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Victorian British Martini Henry Rifle
rayb


Joined: 02 Oct 2009
Posts: 7
Location: b-ham
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Victorian British Martini Henry Rifle
just saw this on the treaure bunker website


Ref: 377


Price: �695.00 / $993.85

A very nice Martini Henry Rifle dated 1877 and made by B.S.A. & M.Co. It has the typical crown, inspection and proof markings. It comes complete with the original ramrod and has an excellent bore. The rifle does not have any out of service markings on it and the woodwork has been nicely polished and waxed.



Brought back by a British serviceman serving in Afganistan.VGC
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Dave Colbourne


Joined: 02 Oct 2005
Posts: 48
Location: Barnsley, South Yorks
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Is it me, or do the markings on the receiver look a bit iffy. I don't have a BSA Martini myself, mine's an Enfield, but I would have thought there would have been a full stop after the A and before the &. Also the stamps for the Mark 2 under the arrow look very strange, not much like Roman numerals. I wonder if this is a Khyber Pass special knocked up recently. I don't think I'd want to shoot it.
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rayb


Joined: 02 Oct 2009
Posts: 7
Location: b-ham
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not sure on that but I'm sure trasure bunker would spot a fake how about you guys is it a fake or the real mccoy
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Sawubona


Joined: 09 Nov 2005
Posts: 1179
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You know, Dave, I agree with both your "iffy" judgment and your inability to quite put your finger on the reason why. It just doesn't look right to me either. What I noticed, in addition to the roman numeral "MK II" stamp (which doesn't seem to be centered on anything), is that the whole cypher seems too be a bit high on the receiver and the date stamp just has no discipline-- it's not in a particularly straight line and the spacing between the numbers just isn't quite right. I think that it's a knock-off too, but a very good one. Maybe a lot of vintage parts put together with a lot of knock-off parts to produce a "bitza" ("bits of this and bits of that")? Besides, how many authentic Martinis are going to be offered to servicemen in Afghan bazaars in 2010? They haven't thumbed their noses at Westerners for hundreds of years by being fools!
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Neil Aspinshaw


Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Posts: 290
Location: Loughborough
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Its another Afghan "Wrongun" and what you guys have not spotted immediately is that its a Mk3, not a Mk2. Forend is fixed by strap not a cross pin, and long sight bed gives it away., the second I have seen in as many weeks

The Receiver marks are a poor copy and is engraved not stamped

The "11" is engraved and in the wrong position

Lock viewers mark is incorrect

Afghan Bitsa, bits of this and that... don't be fooled.

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Neil
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Victorian British Martini Henry Rifle
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