Martini Henry MkII smoothbore.

[Patrick Chadwick]

Picked up a MkII that has been smoothbored, have never seen one before. Has a small fixed rear sight.

Germany is awash with smoothbore MH and percussion Enfields, and no doubt the situation is similar in other countries. Some are one-time service rifles that were turned into shotguns after being retired from service life. But every single one I have seen (and it must be in 3-figures by now) with a soldered-on simple backsight notch was Indian "for backwoods use only" or Khyber Pass "live dangerously - shoot this once". It took me 4 years of looking at this kind of hazardous scrap to find a genuine MH with a good bore.

I have held in my hands a MH with excellent markings - in fact, so crisp that I was suspicious (the markings were much better than the quality of the metalwork). With the help of a watchmaker's eyeglass it could be seen that these markings had been photographically etched. Ali Bubba and Sons seem to have adapted printed-circuit board etching techniques to their purposes. You could not tell the fakery in a photo. Be very, very careful.

Patrick

[RobSmith]

You must have read my mind there, MH is well past my "area of expertise" so to speak, but Khyber Pass is the first thing that came to my mind when an "oddball" MH comes to light.

[Anzac15]

A friend of mine who runs a firearm shop near me called me up last week and told me that I needed to get to the shop as fast as I could get there. He told me that a guy had shown up with a .303 MH and was wanting to sell it. So, knowing I was into MHs, I raced over there as fast as my tired old Land Rover could take me. I ran inside, all sorts of pictures in my head.
Well, wouldn't you know it, a good old Khyber Pass copy.
I told the seller, who was still there, what it was, and he gave me a look like I had just insulted his mother. 'The hell it is', he said. I said I was sorry, and pointed out the crudely BACKWARD 'Enfield' stamp. Oh, sorry, the THREE backward Enfield stamps. 'You don't know what you're talking about. This is real. I took a deer with it last year.' This was amazing, as the barrel was very obviously bent.
Some people.

[Patrick Chadwick]

I said I was sorry, and pointed out the crudely BACKWARD 'Enfield' stamp. Oh, sorry, the THREE backward Enfield stamps. 'You don't know what you're talking about. This is real. I took a deer with it last year.' This was amazing, as the barrel was very obviously bent. Some people.

As you have just experienced, some people either can't read, or don't want to!

Patrick