Enfield Martini Henry Rifle Conversion .22LR

Enfield Martini Henry Rifle Conversion .22LR

Enfield Martini Henry Rifle Conversion .22LR. This is a real piece of history. An 1894 Martini Henry rifle converted to .22LR for the Society of Miniature Rifle Clubs by C G Bonehill of Birmingham. The early Twentieth Century national encouragement of the populace into rifle shooting was instigated by a number of senior military men, keen senior civilian riflemen and politicians, in particular Lord Salisbury, with Lord Roberts of Kandahar as the prime mover and figurehead. This resulted, between 1900 and 1904, in the aforementioned evolution of the shooting sections of the Society of Working Men’s Clubs into the Society of Miniature Rifle Clubs.

C G Bonehill was a Guardian of the Birmingham Proof House. On 29 June 1895, patent No.12578 with A Tunstall covered a Martini action with a detachable barrel (this patent was subsequently used to make the Greener GP shotgun).

On 6 November 1905 patent No. 22658 covered a screw adjustable backsight. There may have been another patent for a .22 conversion, the firm converted surplus Martini-Henry rifles to .22 for the Society of Miniature Rifle Clubs.

The Martini Henry Rifle was the standard issue weapon for the British army from 1871 until 1889. It was produced at the Royal Small Arms Manufactory at Enfield and it was named after Friedrich von Martini, a Swiss engineer and Alexander Henry, a Scottish gunsmith. This rifle was used by the British in the Second Afghan War, The Zulu Wars and the Boer War.

The Martini Henry was a breech loading rifle, unlike previous rifles which were muzzle loading; this means that the bullet was put into the beginning of the gun barrel rather than the end. A breech loader can be loaded and fired much more quickly than a muzzle loader. A soldier with a Martini Henry could fire 20 shots a minute.

This is a lovely little rifle in good condition and full working order. The receiver is marked HRB Co which stands for the Henry Rifled Barrel Company 1891-1894.