History Primer 171: Martini-Henry MkI Documentary

C&Rsenal presents its Primer series where we delve into the story of this classic firearm. Complete with history, function, and live fire demonstration.
C&Rsenal continues to present in-depth small arms history every other week. Join us each Tuesday!
BritishMuzzleLoaders:
/ @britishmuzzleloaders
We are a patron funded production, so please consider supporting the continuation and growth of this content at:
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Prints/patches/shirts from the show:
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Ballistol
ballistol.com/
Prints/patches/shirts from the show:
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Additional reading:
The Martini-Henry for Queen and Empire
Neil Aspinshaw
A Treatise on the British Military Martini : The Martini-Henry 1869 - C1900
B.A. Temple & I.D. Skennerton
The Martini-Henry Note-Book
Malcolm Cobb
Peabody Firearms
Edward Hull
The Turkish Connection: The Saga of the Peabody-Martini Rifle
Man at Arms Magazine Volume 1 #2 1879
William O. Achtermeier
Mitteilungen der Thurgauischen Naturforschenden Gesellschaft Issue 13 (1898)
Ammunition data thanks to DrakeGmbH
/ drakegmbh
Animations by Bruno!
/ @baanimations3689
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Snail Mail/Contact us at:
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[@litgeek6391]

I really appreciate Mae doing her level best to not completely break when Rob is on camera

[@exploatores]

I kind of think that uniform jacket. would fit him better.

[@captainvladmir7535]

Reminded me of the 'Biggus Dickus' sequence from Life of Brian. Only she kept her cool somewhat better than the Legionarys.

[@qazrat]

She was trying so hard not too laugh

[@danielcurtis1434]

Yeah I’m pretty sure if I had a loaded firearm in his vicinity I’d have to shoot at him!!! (Out of respect of course)

[@HarryFlashmanVC]

PMSL when Sgt McKenzie appeared... absolute legend and love the bagpipes in the background.🤣🤣🤣

[@JD92205]

Mandatory like for Rob. Also love how Mae was just like “Who is this strange Mustached man yelling at me?”

[@stevekaczynski3793]

"And why am I wearing this strange red tunic and this cap that goes rather incongruously with the headphones?"

[@MaxwellAerialPhotography]

I was waiting for the inevitable Rob cameo. And I am not at all disappointed.

[@wingracer1614]

The only problem is I just watched RRR last night and the whole time I was expecting him to give the whole speech about how much that bullet cost.

[@Pcm979]

I like to imagine that Rob just generates that music wherever he goes.

[@trevorpowell4626]

😂😂😂

[@HarryFlashmanVC]

Lol😂 he has his own Pipe Band following him around.

[@CachingCadre]

Loved the look on Mae's face with she was told she had to get out of her pajamas.

[@William_Bryant]

*FEAR*

[@nathanbrown8680]

This is the sort of early breech loader engineering history I've been hoping to get more of as you move out of WWI. Reprocussions is great, but I also like seeing long arms.

[@brokeandtired]

A C&R on Needle fire Chassepot and Dryse etc would be cool. Its the intermediate era between Muzzleloaders and Brass cartridges. They did a piece on the Gras (a centerfire cartridge Chassepot upgrade). And of course there is the whole pin fire revolver era.

[@CrysResan]

They could also do some for the rifle's done in the civil war. I believe they have repros for the enfields and springfield muzzle loading rifles.

[@51WCDodge]

A lot of the Martini actions were converted to .22 Rimfire as training rifles, they ended up by the 1960's/70's as rifles that could be bought for pennies. I learnt to shoot on one . They are a few still about, but now! The price is going up. also this is the first time I have actually heard about Martini! I have always assumed by his name he was an Italian.

[@captainjacksparrow10e36]

Looking forward to the near endless supply of Martini episodes! Rob's cameo was fantastic and was worth multiple years of waiting.

[@LukeBunyip]

I suspect we haven't seen the last of that yell-y moustache...

[@William_Bryant]

Oh my gosh it’s happening. Everybody stay calm alright STAY CALM *EVERYBODY KEEP YOUR COMPOSURE NOBODY FREAK OUT!!!*

[@josiahgibson6373]

I can't stay calm! I like Martini-Henry rifles as much as James Bond likes Martinis!

[@paleoph6168]

Panik Kalm Panik

[@theeggman1199]

I CANT

[@arethmaran1279]

HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO BE CALM?!?!?

[@GeneralJackRipper]

DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN, YOU CALM DOWN!

[@_Wiseguy7]

The Martini Henry is the rifle that I think about when I picture the colonial era of the British Empire. What I *wasn't* prepared for was the first notable use of said rifle was in my country. Greetings from a Malaysian viewer. Interesting fact: JWW Birch was assassinated while taking a bath.

[@HarryFlashmanVC]

I didn't know he was killed in his bath, thanks for the information. As for the Martini Henry: "Please remain seated whilst you are Albion-ised, you may feel mild discomfort if you resist."

[@security225]

And now the value of M/H has now sky rocketed. Glad I got mine!

[@MothaLuva]

Glad you got yours and I don’t have one. Good thing is, I also don’t want one. 😁

[@johnwestenberger6241]

The price has skyrocketed recently already, going even higher now 😂

[@51WCDodge]

The .22 rimfire training version used to be about £3 or 34 a pcie in the 1960's . There were also smooth bored versions , using surplus actions. The cost of those has now sky rockted as well.

[@-Zevin-]

Crazy that some of these came out of Nepal a few years ago, and were selling for like $300, they were covered in grease and sold as collectors items not for firing, but lots of people cleaned them up and they worked perfectly. They mostly were just sold that way for legal reasons. It was a big stash that came out of the Royal Nepalese armory, a bunch of genuine Kukri from the 1800s came into the US at the same time.

[@freddieellis8449]

The instant smile of Mae followed by Rob’s surprise appearances are my favourite parts! 👍🏻

[@MrTangolizard]

Rob makes all the girls as wet as October

[@alifr4088]

OH MY GOSH FINALLY A MARTINI-HENRY!!! Time to crave some more c&r videos at 3 AM

[@thetruthseeker5549]

C&R has always been exceptional but now, who would have thought it possible, it's even better. In a loud, historical, Canadian, British, Muzzle loader sort of way!😀😀😀

[@Spartacus-us1eo]

Interestingly enough I had just watched Zulu(1964) the night before this episode was released, huh. I had no idea this episode was coming, I was simply in the mood to watch the film, then the following day Othias and Mae talk about the Martini-Henry, love it.

[@wingracer1614]

I just watched RRR the night before. Another movie prominently using the Martini Henry

[@SonOfTheDawn515]

@@wingracer1614 whatever RRR is.

[@wingracer1614]

@@SonOfTheDawn515 An extremely popular, and absolutely bonkers Bollywood action movie set in British occupied India around the 1920s. It's on Netflix now. Weird and crazy but quite well done and enjoyable.

[@paulmanson253]

@@wingracer1614 Hmm. Back in the 1930s,an author named Halliburton wrote a book called The Royal Road to Romance. That would be the only RRR that occurs to me. Possibly the production company bought the rights to the book ? Or simply used it ?

[@wingracer1614]

@@paulmanson253 Absolutely no relation.

[@blanktm228]

Rob doing his thing was absolutely brilliant Much appreciated!

[@jannearo328]

READY! PRESENT! FIRE! Absolute gold!

[@ldmitruk]

Redcoat Mae, absolutely brilliant. Now I'd like to see a shot off between Mae and Private Mackenzie.

[@abjectpermanence5279]

Already an instant classic of a video. Nice work!

[@nickterpstra6376]

This is so cool guys! Thank you for all the hard work you do. Videos like these are something sort of magical to me. The joy of curiosity and knowledge.

[@Tadicuslegion78]

"Well they have a very good bass section. But no top tenors that's for sure"

[@carloshenriquezimmer7543]

Do not think that I forgot about that bayonet private!

[@epj0211]

This is probably one of the best shooting segments yet. Good yob, guys.

[@mooslionheart]

My Peabody Martini, original factory chambering in 45/70, is my favorite of all my collection. It appears to have been little fired and meticulously maintained. The Peabody yataghan bayonet locks up without a wiggle, but I have been unable to find a range to duplicate Rob’s (BMLs) bayonet charge and point blank firing practice🦊

[@richardanderson2742]

A side note that you could have thrown is was that Alexander Henry's rifle actually got fielded first. New South Wales wanted to acquire Martini-Henrys from Enfield. However were refused as they were still fiddling around with the Mark I. So NSW contracted with Westly Richards for an initial 2,500 Alexander Henry rifles delivered and fielded in 1871. Since I own one of these I can clearly see why the Martini-Henry won out, but the Alexander Henry is a really sweet exposed hammer action.

[@henryroberts7098]

i was going to say something similar though without the comparison as i don't own one... one day i hope to fix that... for those not familiar with Australian history, New South Wales is now an Australian state but at the time, pre federation, was an independent colony.

[@TerryDowne]

I believe that South Australia got some of examples of the Albini-Braendlin, another of the rifles which was in the trials competition against the Martini.

[@spaxspore]

The Premiere idea is a great idea to strum up interest and excitement for new episodes.

[@kingdomrains]

Every time he says "trials at Wimbledon" I think of tennis and imagine how someone would go about playing tennis with rifles

[@xxskippernate409xx6]

ROB CAUGHT ME OFF GUARD😂 That was awesome britishmuzzleloaders. You sound like a real British soldier, Rob is my favorite, I never thought I'd see that

[@stephenkissinger4434]

I think Quartermaster was expecting to outfit a larger Tommy than Private Winchester.

[@Gunner40Five]

Great Job guys! I love the show. I was given the historic bottle of Ballistol for Christmas. Great stuff.

[@royalmytho607]

I've been waiting for this episode for 2 years now! I'm so happy to see not only a CRsenal episode, but one that has Rob in it as well!

[@Frank-bc8gg]

there is something so wonderfully beautiful about British guns and quaintly byzantine about the processes behind them

[@cannonfodder4376]

50:00 I was not expecting Rob to show up. Private McKenzie is off the hook for now that Winchester has showed up as the new FNG. Hopefully she can avoid being sent to the Cookhouse. 😂😂

[@HarryFlashmanVC]

Winchester needs a haircut and a REGULATION MOUSTACHE! now, PLEASE REFRAIN FROM YOUR FOREIGN EMOTIONAL RESPONSE WHILST WE COLONIZE YOU, IT IS AFTER ALL, FOR YOUR OWN GOOD.

[@oolooo]

50:00 Thank you for the Mustached Jumpscare , really needed that .

[@il6993]

Seeing Rob was a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one

[@mothmagic1]

I love it. One shot and Mae's usual "I like this" smile is all over her face.

[@joshuabernard3953]

Great episode, not sure who that mystery man was with the the glorious Magnum PI mustache was, but he was great. I'm glad Mae stood up to this man and still perform some great marksmanship.

[@eazy8579]

Hell yeah, Martini time; I’ll go grab the Vermouth

[@Piloulegrand]

I was a bit confused when I saw primers episode that were not about WW1 but they are as always, amazing !

[@HarryFlashmanVC]

oh goody goody - an hour plus worth of video on a boring work afternoon! Thanks Othias and Mae! Will be supporting you on Patreon. Can't thank you guys enough for the hard work you put into this..I'm not a particular student of small arms but I am a student of the history of industrialisation and the race for small arms technology in the 19th C is simply mesmerising in the sheer creativity and speed of development. For some time now I have been staggered at the speed with which the British designed, built and launched HMS Dreadnought. Particularly when you compare the construction of that ship with the half arsed major projects which are a fraction the size of complexity... laid down in October 1905 launched 5 months... 5 MONTHS!!! later in Feb 06.. ready for trials by December 06.. I think about our projects at work, with all of our computerised technology... I also think about the major infrastructure projects I have been involved in and I think about how long it takes us to deliver a fairly minor project.. 12 weeks is seen as fast.. 5 months from laying down to launching rhe Dreadnought... But when you follow the incredibly detailed research you put into this, especially around the design, the manufacturing etc.. it is less of a surprise. In our 21st C conceit we so often look back upon the past as backward..... well..... it's worth remembering that modern humans have been around, with our level of intelligence, for 200,000 years......

[@annhilater1985]

I have been waiting on this episode for years

[@JohnCBobcat]

YES! Been waiting for this from the early days!

[@formalpainter6598]

I’ve been looking forward to this video for so long!

[@fasdaVT]

Wooo! This has been a video I've been waiting for and hope the series takes these hours and hours.

[@Frozenwinter84]

Martini Henry's are awesome. Love shooting and hand loading for mine.

[@nathangreig5884]

The bit where british muzzleloaders came in and May was wearing the red coat took me by surprise but was really funny :) also quite period accurate to the operation so that was a nice touch :)

[@Johnnydiamondlonglive]

Magnificent, its channels like these that make tv obsolete.

[@richardcontinijr9661]

Now you're getting into the stuff I love. If you continue having fun in this time period and find yourself dealing with something in .577 Snider don't worry about getting ammo. It's easy to make and if you're not looking to make period correct ammo it's really cheap. You need primed 24ga shotgun hulls, FFg powder, .60 cal lead ball and your favorite BP lube. Trim the hulls to 2 inches. Load 70gr of FFg and top it with your round ball. Don't forget to use plenty of BP lube and go have some fun.

[@hessex1899]

100% with Othais about Ballistol. The stuff is amazing. Also: Thanks for covering the MH. It's absolutely the favorite of my old rifle collection.

[@generalbanastretarleton6578]

The Best part of this video when BritishMuzzleLoaders Rob Enfield Shows Up. One of the Great British Rifles. Great Video

[@paulketchupwitheverything767]

Great video. Very informative and fun as well. I've fired a 22 calibre rifle with a falling block/"Martini" action and really liked it. It was so easy to see where the round was to go in/come out of the breech. There is no separate bolt to fall out/lose while cleaning etc.. In an era when they were moving away from muzzle loading and metallurgy and manufacturing were developing it must have been quite a jump in tech and relatively easy to train people how to use it and keep serviceable. The action is also one of those 'interim' things that was only prominent until bolt actions and magazines became more accepted. Kind of an evolutionary side-road.

[@BasedGrimace]

I’ve been waiting sooooo long for this, I’m so happy right now😊

[@rayfeltz8477]

Rob is an actual treasure.

[@chooseyouhandle]

History Hit just did a video with Jonathan about the martini henry

[@ryanwitman8672]

38:10 The stock finish is so shiny we can see the overhead ring light in its reflection. What a beauty 👍

[@jtclark2077]

Like the choice of the 24th Foot for Mae's shoulder tabs - a nod to Zulu/Zulu Dawn/The Anglo-Zulu War (which I am pretty sure is what everyone thinks of when they think of the Martini-Henry)?

[@boltmonkey6869]

...and this is why I absolutely love this channel. The best!

[@Operator8282]

Ballistol Good for you, good for your firearms.

[@PB74]

This makes me SO happy!

[@tommcewan7936]

Yes! I've been waiting for this one for quite some time, now!

[@jmackmcneill]

I have been somewhat obsessed with recreating those rolled brass bottleneck cartridges for years, finding out the design of the crimping die is a huge deal for me. Thank you.

[@muffinman3111]

There is a tutorial on KZbin on how to make them but they had a lot of gas blowback I assume it would be better if the cases were brass instead of copper

[@drjrjules1]

YESSS!!! Been waiting for this one!!

[@dusty5833]

Having Rob in there made the episode perfect

[@carloshenriquezimmer7543]

1:02:52 I discovered the secret to develop a true Legendary British Rifle: FREAKING AWESOME BEARDS!!!!

[@karakan1578]

Awesome episode, thank you to all who were involved

[@thespecialbru]

Ohhhhhh buddy buddy I have been WAITING for this episode. I can’t watch yet but I’m so happy you’re covering this rifle!

[@johnfisk811]

Lovely work Othias. An excellent start to a very long and complex tale. Trivia but: Wool-itch, Eel-lee and Blen-em. I wonder if the Martini episodes will get as far as the Tibetan made ones?

[@HarryFlashmanVC]

Edinburra and Leeth

[@TheLoneDragoon]

Yes, I have waited so long!

[@bluemonday09]

12 half inch elm planks soaked in water for 48 hours shot at 30 yards. Now there's some old school ballistic testing!

[@HarryFlashmanVC]

I would not be surprised if 12.5" of wet oak equated to the average thickness of the hull of a French Man O War😁

[@Oil_of_Hope]

So good I had to watch it twice.

[@PLAYINGAROUND]

Most excellent folks! Gotta be some Mae/Rob out takes??? 1 hour and 10 min's of gold! 👍👍👍👏👏👏

[@PajamaPantsStudios]

I can’t wait for more early breech loader stuff that doesn’t have to be in the Great War. I can’t wait for the SAA video that inevitably comes out (it’s gonna happen!) or any of the early Winchester arms. I think a video on the spencer would be a ton of fun!

[@Frozenwinter84]

Also, love the British muzzleloaders camio.

[@ronkruchten5867]

Beautiful Presentation from beginning to end!

[@danschneider9921]

When I saw this drop, to quote Mr Burns.....Excellent...

[@josemauriciocamposgonzalez8204]

I have being waiting for this episode for a long time, and now I am happy

[@boingkster]

Brilliant, I've been waiting for this one. I've an 1882 Mk3 in 577/450 and a later model with shortened forestock etc chambered in 303 British. Great rifles and amazing pieces of functional history. Thanks to yourself, Mae, and anyone else behind the scenes who may contribute. All the best from Downunda!

[@51WCDodge]

When finally replaced a lot of the old Martini actions were converted to .22 as training rifles or sold off and smooth bored. Theyt were very cheap guns and a lot os shooting clubs and cadet units used them.

[@boingkster]

@@51WCDodge pretty sure a lot were given to the Afghans and it's the Martini/Grenner/Francotte Cadet .310 that was a 22 conversion - they are much smaller rifles and wonderfully made with brilliant sights that are clear, uncluttered, precise and a joy to use. The only downside of the .310 Cadet round is that it's a tad obscure. It's basically a thin-rimmed, short-cased 32-20 with a heeled projectile somewhere in the .314 - .321 diameter region.

[@jonathanhudak2059]

The Martinis are such cool rifles! Looking forward to the next installment, excellent job as always Othias and Mae!

[@silmarian]

Henry deserved the win just on the basis of his amazing hat.

[@Major_Bomber187]

worth the wait, live the old martini-henry♥️

[@tokinsloff312]

This is why I love Tuesdays!

[@davefellhoelter1343]

Just finished cleaning an 1858 44, stopped for Lunch! Love this channel, now I need to finish two more BP rifles! before I rest. Love Balistol now it's hard to get.

[@CTXSLPR]

That was quite enjoyable, especially Rob.

[@Jargolf86]

I was a bit in Tears when Mae appeared in Red. Great Job! :D And trying not to laugh sees to have been quite difficult =)

[@Lomi311]

The martini’s have arrived! Been excited for this ever since I saw one on the wall way back when.

[@revolverDOOMGUY]

50:00 I was watching the video at double speed because i don't have enough time to watch it at normal speed and i was wearing headphones... I was not expecting to get a hearthstroke by watching a Primer video but here we are.

[@cheesenoodles8316]

Priceless...

[@williamlloyd3769]

An epic review of an epic rifle!

[@mikecollins622]

I C&RSENAL behind you that looks quite nice 😂 😂 😂, thanks for sharing, you're the best.

[@Matt35427]

British muzzle loaders is so entertaining to watch and really goes full uniform lol

[@growatt123]

Just got off work, new c&r pops up and it’s on a martini? Epic.

[@davidegaleotti94]

I didn't expect the BML crossover. Startling and amusing 😍

[@peten6691]

Yes!!

[@HarryFlashmanVC]

Hurrah for Sgt McKenzie from the Queen's Own Foot and Mouth Highlanders! Excellent stuff, Othias - tips Blenheim is pronounced Blenhem, Edinburgh' is pronounced 'Edinburra' and 'Leith' is pronounced 'Leeth' - a native Edinburgh lad

[@ABCKorpi]

Never knew that Friedrich von Martini worked in my home city of Winterthur. Thanks Othais :)

[@Edax_Royeaux]

I half expected some Zulus to show up during the shooting segment.

[@12799MaDeuce]

Looking forward to more M-H content, and hopefully a Snider series. I got an 1873 Snider Mk III a few years ago but never got around to making ammo for it.

[@ls-420stoner6]

I'm drooling now 😲 Rob was the first guy I saw use this weapon. It's a beautiful weapon

[@FirstStrikeSabre]

AT ONE HUNDRED YARDS VOLLEY FIRE PRESENT FIRE *zulus fall.

[@spaceman6215]

Finally! One of my favourite firearms!!!!

[@danravenna2974]

Thank you for the nice video! Love learning about the Martini-Henry.

[@AKS-74U]

So is the WW1 primer series itself done? Just onto early 20th century primers? I miss WAR WERE DECLARED. But I do love Ballistol.