Martini-Henry Price

C

Cam_S

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Hello,

Just got a Martini-Henry 1887 and I was wanting to know what the price of one of these would be? It is a Mk 3 converted to a Mark 4 and has normal wear for a rifle of its age. Everything mechanical still works beautifully and the there is no corrosion to the bore. Thanks for any input.

Cam
 
Can you post any pictures? A MarkIII converted to Mark IV sounds like an impossibility, since the receiver shape/configuration of the MkIV is quite different from that of the MKI/II/III rifles .....
 
Martini Henry

Hello Grant,

I am not sure how to post pictures so If some one could let me know how I would be glad to.

From what I know the Mk 3 was manufactured until 1888. This one was made in 1887 and has "IV" stamped under the date with "1" under the "IV". It also has the longer operating handle with the hole for the shorter handle pluged. (This looks like it was done in a factory). Also on the right hand face of the Stock under the Serial Number there is a circular stamp. Under this there is the "IV" with the "1" under it. This is stillin the Boxer Caliber and not in .303.

So if anyone knows a price for this please let me know.

Cam
 
Cam:

Here is a link to a brief entry on attaching pictures to a posting - the main thing is that on this board, as with most, the image fiile must already be uploaded to some image-hosting site elsewhere on the internet (and then, to include a picture in a posting what you are really doing is linking to that image file ....)
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/faq.php#24

If you don't have any means of getting the images uploaded to the internet, I could post some for you if you e-mail them to me ..... Without some fairly good pictures, it will be difficult to make a good guess as to value ..... Depending on condition etc., value could vary between just a few hundred dollars to $1000 or more.

The Mark IV Martini-Henry was approved in September of 1887, and manufacture would have started almost immediately. If your rifle is dated 1887 and is a MkIV, it would be from the earliest production of that model. Here is a picture of the MKIV receiver body:
martini1stor.jpg


Notice the distinctive profile at the rear of the receiver, which differs significantly from the earlier receiver design used on the MKI, II and III models, as shown here:
NB1000a-2.jpg


The MkIV rifle also had a significantly longer lever than the earlier Marks ....

Can you confirm which receiver profile your rifle has? (If it is, indeed, marked "IV", then it should have the profile shown in the first picture above ....)
 
Martini Henry

Hello Grant,

Thanks for providing the pictures. I will probably have to email mine to you tommorrow.

Currently I am at work so I will try to remember the best I can. It does look like the Mk 4 in your picture. As well all of the Markings are the same. Now heres where the differences start. The stock has a plugged hole where the Hole is on the MK 3 for the short handle. This looks like it was done proffessionally and not recently because the aging matches. It then has the long handle with another Hole father up the stock, But it has Mk 4 markings on the stock.

I am sorry that I can not be of mutch help at the momment but I will email you the pics tommorrow.

Thanks for your help,

Cam
 
Martini 577-450

Does anyone know where I can buy a Martini? I sold my collection of Martini's and Sniders a few years ago and didn't keep an example. Kept a really nice Snider had that packed away. Have the collection of bayonets for them ten or fifteen I believe wouldn't sell them. Now I miss having a Martini, sold 25 at one time and they got exported. Have a Martini receiver but has a notch filed in it for a back sight. That really ticks me off when someone does that to a receiver.
Thanks
Albayo
 
Cam's Martini-Henry - PICS

Here are the two images Cam e-mailed to me of his early-dated MkIV Martini-Henry rifle -

cam_mh2.jpg


First, the receiver markings on Cam's rifle - definitely a Mark IV, and definitely dated 1887.

cam_mh1.jpg


This second photo clearly shows the underside of the wrist area of the buttstock, with plugged recess for the short lever and recess/receptacle in place for MkIV long lever. But for the additional info Cam has supplied, one's first impression would be that this buttstock was a replacement at some time in the rifle's life, using an earlier MK/II/III buttstock. However, Cam also indicates that the buttstock markings are definitely those for a MkIV - without any evidence of earlier markings, I gather. Considering the early date (1887), this would be strong evidence that his rifle was one of the earliest of the Mk IV's produced - when the new pattern rifle went into production, Royal Manufactory Enfield would have had preshaped (but not yet marked) buttstocks of the earlier pattern on hand, with the recess already cut for the shorter lever, and simply used them up for Mk IV rifles by plugging that recess and cutting a new one to accomodate the longer lever. (The Mark IV rifle was not officially approved by publication in the War Dept. "List of Changes" until 15 September 1887. Though the new model would likely have gone into production immediately after approval, it did not go into service with troops until 1888 ...)

Cam - can you supply any other photos - e.g. over all view, close-ups of the sights (front in particular) and the buttstock markings? This is intriguing - rather than having a MKIII upgraded to MKIV as you first surmised (not really possible, as I mentioned earlier, because of the significantly different MkIV receiver) it definitely appears that what you have is a very early production MkIV, made when MkIII parts were still being used up .....

I am still not able to give you a more accurate idea of value - since that is heavily dependant on over-all condition of the rifle, and even your locale - though the evidence that it is a very early production MkIV may very well add some value. With your permission, I am thinking we should post about your rifle (hopefully with more pictures) on the "dedicated" Martini-Henry forums at both "British Guns Forums" and "British Militaria Forums".
(I'm a "regular" on both sites, and even one of the moderators on one of them, so I can "take you along and introduce you", so to speak .....)
 
Re: Martini 577-450

albayo said:
Does anyone know where I can buy a Martini?
Click to expand...
Well .... you can't have any of mine, and I'm not sure whether I should help or not! Selling a collection of 25 Martinis out of the country likely contributed in no small measure to the difficulty of finding 'em in Canada today! :wink: [I do note that you said "they got exported", which at least raises the possibility that you were unaware that was the intention of the purchaser(s) ....]

However, I note that that Ellwood Epps currently lists the following:
UGA1759 - MkIV .577/.450 described as "Fair" - $499
UG1436 - Egyptian Citadel .303 Artillery Carbine described as "Good" - $399

Don't believe Jean Plamonden at P&S has any Martinis on offer at present ...

John C. Denner currently has one - a ZAR-marked Westley-Richards version, for a mere $1100 .....
wr1.jpg
 
Martini Henry

Hello Grant,

Thanks for the info on the rifle. I will send you some more pictures on Friday. The over all condition of the rifle is not very good. As you can see from the reciever The blueing is very poor. I will let the pictures do the talking when I send them to you.

Thanks
Cam
 
The EM .402" rifle came with both short and long levers. When this arm was converted to .450" cal it was fitted with a long lever and the original hole filled.
 
Martini

Thanks GrantR
Thanks for the help, I will check on the Martinis you mentioned. I had to sell off part of my collection to pay bills, after I was injured in an accident five years ago. I never got any better, I am just gatting around to buying one for my collection, will never be able to buy them like I used to.
Thanks again
Al
 
Re: Martini

albayo said:
Thanks GrantR
Thanks for the help, I will check on the Martinis you mentioned. I had to sell off part of my collection to pay bills, after I was injured in an accident five years ago. I never got any better, I am just gatting around to buying one for my collection, will never be able to buy them like I used to.
Thanks again
Al
Click to expand...

Acuracy Plus in Peterborough, ON has a Mk IV
Great bore but little external finish left. Saw it last Sat.
Item # H059, $600.00
http://accuracyplus.biz/usedguns.php?sort=5
 
FWIW, my Martini MkIV was an EM MkI long lever that got converted to MkIV. The V is stamped off center to the "I" and in may places the EM is lined out and a IV stamped next to it. My receiver is dated 1886. I read somewhere that ALOT (if not most) of the MkIV's were made up on earlier EM MkI receivers.

My long lever is also marked EM and there is no patch under the butt, so mine started out as a long lever EM AFAIK.

Now if only I could fins a replacement front band - some ninny ground off the bayo lug. :roll: Otherwise a nice gun.

Despite maybe 80% finish, the receiver markings are faint, leading me to believe the receiver was repolished and browned - probably when it was converted back to .450/577 boxer.
 
I've paid any where from $100 (most recent purchase) to $350 at auction for MK IV's. These are complete and un Bubba'd.
If your MK IV's front sight is a 'barley corn' ( a small bead on the barrel) and not a blade on a ramp it is a 'type a' which would go along with the plug in the butt stock for the short lever. The type 'a' came out first the followed by the 'b' and 'c' versions with the ramp sight.
 
theDuck said:
I've paid any where from $100 (most recent purchase) to $350 at auction for MK IV's. These are complete and un Bubba'd.
If your MK IV's front sight is a 'barley corn' ( a small bead on the barrel) and not a blade on a ramp it is a 'type a' which would go along with the plug in the butt stock for the short lever. The type 'a' came out first the followed by the 'b' and 'c' versions with the ramp sight.
Click to expand...

Those are exceptional Martini prices! What auctions are you going to???
 
I keep thinking I should have one just on principle. Those principles have gotten me into trouble before though. I just wonder how bad I want to get booted around working up loads for it for hunting.

OK, who am I kidding. I don't really care how booted around I get. I should have one.

I guess they don't have to be registered either, seeing as they fit the antique status.
 
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