Martini-Henry Rifle Series

Error creating thumbnail: File missing

Martini-Henry Mk. I (1871-1876) .577-.450 caliber.

Error creating thumbnail: File missing

Martini-Henry Mk. II (1877-1881) .577-.450 caliber.

Error creating thumbnail: File missing

Martini-Henry Mk. III (1881-1888) .577-.450 caliber.

Error creating thumbnail: File missing

Martini-Henry Mk. IV (1888-1889) .577-.450 caliber.

Error creating thumbnail: File missing

Martini-Henry Carbine 1881 .577-.450 caliber.

Error creating thumbnail: File missing

Martini-Henry "Sporter" .577-.450 caliber modified by the famous London gunsmith J. Rigby

Error creating thumbnail: File missing

"Arabized" Martini Henry in 577/450 cal with belt and foil cartridges.

The Martini-Henry is a lever-action breech loading rifle developed as a quick loading cartridge rifle for use with the British Army. The weapon saw extensive service in the Zulu conflict and remained in use until it was phased out by bolt action Enfield repeating rifles and Maxim machine guns. It uses a unique bullet, a cartridge built using a .577 brass casing pinched down onto a .45 caliber .450 bullet to fit the chamber. The head spacing in the chamber must have been pretty poor to fit a round with several crimps in the case, but it proved reliable and effective for the time it served.

---

The Martini-Henry Rifle Series and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:

Film

Title	Actor	Character	Note	Date
Zulu	Michael Caine	Lt. Gonville Bromhead		1964
Zulu		British soldiers		1964
Zulu		Zulu warriors	Carbine version	1964
Khartoum		British and Egyptian soldiers and the Mahdists		1966
The Naked Prey	Cornel Wilde	The Man		1966
The Naked Prey		Soldiers		1966
Young Winston	Simon Ward	Winston Churchill		1972
Young Winston		Sikh soldiers		1972
R.A.S.	Jean-François Balmer	Raymond Dax	"Arabized" version, confiscated in Algerian village.	1974
Jaws	Robert Shaw	Quint	W.W. Greener Harpoon gun, based on the Martini-Henry action	1975
The Wind and the Lion	Brian Keith	President Teddy Roosevelt	Sporter version	1975
The Man Who Would be King	Sean Connery	Danny Dravot		1975
The Man Who Would be King	Michael Caine	Peachy Carnehan		1975
The Man Who Would be King		Native soldiers		1975
The Thirty Nine Steps		police	carbine	1978
The Thirty Nine Steps		police	Artillery carbine	1978
The Thirty Nine Steps	Robert Powell	Hannay	Artillery carbine	1978
Slavers	Ron Ely	Steve Hamilton	Mk. II	1978
Slavers	Ray Milland	Hassan	"Arabized" version, Mk. II	1978
Slavers		Various characters	"Arabized" version, Mk. II	1978
Zulu Dawn	Bob Hoskins	CSM Williams		1979
Zulu Dawn	Paul Copley	Corporal Storey		1979
Zulu Dawn		British soldiers	Rifle and carbine versions	1979
Gandhi		South African guards		1982
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom		The Thuggees		1984
The Art of Living in Odessa (Iskusstvo zhit v Odesse)	Sergey Migitsko	Monya Artillerist	Sawn-off rifle with pistol grip	1989
Shadow of the Wolf	Lou Diamond Phillips	Agaguk		1992
Shadow of the Wolf	Jennifer Tilly	Igiyook		1992
The Jungle Book		Native soldiers		1994
Waterworld	Kevin Costner	The Mariner	Mocked as a grappling hook rifle	1995
The Ghost and the Darkness	Brian McCardie	Angus Starling		1996
The Ghost and the Darkness		Various characters		1996
From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter	.	Mexican soldiers	Carbine	2000
The Lost World	Tom Ward	John Roxton	Rifles with short fore-ends	2001
The Lost World	Tamati Rice	Achille (briefly)		2001
The Four Feathers	Heath Ledger	Harry Faversham		2002
The Four Feathers	Wes Bentley	Jack Durrance		2002
The Four Feathers		British soldiers		2002
Ned Kelly		Police		2003
The Turkish Gambit (Turetskiy gambit)		Turkish soldiers		2005
The Wolfman	Michael Cronin	Dr. Lloyd	Mk. III Sporterized	2010
The Wolfman	Benicio del Toro	Lawrence Tablot	Mk. III Sporterized	2010
The Wolfman	Anthony Hopkins	John Talbot	Mk. III Sporterized	2010
The Wolfman		Policemen	Mk. IV	2010
Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows	Paul Anderson	Sebastian Moran	Heavily customized Sporter	2011

Television

Title	Actor	Character	Note / Episode	Date
Ripper Street	Various	Armed robbers	Martini-Enfield Artillery Carbine / "The Weight of One Man's Heart" (S01E05)	2013

See Also

• Royal Small Arms Factory - A list of weapons produced by RSAF Enfield