A Pint in the Artists' Rifles and a new Martini Henry.

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Brian the Brit
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A Pint in the Artists' Rifles and a new Martini Henry.

Post by Brian the Brit » Sun May 29, 2005 9:22 am

I had a good day at Bisley yesterday. First I bought a Martini Henry and then met up with Adam and his mate Jim at the Artists' for a pint and a natter. I only wish I could have stayed longer in their excellent company.





The Martini Henry just 'sort of happened'. I was talking to a dealer friend of mine who just happened to have taken it in part exchange the previous day. Money changed hands and I'm now the proud owner of an 1889 BSA & M Co Mk II rifle in .577/450.





http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... 46_2_1.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->





In the above shot the cleaning rod isn't shown as it is very difficult to remove and replace and I haven't yet worked out why. As you can see, the rifle came with what I thought was a repro sling. I'm now convinced that it is the genuine article as it has had many coats of blanco applied over a long period.





http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... 44_3_1.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->





The 1889 date is very late for a Mk II so this must have been a government contract rifle that was for supply to the colonies.





http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... 43_1_1.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->





The butt is stamped with the Fort William Arsenal rondel and the date 11 1894. There are also some markings in what could be Sanskrit(?)





http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... 45_4_1.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->





The letters NS NEP under the rear sight suggest "Nepal" so the rifle more than likely saw service on the North West Frontier.





The rifling is very sharp and, having fully stripped and rebuilt the action, I would say that it has had very little use. The internals show no signs of wear and the trigger pull is remarkably crisp. None of the screw heads has been butchered.





After the purchase I approached a number of stallholders regarding reloading dies, brass etc and got the old teeth-sucking routine. "You'll be bloody lucky, mate" etc. There was some brass but at £63 for 20 cases I decided to make enquiries in the USA.





So, does anyone have a mate who wants to sell a set of .577/450 dies and some sensibly priced cases?





Also can anyone throw any light on "Fort William Arsenal" and the "NS NEP" Inscription?





If only these old rifles could talk!





Brian

<p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p089.ezboard.com/bmilsurpafterho ... brit>Brian the Brit</A> at: 5/29/05 9:06 am

</i>
When 'arf of your bullets fly wide in the ditch,
Don't call your Martini a cross-eyed old bitch;
She's human as you are -- you treat her as sich,
An' she'll fight for the young British soldier.
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krinko
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Re: A Pint in the Artists' Rifles and a new Martini Henry.

Post by krinko » Sun May 29, 2005 10:59 am

Brian,


Fort William would be Calcutta, I believe...don't know about the letters "NS NEP".


About importing cases to Britain---wasn't a Brit arrested recently for doing something akin to that? I remember something about .577/.450 still being classed as a military round---this guy was exporting new, empty cases and ran afoul of some insane regulation regarding the military nature of the brass.


It may be cheaper to pay the 63/20.


-----krinko

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PeterN2
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Re: A Pint in the Artists' Rifles and a new Martini Henry.

Post by PeterN2 » Sun May 29, 2005 4:19 pm

That looks a nice rifle Brian. I only have an 1887 dated MkIV Martini Henry.


I had the pleasure of having a pint or three with Adam and Jim on Friday night at the Artists Rifles Clubhouse. I also made a new purchase at Bisley. Mine is a 1941 dated Maltby No4 Mk1 which is the subject of a seperate post.


Regards


Peter.

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joseyclosey
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Re: A Pint in the Artists' Rifles and a new Martini Henry.

Post by joseyclosey » Sun May 29, 2005 4:23 pm

nice purchase brian, congratulations.


joe

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Brian the Brit
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Re: A Pint in the Artists' Rifles and a new Martini Henry.

Post by Brian the Brit » Sun May 29, 2005 5:17 pm

Thanks, Joe. Nice to hear from you again after so long.





It was great meeting Adam the carnivore - I'm sure I heard his steak moo. He certainly likes it rare, much to Jim's discomfort. I bet you guys have a hell of a lot of fun on your range days. I only wish I could join you.





Brian

<p>
When 'arf of your bullets fly wide in the ditch,
Don't call your Martini a cross-eyed old bitch;
She's human as you are -- you treat her as sich,
An' she'll fight for the young British soldier.
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Strangely Brown
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Re: A Pint in the Artists' Rifles and a new Martini Henry.

Post by Strangely Brown » Sun May 29, 2005 7:43 pm

<!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>N</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END-->ative <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>S</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END-->ervice <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>NEP</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END-->al.








Looking forward to comparing it with my N.S. NEP. marked MH MkIV Brian.










<p>Mick
Mick
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Imperial

Post by martinibelgian » Mon May 30, 2005 3:58 am

Just make sure you guys bring those Martini's along for the Imperial - I'll bring mine too, we'll drink another couple of pints on them too... Let's see hoz the old warhorse does at 200!

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stripperclip
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Re: Imperial

Post by stripperclip » Mon May 30, 2005 8:17 am

that is a very nice MH that you pick up there and good luck on the serach for reloading gear.

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stripperclip
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