Dates on the rifles, however, are commonly found as late as 1911. Production began in the 1880s, and according to the Nepalese government ended prior to 1899. Craftsmen built each rifle part by part, giving the factory an output of just 4 rifles per day.
![francotte martini henry francotte martini henry](http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/2157/1620/1600/956669/MartinihenryPistol.jpg)
That said, the guns were actually much better made than most people assume, considering their non-interchangeable parts. These rifles were individually handmade well over a hundred years ago using steels of questionable metallurgy and hardening. In fact, unless you are capable of proficiently assessing the safety of the Gahendra, it is wiser not to shoot them at all. 577/.450 Martini cartridge, although their bore diameters vary substantially, and one should absolutely slug a specific rifle before loading ammunition for it. Gahendras are chambered for the standard British. Instead, it shares its mechanical features mostly with the earlier Peabody falling block rifles, using a hammer and flat mainspring (the Martini improvement replaces there with a striker and coil spring).
![francotte martini henry francotte martini henry](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1524/1342/products/ON11246__19.jpg)
Developed by a General Gahendra (who is also responsible for the Bira copy of the Gardner Gun), the rifle is not actually a Martini at all. The Gahendra is a uniquely Nepalese design built to sidestep British reluctance to supply military arms to the colony. In addition to the rifle that bears his name, Gahendra also developed the Bira gun, a contemporary of the rapid-fire Gatling and Gardner guns.Long a mysterious unknown member of the Martini family, the Nepalese Gahendra rifles finally became available in the US and Europe after IMA purchased Nepal’s cache of historic arms. However, a report dated 1906 indicated that 8,983 Gahendra rifles were still on hand. The quality of manufacture was improved over the Francotte, and was considered a successful design. The Gahendra’s distinctive underlever has a downward-curving loop and attaches to the action in front of the trigger. The Gahendra rifle was based on an 1869 Westley Richards patented design, but incorporated its own detachable trigger and firing mechanism. The “Gahendra” is named after its developer, Nepalese military engineer General Gahendra Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana. The Nepalese Francotte rifles suffered from poor metallurgy and other defects, so were not a successful design. The Nepalese rifles used Francotte’s detachable trigger and firing mechanism, but without Francotte’s patented cocking indicator. The Nepalese “Francotte” copied an improved Martini-Henry design by Belgian maker August Francotte and dating to 1877. The scabbard is of British manufacture, for the Pattern 1876 bayonet, as evidenced by the War Department acceptance mark. The Gahendra and Francotte barrels had thicker walls than the Martini-Henry, making the outside diameter too large to accept the British Pattern 1876 bayonet. 577/450 Francotte and Gahendra rifles.Ī crude copy of the British Pattern 1876 bayonet, with a larger diameter socket. A crude copy of the British Pattern 1853 bayonet. Socket bayonet for use with the Pattern 1853 Rifle-Musket and Snider-Enfield breechloading conversion. Read more about the "Nepal Cache" and my experience breathing new life into a Pattern 1853 Enfield rifle-musket.
![francotte martini henry francotte martini henry](https://www.warrelics.eu/forum/attachments/world-firearms/451589d1358352850-1878-nepali-francotte-martini-henry-img_0523.jpg)
From the 1830’s onward, it was as if the Armory threw nothing away. The Nepalese were thrifty in the extreme.
![francotte martini henry francotte martini henry](https://www.milsurps.com/images/imported/2012/01/016-1.jpg)
In Kathmandu, the Armory housed more than 50,000 firearms over 150 ancient bronze cannon tens of thousands of bayonets and all manner of tools and accessories. This and the following examples are all from a 43-ton cache of weaponry removed from the Royal Nepalese Armory, Lagan Silekhana, in 2003. Several hilt styles are encountered, including a steel-hilted variant. The bayonet is crudely modeled on the Pattern 1801 Baker Sword Bayonet. The Nepalese Brunswick rifles and bayonets likely date from the mid-19th Century. The Brunswick rifle entered production in Britain in 1836. Originally designed with two-groove rifling that required a special round ball with a raised "belt." The Brunswick was Britain's first percussion rifle, replacing the Baker flintlock rifle.