . He put a Pith helmet on my head for good measure . 🇬🇧

I’ve had the honour of firing one of these majestic things. Couple of observations 1) the recoil is astonishing and you definitely get a light bruise after a few rounds 2) it is so easy to operate and doesn’t take long to get very good at rapid fire 3) the accuracy is much better than you would expect 4) the rounds make a seriously big hole! Would not like to be on the end of one of these. Thanks for the fantastic interview. I shall be at the exhibition tomorrow. Will pop over and say hello if I see you.

If you read the reports following the battle at Rorks Drift, the men fired so many cartridges that both shoulders were so badly bruised from the recoils, they ended up firing from the waist

Outstanding presentation!!! 👍👍I'm here in the US and enjoying this. In 1876 Custer's 7th Cavalry Last Stand at Little Bighorn had the same problem of cartridges would be stuck in the chambers. Cavalry troopers had to pry the cartridges with pocket knives. The US Army 45-70 were made out of copper in the early 1870s. After Custer's 7th Cavalry disaster the US Army began using brass cases instead of copper.

Great video mate, thankyou - this guy really knows his stuff. In cadets at school in the 1980s in Australia we still had the .310 cadet martini. We used to love firing the lever action coz it reminded us of winchesters in the wild west, despite the single shot. But I went to a friend of my dad's when I was about 12 who lived on a farm and he had the real thing - a colonial weapon that had been in police service. I was scared of it and instead of leaning into the shot I was sort of holding it out nervously. It pounded my shoulder knocking me over and ended up behind me. The adults all got angry coz it was an antique... no-one seemed to care about my shoulder!

I have a fine pair of 1889's. I purchased these around 2010 when a few thousand came into the US. They were in much neglected condition. Both having a thick cake of cosmoline and hard set dust. They cleaned up beautifully and are some of my most prized pieces in my collection. True machinists works of art!

It's the size of the round that makes me smile. I used to shoot in competitions when I served in the British Army, and we shot our SLRs out to 600 metres using iron sights. It wasn't easy and the targets were about 1m x 1m. I also used to shoot a Number 4 Mark 1 Lee Enfield out to 300 metres using the micrometer sight - a far easier task. To think that British squaddies were firing a rifle with a black powder cartridge, which was accurate out to 500 metres in the late 19th century, is quite amazing.

As a former soldier (Australian Army) I had the experience of handling one of these weapons (though not firing it). In addition I've seen the film 'Zulu" more times than I can count! A very knowledgeable and thorough video! Well done indeed!

Great interview. I'm fascinated by the mythos surrounding the Martini-Henry rifle. The rifle had such a short service life but most people can recall only a couple of service rifles off the top of theirs head, one would be the Martini-Henry and the other the iconic Lee-Enfield .303 and all it's variants.

Very good video. For what it's worth, my take on Islanwhana is simple; contempt for the enemy and VERY bad deployment. Trying to cover a long front with far far too few weapons. I've not shot an actual Marini-Henry, but I have shot Martini action cadet rifles and found them accurate and easy to use. But ejection of .22 lr could sometimes be an issue. it wasn't' ammunition supply. or hard to open boxes, or stuck cases that lost the day. It was just Chelmsford splitting his forces, bad deployment, AND, and let's not forget this one, sheer bloody bravery on the part of the ZULU.

I collected MHs for 25 years. That quite a good collection. And in the early ‘90s, I hunted wild boar in the mountains of western North Carolina with my Mk II. It never failed me.

Very interesting, especially as an Ancestor took part in the bayonet charge at Tel el Kebir with a Martini Henry

I have fired both the rifle and the carbine. I found the recoil from the rifle reasonably comfortable, comparable to that of the No. 4 rifle; the recoil from the carbine, on the other hand, is pretty brutal, even with a reduced charge. A very simple and serviceable rifle, and easy to maintain. I found the simplest method to clean it after use was to pour about a pint of hot water down the barrel using a funnel.

Mr. Aspinshaw's book is amazing; especially for firearm nerds like myself. My copy sits on the shelf right next "The Lee Enfield Story" by Ian Skennerton. Imperial British guns are so awesome!

Remember, the ammo box only had ONE screw to undo in order to open the box. There was a wedge shaped lid on the top of the box held in place with 1 large screw.

Hello Neil! Nice to see someone on youtube that knows what he is talking about, we get so many myths on many subjects on youtube that they seem to become facts, I suppose mainly because anyone and his uncle can put their ideas up on youtube without any proof reading, a very enjoyable video, many thanks for posting this one! Chris B.

The foil ammo is easily damaged. My friend Rick and I bought two when I was in high school in Louisiana. Louisiana is extremely hot and humid, it was very hard to get a round stuck and it was not unusual to damage the foil round getting it unstuck. Who knows how dented and out of spec the ammo was in the rifleman’s pouches having been carried all over Africa. Combined with hot breach expansion, this would have been a real problem. The rod being too short would have been a real problem in clearing this design. A heavy bullet case like on the American 45-70 Government cartridge would have protected the specifications of the round and better acted as a heat sink inside of the breach, while aiding in extraction. Literally the difference between victory and defeat probably, when combined with appropriate disposition of troops.

Interesting to see commentary on the bayonet. One account I've read of Rourke's Drift said that the Zulus were not entirely intimidated by British fire. They were veterans who had been shot at before and knew that rapidly closing the distance meant that the chances of an individual warrior being hit were low. However, what they did not like was trying to climb the barricade with the British behind it with their six-foot spears. I wouldn't have liked it either.

This fellow never skipped a beat in all his lesson. Brilliant

A fascinating incite into the Martini Henry, Chris, Neil’s research for his book has made him a true expert on the weapon. I’ve handled one, when I worked for Glasgow Museums, but never fired one…unfortunately.!

In highschool I was in a reenactment group for the Gordon Highlanders of 1882. Every year we had a shooting competition to earn your rifles patch. I remember one year I pulled the first of 10 shots right into my nose. Tears streaming down my face I sent the next 9 rounds towards the now blurry sillouet. Only 1 round hit around the wrist. One corporal looked at it and said, "Well, he ain't playing the piano anymore." Awesome rifle but it sure could kick.

I bought one some years ago, and had to make my own .577/450 ammunition for it from brass shot shells. It is a joy to shoot, and is still quite accurate.

Yes - I have shot a Martini-Henry. I didn't a problem with the recoil and the weapon was quite accurate. Very solid rifle and simple - that is mainly soldier proof.

Fantastic interview! What a well versed and expert guest. Great questions also. Thank you! ❤

In the description of the battle of Maiwand in Mercer's novel Red Runs the Helmand he describes how ramrods borrowed from the Sepoy Sneiders (Indian troops were still carrying them at the battle, a throwback to distrust after the Mutiny) were borrowed to clear jams in the British Martini Henrys.

Neil's book is a must-have for any Martini Henry enthusiast, well written, and professionally formatted for enjoyable reading

I have fired one, but it was the cabine version. It’s a lot smaller and slimmer than you would expect, it felt a lot like a Winchester 94 to handle. I agree with that guy, it was a surprisingly accurate rifle; I was consistently hitting an iron disk at 100 yards while standing. The brass was turned on a lathe and each one cost $12 and could be reloaded about 6 times (sometimes more, sometimes less), I think they were loaded with Hogden power instead of black powder so it wasn’t very smokey. I don’t remember the recoil being all that heavy, but for it’s size (it is small) I guess it was.

A friend's dad had one above his fireplace mantle in the 1970s and a hotel lounge in Fort Saint John British Columbia had one converted into a floor lamp. Sadly that one was lost when the hotel burned down in 1980. I have owned several Lee Enfield SMLEs over the years and have loved them.

A big fan of the Peninsular, Big Nosey, Sharp and Cornwell. Also the US Civil war, US ' Unconditional Surrender Grant', and the few Cornwell books written of the very confusing, war. Following US Grant during the war helps to reduce the confusion. Grant was a very offensive commander. He used the Anaconda plan/strategy and developed the plan to attack on all fronts. This suited the Northern superiority of resources. His first battles were to control the Mississippi River.

Best balanced rifle I ever shot. Gorgeous weapon, but a kick to treat with respect! 😊

Came across one at an antique show in New Hampshire USA, a couple years back. Very impressive. He also had the bayonet and just shocking

Simply wonderful video...I learned a lot. I will have to get his book and display it along with my two Martini-Henry's.

Just wonderful to hear someone talking who has thoroughly researched their subject and knows what they are talking about. Thank you.

A falling block is the simplest yet strongest action of any rifle ever created. While not a true falling block it is a close resemblance. Great rifle.

Not a rifle, but Greener produced a shotgun with this action, certainly as late as the end of the nineteen-sixties. A friend bought one new then, and I did fire it. This was obviously a totally different experience. The action then still had a reputation for longevity and reliability.

I've had the pleasure of firing these in 303 caliber many times at the range. Great rifle and a lot of fun and yes simple to use and strong action.

I traveled half way around the world to visit the clash of empires exhibit. Thank you Alex and Ian . I have been fortunate to own Martini Henry rifles since I turned 18 over 40 years ago. Have also traveled to Rourke Drift and Isandlwa. Would have truly Enjoyed meeting Mr Aspinshaw and I can attest his book is Brilliant . Good shooting to All Chris Ohnemus

Great rifle, I had a Martini Henry Cavalry Carbine in 577 450 that I hand loaded. The carbine should have had the lighter loading of 70 grains BP, but I was using 45-70 bullets with the full 85 grain load and the recoil was "stout". I loved shooting that gun, it was a great conversation starter. Our firing points had sheet metal roofs that kids used to throw stones on top, and when I fired the MH there was a boom , a huge cloud of smoke followed by the clattering of all the stones the shockwave had dislodged falling back on the roof, happy days! Another fond memory was turning up one day with a fellow shooter downwind of me, and I politely suggested he might want to swap positions as I was using black powder. He declined but after about 6 rounds he couldn't see the target and had to relent. That always stuck in my mind, the smell and the smoke, imagine 500 men firing continuously, apart from the fear and adrenalin, the environmental impact must have been incredibly intense.

My first rifle was a Martini 310 cal cadet cost me $3.00 pound, in 1958 the ammo cost 10 shillings [20 shells to a box], my weeks wages then was $5.00 pound a week, the old lady seen it in my room and told the old man he told me to send it back no bloody way, when I started bringing home rabbits and hares and foxes they never brought it up again, boy did I love that little rifle.😅

This gun apparently left a very big psychological impact on the Zulus who took the British out at iSandlwana. They were decimated by it's far reaching firepower & although the imperial troops were only a thousand or so, they stopped the best efforts of Cetswayo's massive Zulu Impi (20,000) dead in their tracks. The redcoats were well trained, firing the rifles in unison & if you could hear the repeat of, say: *80 rifles at once, it would be extremely terrifying to behold. The warriors especially remembered 'The Lunger' the mini sword that served as a deadly bayonet for this piece!! *Approximately the size of companies at the time.

I had a WW Greener single barrel shot gun with a Martini action .It was robust worked well in all weather conditions.

Really good expert, who clearly knows his stuff and, most importantly for a video, conveys his knowledge really well.

Family history says that my great grandfather Peter Burn the younger- formerly British Army - honourable discharge, emigrated to Australia where he introduced the Martini Henry to the Australian Army in his role as Chief Sergeant Armourer to the State of New South Wales. Cannot guarantee that is 100% correct but that is the family legend.

What a super video. That Aspinshaw fellow is truly an expert on that gun. Thank you. Peace and goodwill.

My MK2 and enfield (.303) conversion are both extremely enjoyable to shoot. however the original mk2 can be quite daunting firing the monster of a cartidge

When I was at school we had compulsory cadets, and the armoury was full of these things. We also had a few SMLEs. There was always a competition to drill with the SMLEs, because they were a bit handier. I don't know what happened to the Martinis, I suspect they were simply scrapped, which is a pity because there would probably be worth a lot of money now. Much later I did fire one a number of times, because I belonged to a blackpowder club. We used to load them down because the recoil was ferocious. I think the standard load was about 85 grains of blackpowder, just from memory, and we used to drop it at least 5 grains, sometimes 10 depending on how much bruising you wanted to put up with.

Like several others on here I fired a .22 carbine on the range - 65years ago. I still remember the ease and simplicity of the Martini action.

Good day! Thank you for the interesting history lesson. I have had several Sniders, Trapdoors and Martini-Henrys and they were all a lot of fun to shoot but the Martini was the most punishing. At the time I think brass was 4 bucks apiece so I think I made do with twenty rounds but that was enough to get the barrel very warm indeed! The thing about the Martini is that it wasn't a conversion so you didn't have the extra movement of cocking the hammer left over from the muzzle-loading musket. The rifles issued with the yataghan bayonet are a handfull. My two cents worth, cheers, Dan.

I live in South Africa and owned a MK2 which I sadly sold a few years ago. It was a BSA& Metford Co. , I hunted many of Southern Africa's plains game with it , all one shot kills and some shots taken as far as 150 metres.

Me!... Me!...... I've fired one! 😀 Great to see you have Neil on the Channel, Chris!

I own two of these beauties, a mkIV and a mid period sporter. They both thump a bit but nothing like large calibre nitro powder rifles. As with all black powder firearms it’s the smoke and smell that really make an impact; and the giant round too!! I also have a 1871/84 Mauser as a contemporary comparison. In its original 1871 form (single load only) it’s slower to load and less robust, however it’s .43 calibre cartridge is more accurate and far flatter shooting than the Martini.

My favourite rifle in the shooting club at university (In London, UK) was a Martini converted to .22. At the time it never occurred to me at the time that it was probably 100 years old at the time. (This was in the mid 1980s)

I shot a few rounds through one in New Zealand. With a black powder home reload I could easily hit a 12" round target at around 200 yards. I was impressed with the size of the slug... certainly you would not want to be hit by one.

Never fired one, although I would love to. I'd like to see a video on the Lee Enfield 303;I have fond memories of firing one as a cadet in the mid 80s.

It's the last in a trilogy by Patrick Mercer (ex British officer) following a character from the Crimean War, on to the Mutiny and finally the Afghan War. The history, tactics and weapons conditions and attitudes are IMHO spot on, it's all very well researched. Book 1 To Do and Die covers Crimea. Book 2 Dust and Steel the Mutiny with book 3 covering the Maiwand campaign. I certainly would recommend them to you.

I would appreciate some information on the martini cadet version in 310 calibre, these were issued to the Australian home guard units in 1942, I had one and used it for hunting in the 1960s as a child I was given one of the larger ones to play with because there was no ammunition available at the time. they were very good rifles.

Really love Martini Henry's, awesome rifles! Besides Antarctica and possibly South America they saw combat use in every continent! (Of couese Europe it was limited but still happened!)

Great video about a truly great rifle. Yes the original service round is like most British military rounds; overkill. The little thumb depression at the right-side rear of the action was to place the thumb out of the way so you didn't get hit in the nose by it as the rifle recoiled. (see the video 2:20) This is standard practice for British big caliber double rifles also. Watch the 'Out of Africa' scene where Robert Redford and Merrill Streep encounter lions. She shoots one but gets a blood nose because she didn't hold the rifle correctly (understandable when a bloody great lion is charging you!) I have had a couple of Martini Henry Actions that are converted to other high-powered cartridges. My current 2 are in 35 Whelen (rimmed - cut down 9.3x74 cases) and the 6.5x54 Swedish (a rimmed variant). One made in 1889, the other a later model but arsenal converted to .303 British. The .35 is brutal to shoot but swift to use and very accurate. 200gns at 2750fps from a 7lb rifle. My Martini Cadet rifles (a much smaller version) are in High Powered calibers, (223 rimmed, 222 R, 22WRM, 6mm Phillips, 218 Bee) and with modern barrels can hold their own against the very best modern target rifles for accuracy.

Absolutely fascinating & superbly presented information. Really well done.

The Martini-Henry rifle was also chambered for smokeless powder in .303 caliber. I believe these were used for constabulary duty or second line duty in the First World War for the British reserve or territorial armies for training. I am basing this statement on the fact that French bought American Remington Rolling block rifles for second line troops chambered in 8mm Lebel. I am an American who served 20 years in the US Army so I only know things from books or the Zulu movie. I am familiar with the Henry Martini rifle from those sources or from Australian gun shooting enthusiasts who shoot copies of these rifles. Canadian shooters also have a certain number of .303 caliber Henry-Martini rifles. I always admired the British soldiers at Rorke's Rift. I think the British infantry units at Isandlwana might have had a better chance had they been on high ground with adequate fortifications, water and ammo supplies. Fortifications make all the difference in human wave type attacks of the Zulu's. The Martini-Henry's ability to fire about ten rounds per minute was a big increase over the muzzle loading rifled muskets used in the American Civil War. The rate of fire during the Civil War was a standard three rounds per minute with black powder weapons. The US Army took the Springfield rifled musket and made the Trapdoor musket that shot a cartridge similar to the Henry-Martini's large roughly .45 caliber round. The Trapdoor Springfield carbine rifle was used by the 7th Cavalry at the Little Bighorn under General Custer. Researchers are today convined that the copper cartridges of the Trapdoor Springfield 1873 rifle expanded as the the rifle was fired causing it to jam. It is said that many of Custer's men spent their last moment on earth desperately trying to unjamm their carbines with copper cartridges. The US Army switched to brass cartridges soon after the defeat at Little Bighorn. So don't feel bad, we Americans had our last stands too. The Sioux Indian tribes were known to have lever action repearter rifles that could shoot rapidly probably 20 or more rounds per minute.

I have fired quite a few rounds through my own Martini Henry MKI and others belonging to mates over the years. They certainly are thumpers and can be hard on the shoulder. For all day shooting, the old Snider breechloader is much easier on the shoulder

I use to have two BSA Martini Cadet rifles. One converted to 22LR and one converted to 357 magnum. They were fun guns.

I own a few. Love them. Have one rebarreled to 7.62x54R and another in 45-70 as well as the original .577/450 cartridge.

I used to fire one for target shooting when i was 15, many years ago but it was only .22 calibre but i did live using it. Many years later when worked in a scrapyard we had to cut a few up for the police. A heartbreaking thing to have to do. Great video

Thanks for making and posting this, it's an absolutely riveting documentary. Top man👍🤝

Got one mk4, and a Turkish Peabody Martini in 11,43x59R. The mk4 shoots quite well, and I'm working on the ammunition for the Peabody. The Martini action is nice enough, but I find the Remington Rolling block to be faster, due to easier cartridge handling.

If the Snyder was a stop-gap, it was one of the most successful stop-gaps in history, particularly for a fire-iron.

I fired a .22 BSA rifle that was based on the Martini-Henry when I was in the air cadets in the late 1970s. It was not the easiest to fire from the prone position.

Hi, When I was 17 years of age and serving in 5 Queens regiment back in the late sixties we would sometimes train on land owned by a local farmer. We were using SLR and GPMG firing7.62 blank while carrying out section- platoon attacks. The Farmer enjoyed playing soldiers with us and would often act as enemy. He had one of these Martini Henry's( handed down from his military forebears) He would take up defensive position and pop up blasting away in our direction. Great fun. At end of maneuvers while supping tea he was asked about His Martini... Questions like "Was it powerful and how accurate was it?" "I'll show you" says he" Fishing a handful of blank rounds from the pocket of his jacket and sorting out a few live rounds he repocketed the blanks and then demonstrated just how powerful his rifle was. At a hundred yards the round entered the tree trunk that was close to two feet thick and passing clean through it. We were amazed at the noise and smoke and the way the farmer rubbed his shoulder after he fired. Several times his hand returned to his pocket picking out live rounds from blanks so that he could demonstrate his pride and joy. The farmer had been blasting away at us all morning acting as enemy .So not only do I count myself lucky to have witness this great Rifle in action, but later on, when recalling the days events it occurred to me that we had all VERY VERY VERY LUCKY that the Farmer in the heat of battle hadn't loaded a live round instead of blank . Back at the drill hall I reported to our company Commander a Major Peter Harrington what I had seen and his usual ruddy complexion drained from his face.

Thanks for that Neil & RH. Always great to get the true realities rather than the movie myths. Great stuff.

As the Martini was a breechloader, technically that rod is a cleaning/clearing rod as a jag could be screwed onto the threaded end and also used to clear a jammed case from the breech so therefore not a ramrod as used on muzzle loaders.

My first shotgun was a greener version of the martini henry. It was a lovely gun and very accurate. Hell of a kick and the barrel used to get very hot.

I used to target shoot with one of these. Good rifle. But the big problem was that occasionally it would eject a red hot brass cartridge straight up into the air and down the left sleeve of your shooting jacket. Which is not helpful when youre in the middle of a tight competition shoot and theres only a couple of points between the top 4 or 5 shooters. Ps for those who have never shot competitively, the priority is to keep movement to a minimum - not easy when a red hot cartridge has gone down your sleeve and is burning a hole in your elbow. I started on SLRs in the army. From memory (it was a long time ago), you kept the combination tool inside a small compartment in the butt, which was accessible by flipping a little door in the steel butt plate.

Bravo! Excellent work. Thanks for sharing!

Be very careful, if you own one, when you disassemble it. Action parts of the rifles that survive today are often cobbled together from different marks. They function, but don't always go back together the way they're supposed to. I don't know for sure but I think it's down to the tumbler and the breech block. Just my ten-cents-worth. Great fun to shoot though.

Simple...Deadly. A magnificent weapon for an infantry soldier.

There was ammunition box screws found on the battlefield of Islandlwana. They were bent out of shape. I think it was Ian knight who said that he thinks were boxs were smashed open with the rifle butts.

In 1988 I finally got to the Gettysburg battlefield. There are a lot of surplus stores in the town. Well I found a shop at the end of my visit it had a MH on sale but I don't have enough money to buy it. It was very rusty but I could have cleaned it up. Since then it is "if I only had known" I would have bought it a heartbeat.

I owned one for 40 years. Loaded cartridges with XXX black powder, Pyrodex and IMR 4198 smokeless. Lots of fun.

Used a MH 577 as a display weapon for the Royal Queensland Defence Force B company Moreton Regiment Only ever fired blanks but we had a lot of fun being the recreation of "The Frog Hollow Rangers" One of the problems was the only people making .577 cartridges was in South Africa and because of Apartheid we were banned from buying any in 1975 We finally got about 40 cartridges and with a side pouch of 5 rounds each we dressed in our red uniforms and white pith helmets and met on the banks of the Brisbane river at Newstead House early one sunday morning. We formed up and the order was given to fire a "coups de joie" or shots for joy, everyone loaded a blank and then fired a uncoordinated volley of shots into the air A rattle of gunshots broke the quiet and foggy morning and we were delighted ......... until the sound of police sirens started :-( We realised in our hurry to fire the weapons we had sort of forgotten to inform the police. Our colour sergeant was an ex Royal Marine Warrant Officer and our officer was a local Brisbane plummer . As the sirens got closer the colour sergeant gave the order to fix bayonetts and form a 2 rank skirmish line on the top of a hill overlooking the parking area. The first police car to arrive was a pair of detectives ending their night shift, the jumped out of their car hiding behind the doors and holding their issue .32 caliber pistols. They looked at us, they looked at their pistols, they looked at us and looked at each other , they looked at their pistols and put them away. By this time 5 or 6 other police cars had turned up and bewildered cops were looking like their had slipped through some weird time warp. We held our skirmish line and our officer and colour sergeant marched down, the sergent did a perfect present arms with his sword and greeted the police with. "Royal Queensland Defence Force B company Moreton Regiment reporting SIR !" as any colour sergeant would ;-) The cops decided doing anything would create a mass of totally confusing paperwork and reports that would annoy their superiors so they just told us to carry on, we did, the unit still exists and is part of the Fort Lytton historical display fortlytton.org.au/ Many years later I obtained a MH that had originally been chambered for .577 but had been rechambered for .577/45 then to .303 I never fired a live round as it was only tested for black powder not the modern .303 powder, but it was still nice and is still in the hands of a collector who was also an original member of "the Frog Hollow Rangers" at the battle of Newstead house !!!

I had a re-tooled Martini carbine used by the Austrailian police or territorial guard, it was .38 caliber. Very nice, well-balanced firearm.

I am fortunate enough to have a Mk.III MH in my collection of antique firearms but I have never fired it. I seem to recall reading that when the siege of Rorke's Drift was over, all the men had very bruised shoulders. Some had switched arms to fire owing to the bruising. The recoil was probably terrible towards the end of the battle owing to fouling of the barrels.

When I served in the army I bought two old and very ropey looking martini Henry rifles. They were sub calibred to .22 in rimfire. I used the two to make one good one. Fitted telescopic scope and was a great rifle to fire ...

As a lad I marched with Martini Henrys from the Zulu War. They were bloody heavy.

I have a Mk II and a Mk IV. I load my own cartridges to meet original type but Bertram brass. I use bullets for a 45/70, cast them myself from recovered lead. They grip the bore well and come out octagonal and spinning. Important to use a grease cookie in the neck to soften the fouling, and cards. It kicks like a mule, a huge amount of smoke comes out. The sights are very clear but I only shoot to 200 yards due to my range being small. I can hit a small plate at 200 yards. It will pass through 3" of softwood at 200 yards.

A first class video. Well presented and an excellent and knowledgeable speaker. Wish I’d seen his presentation.

Great video. I have a Mk 4 1887 Martini-Henry which I have only used for display. Wonderful information.

Been trying to get ahold of one of these in the states for the better part of a decade now, best I've got so far is the socket bayonet for one that I picked up last week

Well , at last , for the first time I now have an understanding of whether the troops in 1879 were using the Mk1 or Mk2 Martini , fantastic interview , what an interesting and obvious expert on the subject. I’m assuming that the guys at RD had the the mk2

I used to shoot one of these in long range antique military rifle competitions. We cast our own bullets , used waxed paper patches, and converted our cartridges to take large rifle primers. We could routinely hit man sized targets out past 800 yards. After a day on the range your shoulder would be sore for a week !

Back in the 70s as a youngster I fired a .303 conversion at a shooting club. A go with an original would be an interesting comparison

Whilst in service in 1986 I ran the Companys arms store. We Still had two Martini Henrys sleeved down to .22lr in there.

Fascinating. Yes, fired one a couple of times. Great experience.

I saw one hanging on a wall in a hotel in Newcastle Natal with the breech missing, The manager put me in contact with the guy that owned it he came we took it off the wall back to his place and assembled it then took it out to test it,Black powder rounds a big kick so you have to keep the rifle tightly shouldered and black powder is deafening without ear protection very accurate rifle and easy to use................... An American unit in Afghanistan caught an Afghan sniper with one of these 15 years ago.

Ive got one in 450/577 . You can buy the brass for them again now which is great. There are still plenty of them available second hand though they are starting to get pricey

Absolutely enthralling interview! We’ll done gents

I was fortunate to own a few of these great pieces of history. A pleasure to shoot but, a pain in locating ammunition.

I never fired one of these rifles but for years I used a Greener GP 12 bore shot gun which had the same action and it had a 31” barrel. As a young lad I was a member of a shooting club where I used a .22 rifle rifle which had this sort of action.

Restored quite a few. Easier to save black powder rifling than cordite. Have an Enfield, a carbine and a Westley Richards " Made Specially for ZAR " wich is superior 😊in accuracy and everything else on the fore mentioned. All of them realy nice weapons to shoot.

C&Rsenal has done 7 roughly 1hr vids covering the various model of this rifle, worth a watch. 🙂