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Originally Posted by kahnjar1
The fact that the Martini did not have a magazine was also one of the reasons it found favour in desert areas and lasted well into the 20th century. It was used in many areas where dust/sand/grit were a real problem, and it was much easier to clear of grit etc, using the leverage of the loading lever. Some Martini models in fact had a distinctly longer lever for just this purpose. Bolt action which is reliant on smooth sliding, was much more prone to jam than the lever action Martini in these conditions.
Later models were chambered for the 303 British cartridge, of which there were (and are still) plenty about.
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Many years ago I used to write extensively on the Martini Henry and found massive information on
www.martinihenry.com
I have also carried out vast trials on modern weapons in desert conditions namely FN, STEYR, and other associated weapons. In the desert and in sandstorms they all jam. Amazingly one item carried by the Bedu largely prevents jamming..and so far as I can tell no army ever adopted this excellent piece of kit. The Bedouin leather gun bag... simple but very effective.
After the Martini Henry I think came the 303(black powder) Enfield in the same basic configuration as the Martini Henry and that also pops up here. The local name for MH ~ Somah and for the 303 Enfield Meyezah . The SMLE was given the name Canad (probably from a shipment of arms into the region from Canada). Later when the K98k(1938 pattern German Army) appeared it got the name Mania from the Arabic word Al Maniah~ Germany. Sometimes also called Abu Hamsah(Father of 5) from the five(Hamsa) rounds in its short magazine. Stepping back a bit the Arab long gun in its most basic matchlock form lasted many centuries and whilst it also has other names like Roumi (long spear) is called locally "Father of the Match" ~ Abu Futtillah.
See attached the various main firearms and their ammo. Main fire arms from the top
1. Matchlock.
2. Martini Henry.
3. Enfield.
4. Birmingham Small Arms SMLE.
5. k98 K Vermacht 1938
Also displayed ~Bedu gunbags, various spares and a wopping great Dhow gun which is like a Punt Gun and can put out solid shot or bits of iron stone shrapnel etc. I only had a barrel so we reworked the woodwork. 4 feet long and on a vee shaped spiggot. Cal; Aprox 1 and a half inch. Arab Dhow Gun. Circa 18th C.
I hope no one minds but I have added a few things to the display including a couple of nice cannon breach sections on 2 matchlocks they blew apart often because the firer either used too much or the wrong sort of powder and or the tendency to ram the bullet so hard that what went in as a round metal ball would errupt as a metal bar curiously more like the modern day round. Physics being a more precise equation sometimes caused catastrophic barrel failure and many barrels failed at the first weld.
Restoration; At any one time I have 5 or 6 firearms being restored and like the Khanjar we try to bring into play all the kit...Gun belts complete~ silver adornment~ Powder flasks, ramrods, ammo (made safe and sand filled but we dont export those) spares and the marvellous Bedu Gunbags.. in hand tooled leather sometimes with tassles.