Martini Henry Enfield .577/.450 Martini-Henry MK IV Single Shot .577/450 Martini-Henry Rifle

Antique no license required.

A Martini-Henry MkIV in .577/450 by the Royal Small Arms Factory, Enfield, dated 1887 — complete with the compelling Nepalese service markings that place this rifle firmly within one of the most significant known caches of Victorian military arms.

The MkIV was the final and most refined mark of the Martini-Henry series. Produced from 1887, it was a conversion of the earlier .402-bore Enfield-Martini, re-bored and re-rifled with traditional Henry rifling back at Enfield, then re-proofed for the .577/450 Martini-Henry cartridge. The defining feature of the MkIV over its predecessors is the long lever, adopted to provide greater mechanical advantage for extraction of spent cases — a recurring difficulty with the earlier short-lever marks in fouled chambers. The 33-inch barrel retains the standard rear ladder sight and blade foresight of the pattern.

The markings on this rifle tell their own story. NEP stamped to the barrel, together with the Nepalese script characters to the trigger guard and stock, are British-Indian ordnance marks denoting transfer to Nepal as a Native State — applied to rifles passed from British arsenals into Nepalese service. These markings are consistent with documented transfers of Martini-Henry rifles to Nepal in the 1890s and beyond, rifles that remained in Nepalese military inventory well into the twentieth century.

Bore is excellent for a rifle of this age bright and shiny

A genuine, fully marked example of the MkIV with traceable Nepalese provenance, representing the final chapter of British single-shot service rifle history.

Ref: 056

Purchase with confidence from a family run business with over 40 years experience.