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Martini-Henry Rifle

Small Arms And Sidearms

The Martini-Henry is a breech-loading, single-shot service rifle that combined a falling-block action designed by Friedrich von Martini with polygonal rifling by the Scottish gunmaker Alexander Henry. Adopted by the British Army in 1871, it fired the .577/450 Martini-Henry cartridge, could manage around twelve rounds a minute in trained hands, and remained standard issue through the end of the First World War in 1918. It saw extensive service across British colonial campaigns, most famously the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879 and the defense of Rorke's Drift, and armies including the Ottoman Empire, Romania, Egypt, and the Boer republics also carried it into the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Facts
Classification
Caliber
.303 British 1
Service Status
Retired 1
Weapon Class
Breech-loading single-shot rifle 1
Introduced Year
1871 1
Weapon Class
Weapon Class (category)
Rifle 1
Connections

Operated By

British Army, Armed Forces and Units
Source Martini-Henry, Wikipedia

Used In

Anglo-Zulu War, Wars
Source Martini-Henry, Wikipedia
Balkan Wars, Wars
Source Martini-Henry, Wikipedia
First Boer War, Wars
Source Martini-Henry, Wikipedia
First Italo-Ethiopian War, Wars
Source Martini-Henry, Wikipedia
Portuguese Conquest of the Gaza Empire, Wars
Source Martini-Henry, Wikipedia
Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878, Wars
Source Martini-Henry, Wikipedia
Second Anglo-Afghan War, Wars
Source Martini-Henry, Wikipedia
Second Boer War, Wars
Source Martini-Henry, Wikipedia
War of the Pacific, Wars
Source Martini-Henry, Wikipedia
World War I, Wars
Source Martini-Henry, Wikipedia
Sources
1. Martini-Henry, Wikipedia
  • Lead section
    The Martini-Henry is a breech-loading single-shot rifle with a lever action that was used by the British Army.
  • Service history section
    It first entered service in 1871, eventually replacing the Snider-Enfield.
  • service-status
    service = 1871-1918
  • caliber
    cartridge = .577/450 Boxer-Henry; .577/450 Martini-Henry; .303 British; 11.43×55R (Ottoman); 11.43×59R (Romanian); 7.65×53 (Ottoman)
  • Used In: Second Anglo-Afghan War, Infobox, wars field
    Infobox wars field lists: Second Anglo-Afghan War
  • Used In: Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878, Infobox, wars field
    Infobox wars field lists: Russo-Turkish War
  • Used In: War of the Pacific, Infobox, wars field
    Infobox wars field lists: War of the Pacific
  • Used In: Anglo-Zulu War, Infobox, wars field
    Infobox wars field lists: Anglo-Zulu War
  • Used In: First Italo-Ethiopian War, Infobox, wars field
    Infobox wars field lists: First Italo-Ethiopian War
  • Used In: First Boer War, Infobox, wars field
    Infobox wars field lists: First Boer War
  • Used In: Portuguese Conquest of the Gaza Empire, Infobox, wars field
    Infobox wars field lists: Portuguese conquest of the Gaza Empire
  • Used In: Second Boer War, Infobox, wars field
    Infobox wars field lists: Second Boer War
  • Used In: Balkan Wars, Infobox, wars field
    Infobox wars field lists: Balkan Wars
  • Used In: World War I, Infobox, wars field
    Infobox wars field lists: World War I
  • Operated By: British Army, Wikipedia article text
    The Martini-Henry is a breech-loading single-shot rifle with a lever action that was used by the British Army.
View the Source
Wikidata: Martini-Henry Rifle
Wikidata Q1905626, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source
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