This particular Francotte variant of the Martini-Henry rifle was used by the Gurkha detachments mostly in the Indian sub-continent in the late 19th century. The Martini-Henry MKII Short Lever rifle saw tremendous and valiant service in the British army worldwide, its most famous appearance being in the ZULU WARS of 1879 memorialized in Hollywood films, countless books and articles over the years. We photographed a typical example but no two will be exactly alike. All appear to be complete but no guarantees as to what use or damage may be found after more than 100 years of neglect and storage. Totally covered and caked with dried grease, dirt and rust, these can be displayed as found or be the subject of winter nights of TLC to restore them to their former glory. The only service performed has been to ensure none are still loaded! Each rifle is offered totally AS FOUND, or in AS IS condition, completely un-cleaned and un-refurbished. These Nepalese Gurkha examples were found in military storage in their homeland of Nepal. Although the British never embraced this European improvement, these "Improved System Rifles" saw much service on frontiers all over the world. 303 cal Lee Metford bolt action rifle introduction into the British military system.
However, we have discovered fewer than two dozen with cocking indicators! Revolutionary at the time by compartmentalizing the mechanism for quick disassembly, it only lasted 10 years as the latest technology.
In 1878 the Francotte patent Martini system was granted utilizing a detachable mechanism typically fitted without a cocking indicator. We do not know if they were manufactured before, during or after the typical Francotte pattern rifles, but we do know that they are incredibly rare. Original Item: In our discovery of more than 55,000 antique guns in Nepal, we found fewer than two dozen of these Francotte variant Martini-Henry rifles with cocking indicators.
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