Original British P-1895 Martini-Enfield .303 Rifle by William Ford of Birmingham Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. The famous Martini Henry Martini Rifle was adopted in 1871 by Great Britain and production started in 1872. It was then in the very well known .450/.577 Martini-Henry Caliber used in the ZULU WARS, SUDAN, INDIA and throughout the Empire. Firearms technology moved forward, and in 1888 Great Britain adopted the Lee Metford magazine Rifle in .303 caliber. This was then followed in 1895 with the Lee Enfield Bolt action magazine Rifle, which was designed to use the new smokeless powder version of the .303 British cartridge, which the Lee-Metford rifling was unable to withstand.

Additionally, in 1895 British forces adopted the P-1895 MARTINI-ENFIELD RIFLE in .303 caliber, mainly by converting Martini Henry .450/.577 caliber Rifles to .303 caliber using a completely NEW barrel and fore end. These were intended for Colonial troops and were of course single shot. The lessons learned from the 1857/1859 Sepoy Rebellion, also known as the INDIAN MUTINY, seriously shook British Military confidence in its Colonial troops, so they were generally not provided with the most modern weaponry. This confidence was not rebuilt until after World War One, when colonial troops were once again armed with the standard British infantry weapons.

This particular rifle was made or converted by WILLIAM FORD of BIRMINGHAM, and has his stamp on each side of the wooden butt stock. The rifle bears no Military Markings on the receiver sides, although totally conforming to the P-1895 Pattern. It does have a small CROWN / BV marking on the top right of the receiver, which is the Birmingham inspector’s viewing mark. Most probably privately ordered and purchased by a serving Officer going to South Africa or India at the end of the Queen Victoria era. The wood work is quite nice, with the expected wear from service and age. The trigger guard sling swivel is missing, but could easily be replaced. The bore shows clear rifling, with slight wear, and the action cycles properly, though it may require adjustment, as the lever must be held down to get the breech block to fall all the way.

In splendid condition ready to display!

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: c.1880 – converted later
Caliber:  .303 British
Cartridge Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Overall Length: 30 Inches
Overall Length: 46 Inches
Action type: Falling-Block
Feed System: Single Shot