rorkesdriftvc.com :: View topic - Buying a Martini-Henry

Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2006 3:12 am

If I might add my two bits? STOP! Don't even think about "improving" it! Seriously, resist the urge to make it better. I've settled on wiping with a silicone "gun cloth" as an absolute extreme and even that might cause most purists to recoil in shock. Active rust is one thing, but "patina" is quite another and it takes some expertise to know the difference.

Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2006 9:07 am

Well, I guess that told me then! It looks as though a (very) light application of gun oil is about all I can get away with - assuming I don't fancy a re-enactment of Isandhlwana with you fine gentlemen playing the parts of Czetswayo's troops and me playing the Bitish (all of them). I shall consider myself roundly chastised. Re-enacting the wars of the roses was never as dangerous as posting a question on RorkesdriftVC.

Back to my other original points: Anybody know where I can get a cocking indicator retaining screw and a new cleaning rod (currently I have nothing to fit my (original) cleaning jag onto - I assume that I'm allowed to clean it using the original tools and methods (I even have the original oil bottle - no contents, sadly)?
Seriously, though, thanks for the prompt, rapid-fire help.

Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2006 12:00 pm

Spikesmith,
You might try Peter Dyson for the cocking indicator screw http://www.peterdyson.co.uk, he sells original and repro Martini Henry parts. You might have more of a problem finding a clearing rod, though, the Mk I was quite different from the Mk II, which aren't difficult to find. And remember to use only Rangoon oil, nothing else will do!

Dave

Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2006 3:35 pm

Dave, Thanks for that. The screw has been duly ordered. Is the Rangoon oil for the furniture or the action?
A retired RAF armourer friend of mine has offered to help me strip and clean the action (don't worry, anyone, just to make sure it all works as advertised) so, depending on what we find, I should know in a week or so whether the old girl can be readied for action. I'll take shots of the strip down process as they may be of use to others.

Spike

Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2006 4:59 pm

Spike, glad to have helped. The Rangoon oil is for the action, I think Peter Dyson sell that as well. Does your ex-armourer friend know much about Martini's because they can be a bit tricky to strip and reassemble. There's a good website about the rifle on http://www.martinihenry.com with a section on stripping and reassembly. Enjoy your Martini, there's something about these old rifles that's really special.

Dave

Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2006 5:22 pm

Dave, thanks again for your help. I'm not sure whether he knows much about the .577/.450 version but he was the Warrant Officer for my old ATC sqn when I was a member in the 70s and early 80's (before I joined the RAF myself) and, as OIC the range, he used to look after our weapons - which included a couple of 0.22 conversion MH cadet rifles (I much preferred shooting those to the bolt-action weapons we had). I suspect it's just a matter of scale. If they still have them I might try to buy one (or both) from them.
You're 100% right about the old weapons, they just feel so much nicer than (say) the SA80 or, even the SLR and .303 SMLE (all of which I've used in my time). I've never yet fired a full-bore MH, but it's just a matter of time (I hope).
Spike

Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2006 1:41 pm

Spike, I'm pleased to see that you were able to find the answers you wanted from others on this site! Every so often I will read posts like Dave's and am again reminded how wide a range of knowledge and experience is freely offered by some of the denizens of this forum.
I occasionally anguish over the degree of "restoration" that's acceptable to apply to antiques, be they firearms or chairs or whatever. I admit I lean towards overdoing the cleaning and polishing and so forth myself. But my gut feeling is that the dirt and rust from years of neglect (not to mention the abuse in many instances) aren't really part of the "history" of the item and therefore fair game for removal. On the other hand, sharpening a vintage sword to a razor's edge with a Dremel tool or putting polyurethane on the furniture of an Enfield are obviously way out of line.
I have no problem with Murphey's Oil Soap to remove grime and dirt (which I don't consider part of "patina") and vigorous polishing of the hardware with a gun cloth. A can of WD 40 is the most used tool in my maintenance toy box and that alone causes horror among some purists.
I apologize for seeming overly emphatic, but I have more that a few collectible items that were instantly destroyed by over- zealous previous owners and I've destroyed more than my share myself!! A certain 1962 Fender guitar I own comes to mind-- which I successfully turned from a valuable and rare antique into just another old guitar when I opted to refinish the body a long time ago. Sure wish I hadn't "improved" that one!
Enjoy the Martini.