Well I found my answer! These original Peabody Martini large frames were part of the order for Turkey! Seems the Providence Tool Co was not able to keep up with the contract for military rifles to Turkey, so the Turks went to numerous other countries to fill the demand. Among these were the Romanians, the Bulgarians, and of course the Austrians, which is the tie to Steyr! I purchased this rifle from a ex Army Captain, (his family) who was born in England, and served in the British Army. Before WWI he imigrated to the US, and when the war broke out, he became a Captain in the US Army. He was serving in the Phillipine Islands (Manilla) when he spotted what he thought was a British Martini large frame, in a pile of captured weapons. He pulled it out of the pile, and brought it home as a war souveneir! The gun is almost new condition, and has all it's original cartouches on the metal and wood. It also carries small markings on every part, even the tiniest parts! The bore is like new also, so I'll do a chamber cast and see if it's one of the standard Turkish calibers. Probably one of those $2-$5 per round cartridges! Got a very complete packet of documentation on his unit, Company G, 2nd Regiment, USArmy, Oregon Volunteers. Lots of great info on Capt. Gadsny, and his US service, plus his service in the British Army.
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