A Martini-Henry carbine made by the Braendlin Company of Birmingham, England. This was found in a shop on Camp Phoenix in Kabul shortly after arriving in Afghanistan. These shops are full of Pakistani copies, most of which an experienced vintage collector will recognize out of hand simply by the quality of fit and finish on the part. Heavy grinder marks on all the metal tends to be one of the signature tells. There are some pieces that are very well done though, and require a shopper to know not only the proper markings, but the correct locations, sizes, and orientation of those marks.
One of first clues this was a truly vintage rifle is fit and finish: the wood, although well-used, has excellent fit to the metal; another is the lack of grind marks, and the fine atttention to detail of the metal to metal fit between the stock and barrel near the muzzle.
Another is the crossed pennants on top of the hexagonal rearmost portion of the barrel. Braendlins are worth less than rifles made by the Royal Armouries, and this commercial or "trade" marking adds no value to the piece as a counterfeit. As an aside, it's evident this piece apparently and an ejection issue at one time, as someone has seen fit to seriously beat the feed ramp portion of the breech block.
Local merchants being what they are, there has been an attempt to present this rifle as something it isn't. Forged markings are seen to the left of the pennants, and on the left forward portion of the receiver, along with original correct manufacturer markings seen on the round portion of the barrel, as seen in the two images above.
And on the opposite side, a very large set of forged markings, designed to get the novice collector or souvenir collector to part with his cash.
And a definitive stamp; the manufacturer's trade stamp on the left receiver of the rifle. A very small, fine font with excellent linear character placement, which is difficult for the local gunmakers to duplicate. Again, this stamp actually lessens the value relative to a true military carbine, so this is also little incentive to duplicate it. Additionally, I have not been able to find any sources which note that British government accepted arms had this manufacturer's mark on the receiver in addition to governmental markings. Now, if the ATF would be so kind as to approve my import papers the military customs folks want before I can ship it home........
A Martini-Henry carbine made by the Braendlin Company of Birmingham, England. This was found in a shop on Camp Phoenix in Kabul shortly after arriving in Afghanistan. These shops are full of Pakistani copies, most of which an experienced vintage collector will recognize out of hand simply by the quality of fit and finish on the part. Heavy grinder marks on all the metal tends to be one of the signature tells. There are some pieces that are very well done though, and require a shopper to know not only the proper markings, but the correct locations, sizes, and orientation of those marks. 
One of first clues this was a truly vintage rifle is fit and finish: the wood, although well-used, has excellent fit to the metal; another is the lack of grind marks, and the fine atttention to detail of the metal to metal fit between the stock and barrel near the muzzle. 
Another is the crossed pennants on top of the hexagonal rearmost portion of the barrel. Braendlins are worth less than rifles made by the Royal Armouries, and this commercial or "trade" marking adds no value to the piece as a counterfeit. As an aside, it's evident this piece apparently and an ejection issue at one time, as someone has seen fit to seriously beat the feed ramp portion of the breech block. 
Local merchants being what they are, there has been an attempt to present this rifle as something it isn't. Forged markings are seen to the left of the pennants, and on the left forward portion of the receiver, along with original correct manufacturer markings seen on the round portion of the barrel, as seen in the two images above. 
And on the opposite side, a very large set of forged markings, designed to get the novice collector or souvenir collector to part with his cash. 
And a definitive stamp; the manufacturer's trade stamp on the left receiver of the rifle. A very small, fine font with excellent linear character placement, which is difficult for the local gunmakers to duplicate. Again, this stamp actually lessens the value relative to a true military carbine, so this is also little incentive to duplicate it. Additionally, I have not been able to find any sources which note that British government accepted arms had this manufacturer's mark on the receiver in addition to governmental markings. Now, if the ATF would be so kind as to approve my import papers the military customs folks want before I can ship it home........
2 comments:
I eliminated antiques from my collection and the only thing that comes close now is a 1960s SKS.
The antiques are extreme impractical, but I have a weakness for blackpowder cartridge guns. The craftsmanship of the originals is something rarely seen in hand produced items anymore, and the history of where the individual gun may have gone is always interesting to me. That said, I have SKSs-they're reliable and have a fair bit of history of their own.
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