Westley Richards Martini

wvfred

AH enthusiast
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Location
West Virginia
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Hunted
Zimbabwe x 2 and Zambia
Up for sale is a Westley Richards Martini in 303 British.It has a 27" barrel 14.5" LOP and weighs 7.25 lb.It is in nice shape as the pics will show.The bore is very good.The only faults I can find with this rifle is that over the years someone replaced the sights and the barrel has been recrowned at some point.The price is $1850 shipped.If anyone has any questions or need more pics just ask.
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I have the bare bones for one of those in 35 caliber that is stamped "Made by Westley Richards for ZAR" on one side of the receiver. Presumably imported by the Transvaal sometime between the two Boer Wars. About the only thing salvageable is the rear sight. The machinist who opened the bolt for my 404 build gave it to me. He found it in a barn when he was a kid.
 
If someone buys it they may be interested in your sight if you would want to sell it.
Let me go have a look. I seem to recall it had half octagon barrel so might not work with this rifle.

I was wrong. Round barrel. It might work for your gun if I can remove it. Front sight is also still attached.
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Let me clean that sight up and see if it even still works. Thanks, I needed something to keep me busy tonight.
Well, that didn't take as long as I hoped. Rear sight is fully operational. Quite rusty and the ladder was bent but all is well now. The increment numbers even turned up after rust was scrubbed off. I believe this sight must be either screwed or soldered to the barrel. I will need to remove the leaf spring to see if a screw is underneath. I'll let the penetrating oil work on the spring for a while before I try to push it out. It was fun while it lasted. Someone find me another challenge. :D
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I always laugh at the trigger on the OLD Martini. Every one
I have shot has a trigger that breaks like glass.
 
I just love old wooden stocked guns.

Another of the "stories it could tell" guns

Ought to make a post of "show us your classic rifle"
 
Up for sale is a Westley Richards Martini in 303 British.It has a 27" barrel 14.5" LOP and weighs 7.25 lb.It is in nice shape as the pics will show.The bore is very good.The only faults I can find with this rifle is that over the years someone replaced the sights and the barrel has been recrowned at some point.The price is $1850 shipped.If anyone has any questions or need more pics just ask.View attachment 607014View attachment 607015View attachment 607016
Great maker and a great calibre . WR used Metford rifling in their rifles during late 19th and up to WW1 . Many people looking at these rifles think the barrels have been shot out - but generally they haven’t been . I expect this rifle will prefer the 215 grain bullets at about 2050 - 2100 fps . A very nice rifle .
 
OMG I love this! I have thing for Martini Henry's anyway. I have a couple including a WR ZAR stamped one from the Boer War in the original 577/450 MH. I hand load for my guns and make the brass out of 24 ga shotgun brass cut and necked down to 45 cal. If I had the funds I'd bought this in an instant. Someone is going to end up with an amazing rifle at a very fair price.
 

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