![rebarrel martini francotte rebarrel martini francotte](https://cdn.soft112.com/my-talking-hank/00/00/0H/1W/00000H1WSM/My-Talking-Hank-1.png)
Getting the help of some guys on a British forum that has allot of info about them (told me where to start tapping it with a hammer to free things up). The Gahendra I got, action was rusted shut, was able to get it apart after soaking it in 50/50 for about 3 days. Have heard they are in much better condition (something like 50-70 years of less storage). I would not do it again, maybe the handpick wrought or one of the Mk IV. I may order one of the Martini Henry Francotte parts guns for $80 and make it into a floor lamp.Ībout 2 years ago I ordered one of there untouched Gahendra rifles. You know, that lamp idea seems pretty neat. I got rid of it pronto and the gentleman I sold it to turned it into a lamp. I have yet to fire the Gahendra, but I do plan to now that I have a chamber adaptor that will allow me to shoot. Yes, I know I'm still missing a keeper screw. However, I think I'm going to revisit the stock and see if I can make it look a bit nicer. I hand selected my Gahendra and it cleaned up nicely. There is something to be said about being close enough to IMA to be able to hand select. That being said, there's one guy out there named Norm Sutton who turns them into beautiful specimens. Lots of rust, frozen screws, worm-eaten wood, etc. The Gahendra was the only "untouched" one and it was a real dog. Two Martini Henry's, a Snider rifle and a Gahendra rifle. Here is is cleaned and in operating condition:įinally, one of my Mk.IV Martini that originally came through IMA (though I bought it from another person): Here's my Snider in "untouched" condition: It works out to about 40 cents per round. 58 caliber minie balls that I cast using a Lee mold. I load mine with 50grains of FFg black powder, approximately 25 grains (volume equivalent) of wheat bran to take up the extra air space, a thick cardboard wad and. They can be a lot cheaper to shoot if you make some "Plastic Snider Chow", using 24ga plastic shotgun shells cut to 1.9" in length. I did that on my last trip there, and am very pleased with it. Forming your own brass (as ceresco is doing) is the cheapest way to do it, as factory or custom loaded shells can run from $3 to $7 per round.Īnother good possibility from IMA is to get a P1864 Snider. 577/450 round is a fairly expensive round to shoot, even if reloading. Having had the pleasure of examining many of these at IMA's Easton, PA location, I can say that the Mk.IV would be the best way to go as these seem to be in the best overall condition.