Scarce Nepalese Martini-Henry Gahendra .577/.450

A quite scarce Martini-Henry Gahendra rifle. This one is in unusually good condition, with a nice shootable bore. This one has five characters of Nepalese script lightly carved into the right side of the stock. (See photos.)  There is a non-threatening crack in the right side of the handguard just behind the front band. The action works properly.  The cleaning rod is present. Most of the original finish has gone to gray and spotting. (Again, see photos.)  No visible markings except on the rear sight and a faint serial number in Nepalese script can be seen on the bottom of the loading lever. There is some pitting inside the loop of the loading lever.

Some History: The Martini-Henry Gahendra was based on an 1869 Westley Richards patented design was produced under the direction of General Gahendra Rana in the 1880s to provide Ghurka regiments with the equivalent of the latest British military rifle. Chambered in .577/.450. An ingenious design, it actually surpassed the standard Martini in that its entire action was removable as one unit for ease of servicing or exchange. Production however caused massive logistics problems and by 1894 the Ghurkas were dangerously short of viable .450 caliber breechloaders. The British came to the rescue with the delivery of several thousand Martini short-lever rifles in late 1894 and even more long-lever Martini Rifles in 1908. The more complicated Gahendra Rifle was thereafter shelved.  The small remaining inventory of Gahendra rifles sat in an arsenal in Nepal for 110 years until they were finally released as surplus. Just a few were imported into the U.S., around 2005. Considered one of the rarest Martini-Henry variants, the Gahendra rifle has a characteristic loading lever but in other respects outwardly resembles and mechanically emulates the standard Martini-Henry.  This rifle is quite a piece of history. If only it could talk about where it has been! (HKRF-529)