ID help please......closet find.

[Wrong Way]

So I'm clearing a bunch of guns for an old friend, and he showed up with this rifle. He's had it in his possession for as long as he can remember (he's over 80 and it was his fathers before it came to him)

I gather it's a Martini Enfield...but apart from that I have no idea.
Is it an antique or must it be registered?
There are no metal markings anywhere on the gun that I can find.
There are markings in the stock, some are too tough to make out (gun is filthy/greasy)
The bore is stupid dirty/greasy, but I ran a patch through and the rifling looks strong.
I have no idea on the cartridge....it appears to be a 45 or bigger.

I've attached some pics, can provide any more info you need. The gun is here. I'd appreciate any info you can give on the above, as well as value (he is selling)

Thanks!

WW

 

[tiriaq]

It is a Martini Henry. Antique.

 

[Wrong Way]

Am I in the wrong forum then?

 

[tiriaq]

Well, its military surplus. Been surplus longer than many others.
A Martini Enfield is .303 and would not be antique.
You could pm Dantforth about value.

 

[JP]

- Martini-Henry MKIV Type A, Cal. 450/577.

- Rearsight seems to be missing sliding bar.

 

[bearhunter]

JP x2. The one unusual thing about it is that it still has the cleaning rod. Most don't.

The style of riflling is similar to the Pope style and is ideal for paper patched bullets. Pope style bullets shoot very well in there to.

 

[Wrong Way]

Very cool. I'm not a "Milsurp guy", but the info I pick up when I come across stuff like this is fascinating I googled the cartridge....also very neat.

The rear site is definitely non functional....good eye

Would I be safe telling this guy 600? 700? Less?

Thanks all

 

[woodchopper]

Very cool. I'm not a "Milsurp guy", but the info I pick up when I come across stuff like this is fascinating I googled the cartridge....also very neat.

The rear site is definitely non functional....good eye

Would I be safe telling this guy 600? 700? Less?

Thanks all

you could list it for that but finding a buyer may take time, it is more of a 400 - 600 rifle and your missing bits

shooting these is not cheap, brass are $3/ea and dies are +$100

 

[Wrong Way]

you could list it for that but it is more of a 400 - 600 rifle

Good info, thanks. Price doesnt matter to me, it's not mine to sell. I'll pass on the info and let him make up his own mind...I just needed to give him an idea

 

[Bojangles]

A very good friend of mine who died a few years ago use to joke about the value of Martini rifles. He use to say that "John Denner all by himself raised the value of Martini rifles in Canada".



cheers,

B

 

[englishman_ca]

Sometime during its life it saw service in India, or at least the butt stock did.

 

[cyclone]

I kinda like that rifling.....

 

[Mk VII]

It's a Martini-Henry Mk.IV. These were designed for a .402 calibre cartridge that was supposed to be an improvement and were ordered into production on the assumption that trials would prove the design to be satisfactory. The opportunity was taken to introduce a number of improvements in component design such as strengthened extractor, longer loading lever (to address the lack of extracting power inherent in the design) and altered body contour to answer complaints about the firer's thumb being driven back into his nose (in the prone position), The new cartridge was heavily criticised in the troop trials and all were were converted back to the .577/450 cartridge and designated as Mk.4 pattern. By now smallbore magazine rifles were under consideration and the Martini was becoming obsolescent - many were sent to India and the colonies.