Has anyone here, obtained one of the martini's being offered by Atlanta Cutlery? I'd like to know condition, shootability, necessity of repairs, etc. I've been intrigued by these wonderful antique rifles but worried about spending quite a bit of money to find out it was only a wall hanger, when I really wanted a shooter. Anyone here who can fill me in?
Atlanta Cutlery Martini?
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The ones Atlanta Cutlery and International Military Antiques (IMA) sell as "cleaned and complete" are generally pretty nice. I've bought two dating from the 1880s, a short-lever and a long-lever, and they both had decent bores and headspace, and are actual shooters. Some of the "as found" rifles they sell as clean-them-up-yourself projects may have bad stocks or missing or broken parts that will require repairs, and may or may not wind up usable. The Martin-Henrys are all British arsenal made and proofed, the Nepalese made Gehendra and Francotte copies are more problematic, and generally in worse condition, and harder to find parts for. I wouldn't trust the Francotte as anything other than a wall hanger, but some of the Gehendras look okay, but will probably require custom handloads, as their bores were done by hand in Nepal, and not by skilled machinists in England. Restoring a dirty, rusty old rifle to presentable condition is a worthwhile project in its own right; if you get a shooter out of it, that's just a bonus.
Curator
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I have three Martini Henrys from Atlanta cutlery. I paid a bit extra for "hand picked" but all are in shooting condition after a bit of cleanup and lubrication. I also have a Snyder Enfield which is every bit as nice.
I've always admired the martinis and had thought about getting one. gcburner do you have a preference regarding the long lever vs the short lever?
I'd also like to know. I'm assuming it's a BP cartridge. 577/450 I was given to understand it was paper patched. Does anyone have any loading information?
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I like the looks of the short-lever better, and it's the kind they were using in ZULU. The long-lever is a later model, which offered more leverage for extracting cases after firing a lot of blackpowder cartridges. New .577-450 brass and loaded ammo is available from www.buffaloarms.com , as well as Midway USA, and Lee makes reloading dies for them. Note that if you're going to be loading your own, you need a press capable of taking 1 1/4" diameter dies for the big bore cartridge, rather than the standard 7/8" diameter loading dies most cartridges use. The Lee Classic Cast press, and the RCBS Rock Chucker press both have a removable bushing that will allow the larger dies to be used. Loading up the big cartridges isn't cheap, as the Jamison brass cases are several dollars each, just like the big brass for African big bore cartridges.
For anyone wanting to shoot a Martini-henry or Snider rifle, here's a source for reasonably priced.577/.450 M-H & .577 Snider cases:
http://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?304429-577-450-Martini-Henry-amp-577-Snider-Cases
http://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?304429-577-450-Martini-Henry-amp-577-Snider-Cases
Red October
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I purchased a Martini-Henry from IMA/Atlanta Cutlery. I believe someone already pointed out that they are essentially the same company.
I also paid extra for the 'hand picked'. I'm not sure it was worth the extra; mine was pretty rough.
I have been loading smokeless (very mild loads) for mine. I load around 30 grains of IMR4198 - USE AT YOUR OWN RISK, which is based on data in Cartridges of the World, and a few other sources on the web. Most guys are loading heavier than this; I didn't want to take the chance on mine. These handloads seem much milder than the Kynoch rounds I have that were loaded in the late 40's and early 50's. These are carbine loads (noted by the orange paper jacket on the slug) and not rifle loads (noted by white paper).
I have had a few of the Kynoch cases split when they are fired. They likely need annealing.
My rifle isn't in great shape; but it's a lot of fun to shoot.
I also paid extra for the 'hand picked'. I'm not sure it was worth the extra; mine was pretty rough.
I have been loading smokeless (very mild loads) for mine. I load around 30 grains of IMR4198 - USE AT YOUR OWN RISK, which is based on data in Cartridges of the World, and a few other sources on the web. Most guys are loading heavier than this; I didn't want to take the chance on mine. These handloads seem much milder than the Kynoch rounds I have that were loaded in the late 40's and early 50's. These are carbine loads (noted by the orange paper jacket on the slug) and not rifle loads (noted by white paper).
I have had a few of the Kynoch cases split when they are fired. They likely need annealing.
My rifle isn't in great shape; but it's a lot of fun to shoot.
It varies from distributor to distributor and from offering to offering.
I do know that I once ordered three Greener GP Martini 14ga shotguns and specified one "hand picked" and two ordinaries. The idea was that the hand picked one would be an historical example and I would strip the other two for the actions.
When they arrived the best of the lot was acceptable for a wall hanger and the other two were beyond saving. I sent the bad two back.
A lot of the guys shooting Sniders use a shotshell and a round ball propelled with black powder. It is a cheap and fairly accurate load from what I have read.
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