Ever since I first saw the movie Zulu, I've had a kind of hankering for a Martini-Henry .577 rifle. At Saturday's Collectors Gunshow here, I was on my way out the door when I spotted a guy closing up his table with a lonely Martini-Henry carbine sitting on it. It was marked .577-450 on the tag, but the bore is clearly smaller, I believe it's a .450-577 conversion. The receiver has the royal crown and V.R. marking, stamped Enfield 1877. It's got interesting stamps, "Broad Arrows" and proof marks all over it, including an "S X" on the top of the receiver, which I beleive means "Strengthened Extractor". There's a faint regimental stamp in the wood of the buttstock, and also a brass disk stamped "R.I.C.", for Royal Irish Constabulary. I'm not sure if it was originally made as a carbine, or was cut down from a Model 1877 rifle for constabulary use. The stock is all original finish, with the usual dings of a military rifle, but all the finish is worn off the metal, except for the bluing on the breechblock. The barrel still shows strong, sharp rifling, but there is a saw cut at the breech, indicating it was turned into a drill rifle, so it probably wasn't fired a whole lot in service; the bayonet stud has also been ground off the front barrel band. Mechanically, it seems in fine condition, and the lever and breech lock up tight.
It seems all complete, except it's missing the cleaning rod under the barrel. It was the end of the show for today, so I offered they guy $200 for it, and he took it. Now I'm home wondering what exactly I have, what it's actually worth, and whether it would be better to keep it as a collectible drill rifle hanging on the wall, or get it rebarreled, or sleeved, and turn it back into a shooter. Anybody got any thoughts, or information?
It seems all complete, except it's missing the cleaning rod under the barrel. It was the end of the show for today, so I offered they guy $200 for it, and he took it. Now I'm home wondering what exactly I have, what it's actually worth, and whether it would be better to keep it as a collectible drill rifle hanging on the wall, or get it rebarreled, or sleeved, and turn it back into a shooter. Anybody got any thoughts, or information?