mrw311 - AnthologyMain MenuIntroductionThe Gatling Gun and Machine GunsRifles and HandgunsIronclad Battleships and Torpedo TechnologyThe Boer WarsStagnation and Fear of DestructionAnxious, Fictional Accounts of the FutureBibliographyMatthew Werkheiserbaf3c422a98f36dbd4c83c180176ff0854fcbc18
Martini-Henry Mk IV Long Lever
12016-11-25T23:35:58+00:00Matthew Werkheiserbaf3c422a98f36dbd4c83c180176ff0854fcbc18662YouTube video of Iraqveteran8888 firing an Martini-Henry rifleplain2016-11-25T23:36:01+00:00Matthew Werkheiserbaf3c422a98f36dbd4c83c180176ff0854fcbc18
12016-11-27T02:54:04+00:00Martini-Henry Mk IV Long Lever5plain2016-12-14T01:04:52+00:00A Youtube video by Eric of the channel IraqVeteren8888 depicting the operation of an 1888 Mk.IV Martini-Henry rifle. As a single-shot, breech loading rifle, the gun needed to manually operated by a thumb-lever on the bottom of the butt-stock to open the breech and eject a shell. A new cartridge was then inserted into the feed-ramp, the thumb lever was pulled back up thus locking the breech, and the weapon was ready to fire again. The Martini-Henry was used to great devastation in the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879. The main drawbacks of the rifle were its use of thin brass casings and powder fouling. Due to the cartridges being charged with black-powder, over time the breech would begin to tighten up due to fouling resulting in cartridge extraction issues. The thin walls of the early brass cartridges would either bulge or tear completely in the breech, resulting in extraction malfunctions. With the introduction of smokeless powder and stronger cases, the Martini-Henry would go on to become one of the most reliable breech loading weapons of all time, with examples being found in the hands of the Taliban all the way into 2011.