Omani Gun Belts. Bedouin Martini Henry Ammo Belts.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

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.

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.

[kahnjar1]

Originally Posted by Ibrahiim al Balooshi

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.

F Y I No4 in your list is not necessarily BSA. They were only one of many companies who made these. Others were LONGBRANCH, LITHGOW,ENFIELD as well as many others who had contracts to do so. Copies were of course made in places like Pakistan. The letters SMLE stand for Short Magazine Lee Enfield. The last model in avery long line of these (I think) was the Mark 5 Jungle Carbine.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Salaams,
Yes these weapons were made on licence all over the world and some illegally ... when I was in Kabul there were a lot with crude engineering and wrong spellings.
Mine has all the right armourers stamps and marks with the budgies MOD foot arrows VR and Crown stamps and BSA and M Co stamps with what appears to be a model number in Roman numerals II ... and a large Capital E forward of the breach. Stamps are repeated on the barrel between breach and rear sight and on the cocking handle. Unlike the Martini Henry this short barrel artillerymans weapon has escaped its barrel being cut back and even has the original bayonet lug.
The other Birmingham job; The 303 SMLE carries amongst many other markings the Birmingham Stamp just forward of the breach in the form of three standing rifles below which is marked BSA and appears to be a WW1 Variant. The jungle carbine (I carried one in military training) is a lovely weapon ideal in jungle and handy in close quarter battle conditions though it needed regular zeroing. 303s after WW2 were superceded by the FN. 7.62 except in the case of the Bren and the sniper rifle but by now they too are all obselete.

Getting back to the Martini Henry Arabized weapons which are very attractive especially with the silver adornment and the lovely belts and bedouin gunbags etc.. I need to get hold of a supply of spare silver butt and stock decorative silver plates and capucines but may have a selection organised soon.

Regards Ibrahiim.