Original Item: IMA has found a limited number of Martini-Henry Mk III / 3rd Model sight protectors with various markings of interest to the collector. This group of Martini sight protectors are marked F W A for Fort William Arsenal, indicating that they had been inspected and passed by arsenal personnel. IMA has only a few of these.
These sight covers / protectors will fit all models of Martini-Henry rifles in .450/.577.
Fort William Arsenal was established in India in 1781 and is one of the oldest and greatest arsenals outside Great Britain. It was a massive facility, combining both the functions of a major fort and the main arsenal of the East India Company. When the British Crown took over administration of the Raj after the mutinies of 1857, Fort William came under the authority of the Royal Army.