Tactical Life Gun Magazine: Gun News and Gun Reviews
  • News
    • New Products & Industry News
    • Police News
    • Military News
  • Guns
    • Rifles
    • Handguns
    • Shotguns
    • Special Weapons
  • Gear
    • Accessories
    • Ammo
    • Holsters
    • Knives
    • Optics & Sights
    • Suppressors
  • Lifestyle
    • Pop Culture
    • Training
  • Videos
No Result
View All Result
Tactical Life Gun Magazine: Gun News and Gun Reviews
  • News
    • New Products & Industry News
    • Police News
    • Military News
  • Guns
    • Rifles
    • Handguns
    • Shotguns
    • Special Weapons
  • Gear
    • Accessories
    • Ammo
    • Holsters
    • Knives
    • Optics & Sights
    • Suppressors
  • Lifestyle
    • Pop Culture
    • Training
  • Videos
No Result
View All Result
Tactical Life Gun Magazine: Gun News and Gun Reviews
No Result
View All Result
 
Enter to WIN Christensen Arms Modern Hunting Rifle in FREE GUN FRIDAY!

MARTINI-HENRY .450

Tactical-Life by Tactical-Life
September 10, 2013
in Exclusives, Guns, Rifles
0
MARTINI-HENRY .450

While the Colt Peacemaker may have been the gun that tamed the American West, the Martini-Henry, a 4-foot-long single-shot rifle chambered for the fittingly large .450 caliber, was the gun that preserved the British Empire. (Inset) A photo of a British cavalry officer with a Martini-Henry carbine.

0
SHARES
19
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
While the Colt Peacemaker may have been the gun that tamed the American West, the Martini-Henry, a 4-foot-long single-shot rifle chambered for the fittingly large .450 caliber, was the gun that preserved the British Empire. (Inset) A photo of a British cavalry officer with a Martini-Henry carbine.


The sights (sliding ramp rear shown) are rudimentary by today’s standards but were considerably advanced for the 1870s. The Martini-Henry was reasonably accurate within its effective 400-yard range.

The breechloading Martini-Henry has a fixed post front sight. The rifle fires a hardened lead bullet at 1,350 fps, which brought a great deal of power down upon opponents of the British Empire.

Lowering the lever opened the breechblock and ejected the fired cartridge case, at which point a new cartridge could be inserted. Several rounds a minute could be fired, even from a crouched or prone position.

The rifle has a self-cocking, hammerless design. This breech is centrally pierced to accommodate the firing pin, which was driven forward by pulling the trigger.
The Martini-Henry was the British army’s first true breechloading metallic-cartridge rifle. Thought not revolutionary, it was certainly successful

At the very end of the 1964 film Zulu, which chronicled the events of the now infamous frontier outpost Rorke’s Drift, where approximately 150 British soldiers fended off an attack by some 2,000 Zulu warriors, Stanley Baker’s royal engineer character noted that the victory wasn’t merely a miracle, but a “short chamber Boxer Henry .45-caliber miracle.” While doubtful that the real Lieutenant John Chard ever made such a boastful statement, the fact remains that the cartridge and the weapon that fired it played a very decisive role in determining the outcome of the 1879 battle. It is also worth remembering that the same rifle was used the day prior at the Battle of Isandlwana, the worst defeat of a modern colonial power by an indigenous force. In that encounter, some 1,300 British, colonial and native contingent forces were killed. The British did manage to inflict some 3,000 casualties against the Zulu, including more than 1,000 killed. Given that the British had faced 20,000 foes on that late January afternoon, the rifle certainly did its part.
If the Colt Peacemaker can be credited as the firearm that tamed the American West, then the Martini-Henry is arguably the weapon that maintained order around the British Empire, from the African frontier, to India, and to the Far East. And the warriors of this empire “on which the sun never set” wielded the Martini-Henry during the second half of the 19th century.

Age Of The Breechloader
In many ways, the British conflict with the Zulu has become symbolized by the Martini-Henry as much as it is by the red jackets and tropical sun helmets of the European combatants. And today the rifle has become a favorite among collectors. The Martini-Henry is the embodiment of late black-powder and early contained-cartridge weapons, especially because it was used in numerous conflicts where the classic English line of defense was executed to such great effect. In this regard, the Martini-Henry existed during the transition period for the armies of Europe. After the Napoleonic Wars nearly two generations earlier, the age of the smoothbore musket truly came to its end. Over the course of the next 50 years, numerous developments, notably rifled barrels and breechloading operation, would soon transform modern warfare…

GET THIS ISSUE NOW! at www.tactical-life.com/subscribe/military-surplus/.

Didn't find what you were looking for?

CLICK HERE FOR COMMENTS

RELATED POSTS

The Springfield Armory DS Prodigy torture test.

VIDEO: Springfield Armory DS Prodigy 10,000-Round Torture Test

The MDC “Trench Art” Classic AK-47 Rifle.

Get Your History On: Own a Limited MDC “Trench Art” Classic AK-47

The Final Edition of the Walther P99 pistol.

UPDATED: Final Edition Walther P99 Closes Out Model Run

Important Safety Recall Notice Issued for CZ-USA 600 Bolt-Action Rifles.

CZ-USA Issues Important Safety Recall Notice for All 600 Bolt-Action Rifles

Load More

TACTICAL-LIFE NIGHT SHOOTER SEASON 2

Discussion about this post

FEATURED POST

The Springfield Armory DS Prodigy torture test.

VIDEO: Springfield Armory DS Prodigy 10,000-Round Torture Test

We love punishing guns. If they have to work in competition, on the job or for defensive carry, then...

Read more

TRENDING

U.S. Secret Service adopts Glock G47

FIRST LOOK: Glock Just Very Quietly Unveiled the New Glock 47 Pistol

...

Police Sidearms, police duty pistols, Handguns, America's Largest Police Departments 2018

Police Sidearms: The Handguns of America’s 10 Largest Departments

...

5 new pistols launched at NASGW.

5 New Pistols Launching for 2023

...

The new Smith & Wesson M&P 5.7 pistol packs 22+1.

Smith & Wesson M&P 5.7 Packs 22+1 Rounds of Firepower!

...

PICK A CATEGORY

TACTICS & TRAINING SPOTLIGHT

Tactical Reload Semi-Auto Pistol Step 8

5 Strategies For Effectively Completing a Tactical Reload

If you’re reading this publication, you’re most likely familiar with the “speed reload,” sometimes called the “combat reload” or “emergency...

TACTICS & TRAINING SHOWCASE

Active School Shooter Training: 14 Key Points to Consider

Active School Shooter Training: 14 Key Points to Consider

Fact vs. Fiction 5 Myths Gunfight Survival lead

5 Common Myths on How to Survive a Gunfight

Standing Your Ground Castle Doctrine lead

Understanding Stand Your Ground Laws and Castle Doctrine

long distance shooting tips

Long-Distance Shooting: 5 Must-Know Tips For Spotters & Shooters

IMPACT Experience Events.

IMPACT Experience Events Redefine Your Long-Range Shooting Limits

Enhance your shooting precision skills in a course with Modern Day Sniper.

Sniper Skills: Taking Your Shooting Precision to the Next Level

Once you find a carry gun that works for you, get another for a spare. These “hammerless” S&W J-frame lightweights are M340 M&P with Hogue Bantam grips, top, and a M442 Airweight with Crimson Trace Lasergrips, below.

10 Commandments of Concealed Carry

self-defense myths can be dangerous

Self-Defense Myths that Could Get you Killed

Mossberg 590 Shockwave review for home defense myths

4 Home Defense Myths You Need to Stop Repeating

AMMO SPOTLIGHT

Remington Ammunition Issues Recall Notice on 12-Gauge Premier Accutip Ammo.

Remington Ammunition Issues a 12-Gauge Premier AccuTip Ammo Recall

Remington Ammunition has recently discovered an issue related to its 12-Gauge Premier Accutip ammo and issued a recall notice. This...

site logo
Tactical Life Gun Magazine: Gun news, gun reviews and gun magazines for gun enthusiasts, military and law enforcement

Tactical

  • tactical-life.com

Magazines

  • Tactical Life
  • The Complete Book of Reloading
  • Guns of the Old West

Facebook

  • Tactical-Life Facebook
  • Guns of the Old West Facebook

Twitter

  • Tactical-Life Twitter

Self Defense

  • PersonalDefenseWorld.com

Magazines

  • Personal Defense World
  • Combat Handguns

Facebook

  • Personal Defense World Facebook
  • Combat Handguns

Twitter

  • Personal Defense World Twitter

Shooting Lifestyle

  • BallisticMag.com

Magazines

  • BallisticMag.com

Facebook

  • Ballistic Magazine Facebook

Twitter

  • Ballistic Magazine Twitter

Alpha Lifestyle

  • SkillsetMag.com

Magazines

  • Skillset

Facebook

  • Skillset Magazine Facebook

Twitter

  • Skillset Magazine Twitter

Instagram

  • Skillset Magazine Instagram
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • California Privacy Notice
  • Cookie Policy
© Athlon Outdoors, All Rights Reserved.
You use of this website constitutes and manifests your acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, and awareness of the California Privacy Rights. Pursuant to U.S. Copyright law, as well as other applicable federal and state laws, the content on this website may not be reproduced, distributed, displayed, transmitted, cached, or otherwise used, without the prior, express, and written permission of Athlon Outdoors.

Manage your GDPR consents by clicking here. Manage your CCPA consents by clicking here.
No Result
View All Result
  • Guns
    • Rifles
    • Handguns
    • Shotguns
  • Knives
  • Gear
    • Holsters
    • Optics & Sights
    • Accessories
    • Ammo
    • Suppressors
  • News
    • New Products & Industry News
    • Police News
    • Military News
  • Videos
  • Contact Us

© 2023 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.