I am sure this probably should be posted in some other spot but I got a headache trying to decide.

I picked this little baby up. I am sure there are probably lots of them out there I just haven't seen any before so I decided I had to have it.





Guess I need another one in .303 British now.

You've got a nice GP Gun there. It's what might now be called the Mk I (although it wasn't at the time) as there was a Mk II and a Mk III which were of poorer uqlity. Using circlips instead of retaining pins (screws).

If you PM me your address I'll send you a photocopy of the original instructions and if I can find one and original disassembly "tool". Which is no more nor less than an old British penny or halfpenny coin!

For you it's FOC...others I'd appreciate a small consideration via Paypal. How's the little elephant? Cute isn't he!

Thank you. A PM is on its way. When I said I needed a .303 British to go with it I was serious. Here is the action I picked up with the Greener. Also an unfinished stock set that is the same shape as on the Greener.

Ok. Now, here's a thing that may, or may not, be true. It is said that the only reason that the Lee Metford has a split butt is so that surplus Martini Henry butt stocks could be used.

I've never tried the theory out. And the butts obviously do have differences...notably the safety cut out and the lack of a "hole" for the tail of the underlever.

But if you have a spare Enfield butt maybe you can try out the theory.

Your Martini-Enfield is correct in .303 although the original ones would have been sighted for the old 215 grain load that pre-dates the 174 grain Mk VII loading.

It'd make a nice little singleshot scabbbard carbine that'd be a totally differnt take on Ruger's No 1.

I think I may just have one in the pile. I will check and if so, let you know.

Dave,
I have a .303 reamer you can borrow if you are going to barrel that action.

damn - i love martinis

quote:

Originally posted by theback40:
Dave,
I have a .303 reamer you can borrow if you are going to barrel that action.

There are a few projects ahead of this one but I will make sure to contact you when this one comes up.

Thank you,

quote:

Originally posted by butchloc:
damn - i love martinis

I picked up an action many years ago. In fact, I was going to get rid of it to somebody on this board because I just never got around to doing anything with it. Never could find it. Must have got lost in the move some how.

Anyway, when this one came along, kind of a package deal, I figured there was new motivation to build a .303. I like them better than even the No. 1 Rugers I have had.

Is your Greener a 26", 28", 30" or 32" (measured from the poinyt where the charge is detonated...so the primer end) length? If you look at the crossed swords on the Knox form...or the letters in the oval circle (it may have either but more likely the former) you can also date when it was made. See Birmingham Proof Codes.

http://www.hallowellco.com/proof_date_codes.htm

Dave,
The pilot on it is .311, but is removable so you could do a .308 barrel if you want to.

A couple of more pictures. The barrel is 30" and maybe the .729 refers to the choke. If I am correct then this is about cylinder bore.





I am calling the letter to the left in the swords a "D" and the one on the right a "B" so the year of production should be 1953. I wonder who inspector "2" was?

No .729 is the bore at a point nine inches from the breech. Your booklet will explain it.

Thanks.

Very nice example of the Greener GP. I have one with a 32" barrel which I use for pest control regularly. Your Greener is in much better condition. I believe mine date's about 1960.Well done a great buy. jc

I was very fortunate to find one in this condition for the deal I got. I can't wait to get it in the field and do some hunting. Actually, I have been considering spring turkey season. I discovered that the .729 is not the choke and that this one is choked full. Sure thankful for all the expertise there is on these forums.

Martini stocks will not fit Lee Enfields; BUT here is the real story; the original Lee Patent Rifles were made by Sharps, then Remington, (after Sharps went bankrupt), and had a ONE piece stock. It was only after the British government got the rights to make Lee rifles that they redesigned it to take two piece stocks. Reason was that, from the experience with the Martinis, (a Peabody patent), they learned two things; separate butt stocks were much stronger with a 7/16ths bolt through the butt, and they could be made from smaller pieces of wood. Another advantage is that different lengths of butts could be inventoried to accommodate smaller or taller soldiers; something no other military rifle could do.
I have a pattern for the original Sharps-Lee Sporting Rifle, one piece stock which fits a Lee Enfield with the butt socket removed.
There you go.

You cannot beat fitting and trying to prove or disprove these "old tales". Thank you for posting that.

If you can find a nice SMLE barrel it will screw right to the large martini rifle action. That's what I did. Also I have patterns for large Martini rifle stocks and greener Martini shotgun stocks.

That is true. I was contemplating a 12bore rifle however, my calculations show that it starts getting a little thin down near the action. Standard shotgun is okay but the rifled 12bore with heavier loads might not be. Think I'll find a heavier action for that one.

I had a 12GA rifled barrel made for my takedown GP gun and I've shot a lot of sabot slugs through it with no problems.

I picked up a barrel and some wood for the forearm. Need to do some turning, threading and chambering.