Nepalese .577/450 Martini Henry

The .577/450 Martini-Henry was a black powder, centerfire cartridge developed for the British Martini-Henry rifle, a single-shot, lever-action breechloader that served as the standard British Army rifle from 1871 until the late 1880s. The cartridge's unusual name reflects its origins: the case was based on the earlier .577 Snider-Enfield (a rimfire cartridge), necked down to fire a .450-inch (11.43 mm) diameter bullet. It propelled a 480-grain (31 g) lead-alloy bullet (typically 1 part tin to 12 parts lead) using 85 grains of black powder (later reduced to cordite loads), achieving a muzzle velocity of 1,300–1,350 ft/s (400–410 m/s) and about 1,900 ft-lbs of muzzle energy—roughly comparable to the American .45-70 Government but with slightly more power. Early versions used coiled brass foil cases with iron rims, which were prone to jamming when hot; by 1885, solid drawn brass cases (Mark I and II) became standard, improving reliability.

The Martini-Henry rifle itself combined Friedrich von Martini's falling-block action with Alexander Henry's polygonal rifling (a 7-groove, heptagonal bore with a 1:22 twist). It was sighted to 1,800 yards for volley fire but was most effective at 200–400 yards, where it inflicted devastating wounds due to the heavy, soft lead bullet's expansion. Rate of fire was about 12 rounds per minute. The rifle saw its first combat in the Perak War (1875–76) and gained fame in the Anglo-Zulu War (1879), where it was used in battles like Rorke's Drift, though early foil-case jams contributed to defeats like Isandlwana. It remained in British colonial service through the Second Anglo-Afghan War (1878–80) and beyond, with variants like the Mk II (1877, used in Zulu campaigns) and Mk III (1879) featuring improved parts interchangeability. By 1889, it was phased out for the .303 Lee-Metford, but surplus rifles were exported widely, including to Nepal. Commercial production of .577/450 ammo continued into the 1950s–60s by Kynoch for hunters, and it saw niche WWI use in incendiary loads against Zeppelins.

Nepalese Adoption and the Gahendra Rifle

Nepal, an independent Himalayan kingdom allied with (but never colonized by) Britain since the 1814–16 Anglo-Nepalese War, acquired thousands of Martini-Henry rifles from Britain in the late 19th century to arm its Gurkha regiments. These fearsome soldiers, renowned for their khukuri knives and bravery, had fought alongside the British since the war's end, serving in British Indian Army units. By the 1880s, Nepal sought modern breechloaders to counter threats from Tibet and China, leading to imports of .577/450 Martini-Henrys.

Faced with production challenges—particularly manufacturing the rifle's coil springs—Nepalese arsenals under the Rana dynasty (which ruled as hereditary prime ministers from 1846–1951) developed a local copy known as the Gahendra Martini-Henry (or Mahendra/Gahendra rifle), named after General Gahendra Rana. Based on an 1869 Westley Richards patent for a falling-block action, it superficially resembled the British Martini-Henry but used leaf springs instead of coils for easier local fabrication. Production began in the 1880s at Kathmandu armories, chambered in .577/450, with a 33-inch barrel, overall length of about 49–50 inches, and single-shot lever action. Early models were smoothbore or rough-bored due to limited machining, and markings often included Nepali script referencing Rana prime ministers like Chandra Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana (r. 1901–1929). Some variants were "Improved Models" from the early 1890s, with side-script engravings.

These rifles were handmade, leading to inconsistent quality, but they equipped Gurkha units effectively. Logistic issues arose, leaving Nepalese forces short on reliable .450-caliber arms by 1894 amid eastern border tensions. Britain intervened with shipments of short-lever Mk II Martini-Henrys in 1894, followed by long-lever Mk IVs in 1904 and 1908. Nepal also imported or copied Belgian Francotte Martini variants (patented 1878), which used a detachable mechanism without a cocking indicator—some Nepalese versions date to the 1890s.

The Gahendra remained in limited service into the early 20th century; during King George V's 1911–12 visit to Nepal, he noted Gurkhas still using outdated Martinis. Many were stored in Kathmandu's Lagan Silekhana Palace arsenal after modernization. In the 1996–2006 Nepalese Civil War against Maoist insurgents, the government sold off surplus antiques (including ~3,000 Gahendras and other 19th-century arms) in 2000–2003 to fund modern weapons. This "greatest discovery of antique firearms" flooded the collector market, with rifles often in "attic-found" condition—rusted but complete and affordable (pre-1899 antiques require no FFL in the U.S.). Today, they are prized for their rarity and historical tie to Gurkha lore, though shooters must use caution with black powder loads to avoid overpressure in aged bores.

Comes with a chamber adapter for 45 colt low pressure ammunition.