(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links) is the link to the British Militaria Forums Martini Henry group.  Quite a few folks on that forum have bought the recent Nepal rifles, and you should find a lot of information on them there.

David
Montezuma, IA

I bought a couple of Martinis from the Nepalese cache. I read a lot of comments on another forum from those who bought MH from both Atlanta Cutlery and IMA.

As you know, they come from the same source. It believe it wise to pay the extra for "hand select". The MH MKl (converted to MKll) I bought hand select from IMA was very nice as received. The "from stock" MK lV "long lever" I bought from Atlanta Cutlery had a lot of rust under the barrel, and needed repair to the wood, especially under the large barrel band. The pin going though the band was rusted solid, and crumbled to nothing when the rifle was disassembled. That being said, the bore is excellent, and the action fine. Even the wood, except for the two areas fixed, is good with no repairs and very clear markings. All metal stampings are very clear too. This, I believe,  is typical for a lot of the Nepalese cache MH.

This is the advice I got on the Martini Henry forum: if you buy a MH from Atlanta Cutlery or IMA, choose Hand select and ask for the following -

1.  Clear date and crown on the receiver.
2.  Ask for no rust on the large barrel band, and its retaining pin.
3.  No epoxy to fill in the wood around the large barrel band

On guns with problems as mentioned above, the wood got very damp over a long period of time, and besides deep pitting under the barrel, there is a good chance the cleaning rod and the stock bolt will be rusted solid in the wood- that was the case for my "long lever".

I thought of going to Atlanta (I can have a free plane ticket) and select my own, but apparently the staff will only get a handfull of guns out for you, so it's most likely not worth the trouble, unless you live nearby and can stop at regular intervals to check what they have out on the rack. I will order my next MH online, but specify what I want from the "hand select" as outlined above.

JLC