Restoring an Afghan pattern Martini Henry rifle. - Page 1

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Restoring an Afghan pattern Martini Henry rifle.

Posted: 1/18/2015 9:45:45 PM EDT

Much like I did in a previous restoration thread where I restored in a manner to preserve the value and collectability of one of the IMA Martini Henry MKIV rifles from the Nepal cache, I would like to continue that tradition and do the same type of restoration of an Afghan Pattern Martini Henry rifle I acquired during my recent tour in Afghanistan.

Link to archived thread, http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_6_14/356401_Museum_quality_restoration_of_collectable_firearms__Update3__Next_rifle_3_Band_Enfield_Ready_2_shoot.html

I started by applying penetrating oil on all the screws and pins I would be removing and repeated the process over several days which made their removal much easier.

Bayonet band and middle band pins and screws removed.

Markings under the barrel.

Some pitting at the stock line, to be expected.

Some rust & pitting, not too bad.

Stock retaining lug recess under the handguard.

A look into the chamber. Note, the extractor is missing and will have to find a replacement or modify a British one to fit.

Receiver & barrel markings.

More to follow as I go through the process.

Posted: 1/18/2015 9:51:29 PM EDT

[#1]

Tag!

First!

Posted: 1/18/2015 10:05:00 PM EDT

[#2]

Cool. Love these threads.

You got me thinking about one of the MKIV Model B's now. Damn it!

Posted: 1/18/2015 10:15:19 PM EDT

[#3]

Awesome

Posted: 1/18/2015 10:26:30 PM EDT

[#4]

Neat!

Posted: 1/18/2015 10:48:19 PM EDT

[#5]

In!!

Good luck!

Posted: 1/19/2015 4:59:32 PM EDT

[#6]

tag for the awesomeness

Posted: 1/19/2015 6:18:29 PM EDT

[#7]

that thumb rest is a little offset from where I've seen them placed. Is that a British made rifle or a Khyber pass special?

Posted: 1/19/2015 6:37:07 PM EDT

[#8]

Super cool

Posted: 1/19/2015 7:21:03 PM EDT

[#9]

Alvin - neither. The Brits were consulted on a factory set up in Kabul in the late 1800's - I brought home multiple martinis mostly British but a couple of the Kabul arsenals as well. Fun guns to shoot! Mine does pretty well out to 100 yards ( shoots about 10 inches high at 100)

Posted: 1/19/2015 7:26:36 PM EDT

[#10]

How are you sure it's an original? I always wondered when I was there in 2010. Are you going to fire it?

Posted: 1/19/2015 8:28:15 PM EDT

[#11]

Quote History

Quoted:
Alvin - neither. The Brits were consulted on a factory set up in Kabul in the late 1800's - I brought home multiple martinis mostly British but a couple of the Kabul arsenals as well. Fun guns to shoot! Mine does pretty well out to 100 yards ( shoots about 10 inches high at 100)

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didn't know, thanks, learn something new everyday. any question about strength of receiver or barrel with those models? have a couple Lees and it is always comforting to look at the Broad Arrow stamps on them.

Posted: 1/19/2015 8:32:57 PM EDT

[#12]

Tag

Posted: 1/19/2015 11:55:49 PM EDT

[#13]

Quote History

Quoted:

didn't know, thanks, learn something new everyday. any question about strength of receiver or barrel with those models? have a couple Lees and it is always comforting to look at the Broad Arrow stamps on them.

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Quoted:

Quoted:
Alvin - neither. The Brits were consulted on a factory set up in Kabul in the late 1800's - I brought home multiple martinis mostly British but a couple of the Kabul arsenals as well. Fun guns to shoot! Mine does pretty well out to 100 yards ( shoots about 10 inches high at 100)

didn't know, thanks, learn something new everyday. any question about strength of receiver or barrel with those models? have a couple Lees and it is always comforting to look at the Broad Arrow stamps on them.

Thanks Captain, that is correct. It is a Royal Afghan Martini pattern Type 1 Infantry rifle made in about 1895. The Kabul Arsenal even employed an English Engineer to oversee the operations and procure machinery for the manufacture of these rifles for the Royal Afghan Army.

Sir Walter Pyne, a Yorkshireman, first arrived in Kabul in 1886 and started a workshop…”

." “At the end of three months 'the buildings were finished, and Mr Pyne was dispatched to Europe to procure machinery.”[4] . Eighteen months were spent in getting machinery and plant specially made in England, and a similar period elapsed after his return before the machinery arrived at Cabul.”[2] These eventually grew to workshops, sawmills, steam hammers, lathes, and machines for making a variety of articles, from breech-loading cannon to soap and candles. Particular attention was given to the fashioning of arms and the supply of munitions of war.”

Wheeler, Stephen. The Ameer Abdur Rahman; Bliss, Sands and Foster (London 1895); page 221

“Mr. Pyne was at one time engaged in an arms factory in England. At Kabul they turn out a rifle of the Martini-Henry Pattern. The barrel is made by machinery, but the stock mechanism and sighting is done by hand. About 3,000 Martini-Henri cartridges are manufactured daily. There is also plant for manufacturing Snider cartridges, but it has not yet been set up.”[9]
The Ameer’s Soap Factory in Afghanistan published in the American soap journal and manufacturing chemist, Volumes 3-5; Henry Gathmann Publisher (Chicago, April 1, 1893 Vol. IV, No 1). Page 198

Posted: 1/22/2015 4:56:25 AM EDT

[#14]

I'll basically clean the wood mostly with linseed oil and I have been limiting the exposure to penetrating oil to avoid darkening the wood any further. So far only the rear handguard pin and wiping off the excess as I go along has been the only exposure of the wood to any modern oil.. I've ordered some bronze wool as no one local has ever heard of it and I'm not satisfied with how even bronze brushes are working out. They're removing too much bluing for my taste. I need to find a less aggressive way to remove the rust without damaging the surviving finish of the rifle.

The good news is that the handguard is in as good a shape as I could hope. It will only take linseed oil and elbow grease to make it look good. It still has the "H" stamps, which I presume were some sort of acceptance stamp. The buttstock I am leaning in NOT removing from the receiver. I feel that more potential for damage exists in removing it than remediating corrosion and the effects of time than leaving it on. I would like others opinion on this. I will remove the buttplate and post pics of the findings to further this decision.

Posted: 1/24/2015 11:15:04 PM EDT

[#15]

The fit on that buttstock is so nice, I'd probably not try and remove it either.

Posted: 1/27/2015 6:36:41 PM EDT

[#16]

Quote History

Quoted:
I'll basically clean the wood mostly with linseed oil and I have been limiting the exposure to penetrating oil to avoid darkening the wood any further. So far only the rear handguard pin and wiping off the excess as I go along has been the only exposure of the wood to any modern oil.. I've ordered some bronze wool as no one local has ever heard of it and I'm not satisfied with how even bronze brushes are working out. They're removing too much bluing for my taste. I need to find a less aggressive way to remove the rust without damaging the surviving finish of the rifle.

The good news is that the handguard is in as good a shape as I could hope. It will only take linseed oil and elbow grease to make it look good. It still has the "H" stamps, which I presume were some sort of acceptance stamp. The buttstock I am leaning in NOT removing from the receiver. I feel that more potential for damage exists in removing it than remediating corrosion and the effects of time than leaving it on. I would like others opinion on this. I will remove the buttplate and post pics of the findings to further this decision.

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My local Walgreens sells Chore Boy pure copper pads. They're even less aggressive than brass. The only thing I ever hit with the brass bore brush is pitting and the hard chunks that seem glued to the surface.

As for the stock, I am not sure since i don't have much experience with M-H's or your rifle. I do know that for rifles with stocks like it's that you're always risking damage to the buttstock when you remove it, even on on rifles that appear in good shape. I suppose that if it were my rifle, I'd plan for some minor damage if I removed the buttstock and weigh that against the amount of corrosion I see elsewhere inside the rifle.

Your last restoration project turned out great, I can't wait to see the end result for this rifle!

Posted: 2/4/2015 9:35:34 PM EDT

[#17]

Well elcope, you pushed me over the edge. I had been looking at these for a while. Thanks to your post here and the other link I picked up one of the MK IV C's. I figured that would give me the best chance at one in good shape. Looks like it worked out. Wood is in very good shape and just a bit of rust so far on the outside of the receiver. We shall see how it looks underneath when I get a chance to start cleaning it up.

Posted: 2/4/2015 9:55:03 PM EDT

[#18]

That looks like a great project.

Posted: 2/19/2015 10:35:31 PM EDT

[#19]

Quote History

Quoted:
I'm not satisfied with how even bronze brushes are working out. They're removing too much bluing for my taste. I need to find a less aggressive way to remove the rust without damaging the surviving finish of the rifle.

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Electrolysis.

Posted: 2/25/2015 10:22:58 PM EDT

[#20]

I would only remove the stock if there is any chance the stock bolt could be rusting and might cause a split in the wrest. Last one I removed I heated with a soldiering iron from inside of the receiver and then applied Kroil Oil to it. I did this over a course of a few days and it came out without any problems.

Posted: 2/25/2015 11:58:43 PM EDT

[#21]

Quote History

Quoted:
I would only remove the stock if there is any chance the stock bolt could be rusting and might cause a split in the wrest. Last one I removed I heated with a soldiering iron from inside of the receiver and then applied Kroil Oil to it. I did this over a course of a few days and it came out without any problems.

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I do not think there would be a problem with the MK IV's getting the stock off. I used the monkey wrench and tire iron screwdriver in the top of this pic to get mine out and it released easily. The earlier rifles? Not so easy from what I have been reading. Although with the setup I have you could get get good leverage.

Posted: 2/26/2015 1:50:11 AM EDT

[#22]

Quote History

Quoted:
I would only remove the stock if there is any chance the stock bolt could be rusting and might cause a split in the wrest. Last one I removed I heated with a soldiering iron from inside of the receiver and then applied Kroil Oil to it. I did this over a course of a few days and it came out without any problems.

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Pending examination once I get the but plate off, I probably won't. Been sidelined the last two weeks and working a little on the hand guard. Major update in the next few days.

Posted: 3/12/2015 2:27:40 AM EDT

[#23]

Quote History

Quoted:

Pending examination once I get the but plate off, I probably won't. Been sidelined the last two weeks and working a little on the hand guard. Major update in the next few days.

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Quote History

Quoted:

Quoted:
I would only remove the stock if there is any chance the stock bolt could be rusting and might cause a split in the wrest. Last one I removed I heated with a soldiering iron from inside of the receiver and then applied Kroil Oil to it. I did this over a course of a few days and it came out without any problems.

Pending examination once I get the but plate off, I probably won't. Been sidelined the last two weeks and working a little on the hand guard. Major update in the next few days.

Minor (teaser) update as I have been swamped with starting back at work and getting prepped for the next stage of my career.

Since I have been swamped, I resolved to get a few small things completed, that wouldn't take too much time or focus. I got the bolt apart an was able to get it and all attendant pieces done.

Bolt face. Some pitting, not too bad.

Firing pin.

I do have more pics, and I'll try to get them resized, uploaded and posted in the next few days. I made a little progress on the barrel, let's call it 10% done. The rust on it was bad in places and even the bronze wool is more aggressive than I like on the remains of the bluing under the wood, which is quite good, but I suppose that is unavoidable.