Original Item: One-of-a-kind. Before Great Britain formerly adopted the Martini Henry 1871 system the Birmingham Company of Westley Richards developed a Martini falling block rifle.
This example was found in our Nepalese cache purchase of 2003. The very unusual design has been credited with being the template Nepal used to develop their GAHENDRA Martini Rifle during the 1880s. This rifle could have even been the very rifle used to develop the Gahendra design but there is no way for us to know that with any certainty.
Condition is worn and well used. It is fitted with a 27-inch sporting .450/577 caliber barrel bearing a back sight with folding leaves, two of which are now missing. The sporting rifle was made half stocked and virtually no visible markings remain, the action is operational but loose. A very rare design seldom encountered.