MartiniHenry

The Martini-Henry rifle is a British single-shot breech-loading rifle that used the Martini action and the .577/450 Martini-Henry cartridge. Adopted by the British Army in 1871 to replace the Snider-Enfield, it became the standard infantry weapon through the 1870s and 1880s and remained in some use into the early 20th century.

The rifle features a tilting-block Martini action operated by a lever that tilts the breech block downward to expose the chamber for loading. After the cartridge is inserted, the lever returns to close the breech, and a percussion hammer fires the round. It was produced in two main variants: a longer infantry rifle and a shorter cavalry carbine.

The 577/450 Martini-Henry cartridge is a rimmed, bottleneck center-fire round designed for the rifle. It fires a heavy bullet, typically around 480 grains, at velocities roughly in the 1,200 to 1,350 feet per second range depending on load. The combination of the heavy projectile and the robust action gave the Martini-Henry notable stopping power for its era.

In service, the Martini-Henry was used across the British Empire, including in the Anglo-Zulu War (1879) and various colonial campaigns. It remained standard until progressively superseded by magazine rifles such as the Lee-Metford and Lee-Enfield from the 1890s onward, though it saw continued training and colonial service for some years thereafter.

The Martini-Henry family includes infantry rifles and cavalry carbines, produced by the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield and other contractors. Its adoption marked a major shift from muzzle-loading to breech-loading firearms and influenced subsequent Martini-pattern rifles and carbines.