doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com Martini

Got a Westley Martini Henry today. Can someone tell me what the screws and pins in the photos are for? All that I can see that they do is hold the front of the trigger group in the receiver. Seems to be overly engineered just to keep the TG in place.

Mike

Your photos are not visible,

Parabola

These were known as the "Improved Martini Henry" and had things like the extra pieces for the disassembly pins, plus a lever latch not used in earlier Martini Henrys. It's not too complicated to turn the retaining screw, and then the two thumb knobs unscrew to lower the triggerplate.

Hey Mike, I that a ZAR Westley Martini? I've almost bought one many times, but usually cheap out. My understanding is the action is detachable via those screws, like in a Westley Richards Sherwood martini. Chris

(If allowed, here's a link to another board with more info on the background of these: https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/bri...urchase-westley-richards-zar-t11403.html)

Thanks for the pictures Mike.

Is yours a one-band as pictured in the helpful link pasted by CJF, or the longer 2 band?

As set out in the link this is the Francotte Patent detachable action, and Westley Richards fulfilled the contract with the ZAR, shortly before the outbreak of war between us and the Boers, using Belgian made actions supplied by Francotte.

Many years ago I took my one band short ZAR WR rifle into the Pattern Room at Enfield.

The Curator, the late Herb Woodend, tried to persuade me donate it as they did not gave an example of the short rifle into the collection.

I managed to escape with it still in my possession.