1878 Martini Henry mud puppy

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Re: 1878 Martini Henry mud puppy

Post by Woftam » Wed Dec 09, 2009 8:19 pm

Looking good.
Keep it coming, if I can't buy one here I'll have to live the experience vicariously through yours :D
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Re: 1878 Martini Henry mud puppy

Post by Niner » Thu Dec 10, 2009 5:12 pm

Didn't do much today. Just a light rub with 0000 steel wool on the wood parts. Got to thinking about either Boiled Linseed Oil or Tung oil Decided to try one coat of the Homer Formsby stuff I had on the shelf. I got some BLO on a shelf too. I just like the Tung oil better. The oil has a little varnish in it too, but wanted to stop up the pores in the wood and not leave much of an obvious finish. Also figured the Tung oil would darken it some back to more like what it must have been like once upon a time. Gave it a hand coat and will steel wool it lightly tomorrow. Coated the metal parts with RIG for the time being. Waiting on parts otherwise.
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Before the tung oil
Before the tung oil
Tung oil still a little wet
Tung oil still a little wet
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Re: 1878 Martini Henry mud puppy

Post by bradtx » Sat Dec 12, 2009 8:51 am

Niner, Okay, I can only vaguely pick out a Martini rifle in a pile of pistols, but I'm enjoying your well documented restoration. Looks to me the rifle will retain it's history when you're complete.

Brad

PS Any possibility of a range report when all's sorted?
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Re: 1878 Martini Henry mud puppy

Post by Niner » Sat Dec 12, 2009 9:28 am

Brad, don't know about the range report. I do expect to get it all back to functioning again when a few new parts arrive. As I told Duncan, maybe lash it to a tree and get a long cord and load it with a weak load of BP if I get ready to fire it. The rifle is still something made by people in a not particularly industrially advanced part of the world over a hundred years ago. Of course this one was probably issued at one time or other.

I do want to clean it up without restoring it to point of it being obvious. I've even considered buying another and leaving it in the "as found" state for investment.
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Re: 1878 Martini Henry mud puppy

Post by DuncaninFrance » Sat Dec 12, 2009 10:01 am

I've even considered buying another and leaving it in the "as found" state for investment.
I couldn't do that, I would have to see what it was like sooner rather than later. A bit like a chocolate bar - as long as I can't get my hands on it i'm OK but if I can touch it then wham, paper off and it's gone :loco: :loco:
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Re: 1878 Martini Henry mud puppy

Post by Niner » Sat Dec 12, 2009 4:53 pm

Got the firing pin spring and the trigger spring from Numrich. It is worth noting that the parts worth $8.90 were sent by USPS in a plastic mailer that only says postage paid. The shipping charge was $4.95. However the good news is that if I had gotten the same parts....maybe antique, who knows....from IMA I would have paid $60.19 including shipping! Atlanta Cutlery would be the same on the $39.95 firing pin spring, although I don't see them offering a trigger spring..

Just be aware if you get one of these to play with to shop around for springs and such.

I did order the IMA $19.95 replacement firing pin though.

http://www.ima-usa.com/index.php/cPath/29_61_249
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Re: 1878 Martini Henry mud puppy

Post by DoubleD » Sun Dec 13, 2009 11:02 am

You take you chances with Numrich Martini Parts and SARCO also...they don't know models and they don't types. The parts you get may be for a MH or for an ME or a Greener. They may have come from a commercial, a military or a KP Martini.
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Re: 1878 Martini Henry mud puppy

Post by Niner » Sun Dec 13, 2009 11:20 am

As you say, it is all a crap shoot as to what you get for parts ordering online. However, IMA springs, perhaps from the Nepal discovery, are one size fits all too.....although old and perhaps more "correct". But what I am working on is an indigenous weapon, covered in a hundred years of crud, that was purchased for $150. "The same spring works in all models of Martini-Henry and Enfield-Martini" says IMA. I'm willing to take my chances with a $4.95 one over a one size fits all $39.95 replacement from IMA that is , maybe, original. I'll take a photo of the old spring and the new spring together another day.

The trigger spring for $3.95 looks the same as the one offered by IMA, probably new made, for $9.95.

I'll see how things work out when the "striker" or firing pin arrives.
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Re: 1878 Martini Henry mud puppy

Post by DoubleD » Mon Dec 14, 2009 11:48 am

One size fit all is true only a few Martini parts. But definitely not all.

The trigger spring for MH/ME and the Francotte like you have are one size fits all. The Greener trigger spring is slightly different and can be made to fit in the smaller guns most of the time.

For Main springs, I go to the local hardware store and buy springs from the spring stock they sell. Last one I bought was $ 0.75.

You will find that things like breech blocks and extractors are not fully interchangable...without getting up and going in the Library and shooting from the top of my head. A extrator from one MK will not always work in another MK . The longer tail of one of one of the later extractors gives it more travel and the breech block was relieved for the extra travel. Earlier Mk's have shorter tails and no block relief.

If you order an extractor from Numrich they don't know the difference.

There is also some differencs in strikers, but they less fussy in interchange.

Then of course there is at least seven different breech blocks. Numrich and Sarco don't list them separately If you put a breech block from the earlier MK'. in the later long tail extractor the gun won't fully open. The extractor hangs up. Of those seven breech blocks two are for .303 and your 577/450 stiker will not fit. Or if you have a .303 a 577/450 block wil have an oversize stiker hole. then of course they could send you a Greener breech blok with is larger than the MH.

Then of course you have a Francotte rifle and not a Martini at all. I believe the Francotte internal parts will pretty much interchange with the Martini but they are the same.

The point I am trying to make isn't to buy from IMA. The point I am trying to make is that there is variations in the parts in the Martini Henry/Greener/Francotte and they are not freely interchangable-one size does not fit all! You need to know the edifference , because neither Numrich or SARCO do.

When I had my shop open I did thousands of dollar worth of Business with Numrich. When dealing with old parts with them I always made it a practice when ever possible to send them the old broken part to compare. If the part was missing then it was always potluck and expensive to send parts back and forth until the right part was found.
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Re: 1878 Martini Henry mud puppy

Post by Niner » Mon Dec 14, 2009 12:16 pm

Thanks for the caution Douglas. You obviously know of what you speak. I never was under impression all parts were interchangeable among different calibers and models and years and arsenals, but figured I'd take a chance with a couple of springs and the antique striker being a fit. The striker was the most concern, but there was a comment at the IMA site that encouraged me to take a chance on the 19.95 offering made by someone who replaced one in the same discription of gun. I have a feeling I may need to adjust the length of the striking end though. I'll have to see what happens as I go along.
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