The Martini-Henry Note-Book
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF A GRAND OLD RIFLE
by
Malcolm Cobb
There is a new Martini book coming out very soon that sounds like the Martini book we have all been looking for
So far I have seen only the Preface and table of contents. Hopefully later this week I will be able to review the entire manuscript. For now here is the dedication, opening paragraph of the preface and the table of contents.
DEDICATION
This book is dedicated to the community of Martini-Henry enthusiasts of three centuries and four continents, who builded better than they knew.
Here they come, black as hell and thick as grass.
Front rank, don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes.
Rear rank, reload and always remember that even though the Martini Henry rifle is a .450 Boxer-Henry Short chamber miracle, there is nothing like a bayonet with a bit of guts behind it.
Stirred but not shaken, that's us with our Martinis.
Spit lad,spit.
And if you don’t know what that is all about, you had better read this book.
PREFACE
Pick it up. Feel the weight of the solid steel and walnut. Thumb open the breech and appreciate the sharp click of precision machinery. Check the Mark and the date of
manufacture on the side and wonder how it has survived the intervening century or so.
Mount the rifle to the shoulder and align the sights. Wonder who has fired this rifle before? British soldier?, Rhodesian colonist? Indian sepoy? Who has been caught in the sights? Zulu Warrior? Afghan tribesman?.
What story could it tell if only it could speak?
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
PREFACE
1) A SHORT HISTORY OF THE 19th CENTURY
Warfare in Victorian times
Muzzle loading battles
Tactics in the muzzle loading era
The viewpoint from mid-century
The example of the American Civil War
The tipping block breechloader appears
19th Century statistics
The English gun trade 1850– 1865
The Volunteer movement
The match rifle reigns supreme
2) THE COMMITTEE CHOOSES A BREECHLOADER
The state of rifle design in 1865
Designing the next generation of breechloaders
Muskets converted to breechloaders
Breech-loading designs move into their next phase
Sir Joseph appears
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
The Army Trials of 1864
Trials from 1865—1867
The Prize Competitions
Where to next ?
3) GETTING IT RIGHT
Mass production and general issue to the troops
Warfare in the 1880’s
The Frontier war of 1878
The Gun War of 1878
The Zulu War of 1879
The Transvaal War of 1880 - 81
Developments around the Empire
4) MEANWHILE, IN THE REST OF THE WORLD
Production of the Martini by others
The Martini becomes obsolescent
Final flowering—The .303 Martini Enfield
Minature Martinis
Martinis after the First World war
More modern times
5) ORIGINAL AMMUNITION
No foregone conclusions in 1867
Moving on from paper cases
Paper cases with self contained ignition
Mr Daw makes strides
Colonel Boxer takes over
The .450” Long Chamber round
The .450” Short Chamber folded case
The Henry bullet
Obsolete chamber design
Other kinds of ammunition
The Martini enters the 20th century
6) BALLISTICS AND WOUND EFFECT
PART 1 : BASIC BALLISTICS
Just how effective was the Martini- Henry ?
Ancient weights and measures
Air resistance and gravity
Hose pipe ballistics
Hits on the target : understanding statistics
Other factors affecting performance
Comparative ballistics
Bullet temper & bullet shape
Sectional density and form factor
Short range ammunition
Short range instability
PART 2 : WOUND EFFECT
.75 Calibre musket balls
.58 Calibre bullets
Records from Victorian firing squads
.45 Calibre hard lead bullets
Wound cavities
Coping with wounds
19th Century examples of wounding
Mental state and body condition
Further developments in wounding power
7) BAYONETS FOR THE MARTINI
8) MARKINGS AND FITTINGS
Markings on Martinis
Common British markings
Martini accessories
9) THE MARTINI HENRY IN THE ZULU WAR OF 1879
A conventional history of the Battle of Isandhlwana
Alternative viewpoint : what lies were told ?
Notes on Firearms used in the battle
Ammunition expenditure and wounds
Range and aiming
Ammunition expenditure in the Zulu war
Zulu casualties
Fouling, jams and using the feet
Fouling ie the residue left in the barrel
Mr Richards causes confusion
Learn to love your quartermasters
Alternative uses for ammunition
The eclipse of the sun at 1: 15 pm
Other battles of the war :
Rorke’s Drift & Kambula
Zulu firearms at Rorke’s Drift
Kambula : 29 March 1879
Dabulamanzi and Zulu weapons handling
Remaining minor scandals of the Zulu war
10) HUNTING WITH THE MARTINI
Origins of the hunting rifle
Big bores for big game
Stalking rifles
Typical ballistics
Miniature Martini shooting
Combination guns
11) MANUFACTURING MODERN AMMUNITION
Get your Martini shooting
First Problem - Bullets
Dimensions of Henry barrels
Casting bullets
Lead Alloys
Pouring lead
Problems with pure lead
Lubrication
Diesel effect
Grease cookies
Paper patching
Second Problem - Cartridge cases
Problems with drawn cases
Alternatives to commercial dies
So why do Martinis work with different bullets ?
Optimum fit
Choices to be made
Masking up tape
Chamber sleeves
Modern suppliers
Turned cases
Annealing cases
Case capacity
Negative view on nitro powders
Third Problem - Powders
Fourth Problem : Two kinds of loads
Tests of South African Nitro powders
The Bottom Line : Eliminating the variables
12) SHOOTING YOUR MARTINI
Assembly and disassembly
Cleaning and inspection of the bore
Barrel removal
Other ideas for improving barrels
Bulged chambers
The muzzle of the rifle
Faults in the rifle : trigger, stock and sights
Extractors
Firing pins
Cleaning Black Powder firearms
Tips on target shooting
And finally
BIBLIOGRAPHY
The book is currently at the printers in South Africa. Release date is not set but soon.. US and Australia editions will follow. As soon as I find out where you guys can get the book, I will pass the information on.
Martini-Henry Note-Book
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