Got My 1889 BSA MC Martini Henry working!

L.Parratt

L.Parratt

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Location
Edmonton Alberta.
Picked it up in a bit of a rough condition a few months ago for $300, and i thought that was a steal of a deal!

Took forever to get Brass, Dies and a new press to fit the monster dies for reloading 577/450 ]

But here she is in all her glory!
bQkgFep.jpeg

6xgOAVd.jpg

T6Kmxtp.jpeg





used 480gr RNFP from jet bullets in Wetaskiwin.
65Gr by weight of Hodgdon Triple 7 FFG.
 
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Phew!! Is there any way you can reduce the size of the image of the receiver, please? By standing back about ten feet I can make out vertical letters of BSA? Note that I have a 26" screen and it's full of that one part!!!
 
Nice rifle, looks like it'd benefit from a boil and carding to help the rust blue finish. MKIIs aren't terribly common in Canada, the militia had a quantity of MkIs when they came out, a few thousand MKIIIs when the North West Rebellion flared up and then those latter rifles were used for Empire target matches. 1889 was the last year of production for the Mk II. Are there any signs of Canadian ownership of your rifle? CM, C broad arrow or any unit markings? Most Martini Henrys in Canada seem to be Mk IVs used on the northwest frontier of the Raj, a smattering of Nepalese imports and a minority of Canadian rifles. The recent book written by Neil Aspinshaw titled "The Martini Henry for Queen and Empire" is an excellent resource if you have any interest in the historical context and development of your rifle.
 
Something seems odd about the mk. and the date. Did they mfg. different mks. in diff. places at the same time ? Any 1888 or 89s that I have seen are mk IVs. MK ii were in the late 1870s. By 1889 some of the 303s were out .( Mkvi?) Anybody explain some of this? I've played with these a long time and have never seen a mk ii with a late date like that, on the other hand I can't claim any real expertise on the matter. Appreciate any info anyone has.....thanks...catnip.
 
catnip said:
Something seems odd about the mk. and the date. Did they mfg. different mks. in diff. places at the same time ? Any 1888 or 89s that I have seen are mk IVs. MK ii were in the late 1870s. By 1889 some of the 303s were out .( Mkvi?) Anybody explain some of this? I've played with these a long time and have never seen a mk ii with a late date like that, on the other hand I can't claim any real expertise on the matter. Appreciate any info anyone has.....thanks...catnip.
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The MK II pattern was accepted in 1877 and produced until 1889 at BSA&M Co and also at HRBE&SA Co from their incorporation until 1894. The late contracts were for the gun trade, small foreign contracts and for the Colonies (The Raj for one). Apparently there was a large surplus of MK IIs in England by 1879 as there was debate as whether or not to arm the reserves with the most current arm. Tens of thousands were sold on the cheap to China, the Japanese and Ottomans. The British reserves weren't formally armed with the MK II until 1885. The book mentioned in my previous post is an excellent source for all things Martini Henry.
 
L.Parratt said:
Picked it up in a bit of a rough condition a few months ago for $300, and i thought that was a steal of a deal!

Took forever to get Brass, Dies and a new press to fit the monster dies for reloading 577/450 ]

But here she is in all her glory!

used 480gr RNFP from jet bullets in Wetaskiwin.
65Gr by weight of Hodgdon Triple 7 FFG.
Click to expand...

Nice work L.Parratt; it's always rewarding to touch off the first shots after all the effort that goes into resurrecting an antique - and figuring out the ammo!! :)
 
I might suggest annealing that brass as you might get neck splits

When I had mine I used a lee mould 45/70 500gr round nose and paper patched up . worked good found a smokeless load for it..shot a few deer
 
keylimecat said:
Recently acquired the exact same rifle. Looking to connect with you about how you did your ammo.
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Its been a hot minute since ive loaded some 577/450. But for me it was very easy.

I got 577/450 Brass so never needed to form it. Just loaded black powder substitute then (eventually moved on to real FFG) and bullets i would recommend highwood casting these days as Jet is no longer in business.

Let me know how else I can help
 
L.Parratt said:
Picked it up in a bit of a rough condition a few months ago for $300, and i thought that was a steal of a deal!

Took forever to get Brass, Dies and a new press to fit the monster dies for reloading 577/450 ]

But here she is in all her glory!
bQkgFep.jpeg

6xgOAVd.jpg

T6Kmxtp.jpeg





used 480gr RNFP from jet bullets in Wetaskiwin.
65Gr by weight of Hodgdon Triple 7 FFG.
Click to expand...

L.Parratt said:
Picked it up in a bit of a rough condition a few months ago for $300, and i thought that was a steal of a deal!

Took forever to get Brass, Dies and a new press to fit the monster dies for reloading 577/450 ]

But here she is in all her glory!
bQkgFep.jpeg

6xgOAVd.jpg

T6Kmxtp.jpeg





used 480gr RNFP from jet bullets in Wetaskiwin.
65Gr by weight of Hodgdon Triple 7 FFG.
Click to expand...
Interesting. I recently came intro an 1886 IV 1. Big old boomer. The one I have is in decent shape. She was in Rawalpindi (now in Pakistan) at some time.
 
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