Martini Enfield

[john60wales]

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Hello again!I've [hopefully] attached some pics. if someone can help me find out a little more about this rifle I'd be grateful. I just cannot make out the mark on the stock. In some light it seems to start with a V but in other lights it looks more like alike a T?
cheers
john

Information

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[jamie5070]

Try asking over on the britishmilitaria.yuku.com website for more answers

[Daan Kemp]

Looks like an 1874 Martini Metford 577/450 upgraded to 303 in 1899.

[john60wales]

Looks like an 1874 Martini Metford 577/450 upgraded to 303 in 1899.

It has Enfield rifling...so surely can't be a Metford?

[Daan Kemp]

Originally made in 577/450 with a Metford rifled barrel, as that was the rifling that worked best with black powder and lead bullets. After the Empire changed to 303, many Martinis were rebarreled to 303, as the only real change was the extractor and barrel. Later change over to Enfield rifling too, after experience with the new magazine LeeMetfords showed the Metford rifling, cordite, and jacketed bullets weren't compatible.

You will see the breechblock isn't 303 size, made for a larger cartridge. These are nice shooting rifles in my restricted experience.

[john60wales]

Originally made in 577/450 with a Metford rifled barrel, as that was the rifling that worked best with black powder and lead bullets. After the Empire changed to 303, many Martinis were rebarreled to 303, as the only real change was the extractor and barrel. Later change over to Enfield rifling too, after experience with the new magazine LeeMetfords showed the Metford rifling, cordite, and jacketed bullets weren't compatible.

You will see the breechblock isn't 303 size, made for a larger cartridge. These are nice shooting rifles in my restricted experience.

I see what you mean about the breech block. It actually groups reasonably well...just not where you aim it😁.
At some point I will slug the bore & see exactly where I am with it..
Cheers
John

[john60wales]

I did a rough bore slug using a .38 soft lead ball...by bashing it into the muzzle end of the rifle. It mic'd at approx .311.
I also used a H&N 8mm bullet head to slug the throat...that came out at .345 dia.
The H&N bullet is softish lead 'washed' with a thin coat of copper..
Cheers
John

[pisco]

If the barrel slugs .311 you have a good one they work well with cast

[john60wales]

The only time I tried cast bullets they went all over the place. The rifle shot much better with FMJs in 174gn...though not brilliantly.
So far the best I can get is with a 174gn bullet over 20gns of 2400..

[Patrick Chadwick]

Get hold of at least one of the Type 3130 Hornady bullets. These have a long cylindrical portion. (Ithink that Speer has a similar bullet)
Close the breech. Take a 1/4"brass or wooden rod about 1 yd long and insert it into the chamber until it touches the lands.
Make the point where the rod exits the muzzle.
Now open the breech, take on of the 3130s and push it into the breech until it hits the lands. This will also push the rod forwards out of the muzzle.
Make another mark where the rod exits the muzzle.
If the distance between the marks is longer than the length of a Martini-Henry case, then that rifle is probabl never going to shoot well, because in the free flight between leaving the case mouth and being engraved by the lands it will develop a skew. The bullet then has a corkscrew-like trajectory. This effect has been documented for revolvers (wher it occurs because of the free flight from the cylinder into the forcing cone) but I have not seen it documented for rifles.

In such a case, all you can do is use the 3130 set out as far as you dare.