The Brown Truck of Fun came to see me yesterday, and when it left I ripped into the boxes like a kid at Christmas. One of the members here, a real bastard named Barnside 
turned me on to a place where I could get 150 year old rifles. These came from Kathmandu, and had lain in a Nepalese palace since the British wars of Empire in the 1800s. The rifles below are two British Martini-Henrys, a Gehendra-Henry, and two Snider-Enfields. I have managed to clean the long Snider-Enfield to show what's beneath the Yak grease and brick-dust of a century. I think I have all I want from the cache, so I'm showing it to you.
This one is a "Cleaned and Restored" 1877 Martini-Henry.
The next rifle is an uncleaned "Untouched" Martini-Henry. Frankly, aside from the split in the buttstock I think the untouched rifle is in better condition. It was also $300 cheaper.
This one is a Gehendra-Henry, a Nepalese-manufactured version of the Peabody rifle.
and the writing on the receiver of the Gehendra:
And here are the two Sniders and the untouched Martini-Henry. Notice the short Snider is not cleaned while I've done the initial cleaning of the long Snider. It looks pretty good under all that grime, don't you think?
Close-up of the Snider "receiver" cleaned.
Me, I'm a bit partial to the Sniders, because they played such a pivotal part of firearms development. The rifle is a converted P-1853 musket. They cut off the back of the barrel, and made a breech that hinges open up and to the right. A bullet is inserted, the breech closed and latched, then the rifle can be fired. There is no extractor. The firing pin sits where the percussion nipple was on the P-53, so not much modification needed to be done there. The Martini-Henry supplanted this rifle, bit I think it's a really ingenious design - from the 1860s.
Anyway, it looks like I have my work cut out for me cleaning all these beautiful museum pieces. I may actually refinish one, but I haven't decided yet. I have two P53's on the way and two Brunswick muskets. I can't wait. And thanks Barnside for showing me this stuff.
turned me on to a place where I could get 150 year old rifles. These came from Kathmandu, and had lain in a Nepalese palace since the British wars of Empire in the 1800s. The rifles below are two British Martini-Henrys, a Gehendra-Henry, and two Snider-Enfields. I have managed to clean the long Snider-Enfield to show what's beneath the Yak grease and brick-dust of a century. I think I have all I want from the cache, so I'm showing it to you.This one is a "Cleaned and Restored" 1877 Martini-Henry.
The next rifle is an uncleaned "Untouched" Martini-Henry. Frankly, aside from the split in the buttstock I think the untouched rifle is in better condition. It was also $300 cheaper.
This one is a Gehendra-Henry, a Nepalese-manufactured version of the Peabody rifle.
and the writing on the receiver of the Gehendra:
And here are the two Sniders and the untouched Martini-Henry. Notice the short Snider is not cleaned while I've done the initial cleaning of the long Snider. It looks pretty good under all that grime, don't you think?
Close-up of the Snider "receiver" cleaned.
Me, I'm a bit partial to the Sniders, because they played such a pivotal part of firearms development. The rifle is a converted P-1853 musket. They cut off the back of the barrel, and made a breech that hinges open up and to the right. A bullet is inserted, the breech closed and latched, then the rifle can be fired. There is no extractor. The firing pin sits where the percussion nipple was on the P-53, so not much modification needed to be done there. The Martini-Henry supplanted this rifle, bit I think it's a really ingenious design - from the 1860s.
Anyway, it looks like I have my work cut out for me cleaning all these beautiful museum pieces. I may actually refinish one, but I haven't decided yet. I have two P53's on the way and two Brunswick muskets. I can't wait. And thanks Barnside for showing me this stuff.
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but I swear: This is IT!
