Welcome everyone to the 223rd edition of ‘Hot Gat or Fudd Crap?’, one of our many series here on TFB. If you’re new to the series, this is where we look at the most obscure firearms that are actually for sale and ask the question – is this Gat a [Read More…]
As it happens, I like weird old guns. Ever since I watched the incredible Zulu (1964) a few years ago, I wanted a Martini-Henry. Specifically, a Martini-Henry Mk III, which is the model found in the movie. Mostly. They couldn’t get enough actual Martinis and had [Read More…]
Back in the mid-1860s most of the world’s militaries began to clamber to adopt breech-loading systems following the success of the Prussian Dreyse Needle Rifle during the Prussian-Danish War. The Dreyse breechloader had given the Prussians a tactical advantage [Read More…]
I ran across this photo some time ago in a book, the title of which I cannot recall. The caption notes that the image is of a cavalry trooper armed with a Martini-Henry, taken in 1895, using his horse as a shooting rest. What’s remarkable to me is that the horse [Read More…]
Very and distinctly different from anything craft-produced in the Darra Adam Khel regions of the Kyberpukhtunkha region of Pakistan, the Kabul Arsenal pumped out railroad materials, coins, and most important to us at TFB, Martini-Henry’s and Martini-Metford license produced copies with the [Read More…]
Available to those transiting through or vacationing in Dubai is the tucked away gem of the Dubai Museum and Al Faidi Fort. The museum tells the story of the pre-historic surroundings and the small hamlet that would eventually become the sprawling metropolis that is the [Read More…]
Previously we looked at some of the very modern stores that sell numerous Turkish models in Kabul but in this episode, we look at some of the older small arms that are considered antiques but still legal to purchase (although ammunition is somewhat of a gray area). For that purpose, we went to one [Read More…]
To be quite honest, the old Kabul Arsenal never needed to be “relocated” as it had never been lost, destroyed, or otherwise essentially altered. What this post is adding to the conversation is that someone who had a very legitimate interest in the arsenal [Read More…]
Prelude to a war, an opportunity for inventory: In the last days of 1895, a contingent of mounted Rhodesian Police headed into the South African Republic (ZAR), also known as the Transvaal. Their goal: to initiate an uprising of “Uitlanders”-foreign [Read More…]
1864: The British government adopts (American) Jacob Snider’s breech-loading conversion for the P-1853 musket, with first issue in 1866. It uses a cutting-edge brass cartridge. 1865: The British War Office announces a series of rifle trials to replace the [Read More…]
The YouTube channel britishmuzzleloaders consistently puts out excellent content in areas of firearms history that rarely receive much attention. Most recently, he took his .577/.450 Martini-Henry out to the range, to shoot at ranges of 100, 200, 300, and 400 yards. [Read More…]
The caliber wars have raged for as long as there have been calibers. At the end of last year, we looked at an article from 1891 deriding as useless small caliber rounds – that is, .30 caliber rounds – versus their larger .45 caliber counterparts. But how do [Read More…]
The story of modern British small arms is one of cleverness and perseverance, but mostly of seemingly continual obsolescence. Like the later Lee design, the Martini-Henry is yet another entry into the book of British rifles that were relatively quickly obsolesced by [Read More…]
It’s unfortunate that when tabletop volumes or works of fine journalism cover the weapons used in a particular time or place, they always seem to paint a nice neat picture: M16A1s squared off against AK-47s in Vietnam, Lee-Enfields against Mausers in the Boer [Read More…]
There’s an article title I never thought I’d write! A Victorian grenade launcher? Not quite. It is indeed a Martini-Henry grenade launcher, or to be precise, a Blanch-Chevallier Grenade Discharger. Rather than being designed to combat Zulus on the South African [Read More…]
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