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Peabodys (Read 11941 times)
DonH
Ex Member
Peabodys
Jan 6
th
, 2008 at 6:40am
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Gents;
I went to a small local gun show yesterday; you know, one of those "spend-no-money-but-see-people-I-know" kind of deals. The show, as usual of late was pathetically small but there was one vendor I had not seen before. On his table among a variety of interesting rifles including Trapdoors, percussion Sharps and a couple of low walls, were a Peabody and a Peabody Martini. The first I have seen personally.
The Peabody was of military configuration and the tag marked .50-70. The P-M was of sporting configuration and quite elegant ( is that possible for a Martini?). The rear sight had a ladder marked for yardages ala military rifle but also had a standing leaf with two additional folding leaves. The tag was marked .577. I questioned that but as the guy was otherwise occupied I could not ask nor did I handle the rifle. I just wondered if others have seen or know of sporting Peabody Martini rifles so chambered? If the rifle was a remodeled military rifle it was not evident or would have been done long ago though the profile of the barrel was most definitely sporting.
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MartiniBelgian
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Re: Peabodys
Reply #1 -
Jan 6
th
, 2008 at 12:00pm
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Don,
I don't know about Peabody-Martini's in 577 - but for the African trade, quite a few were made in .58, like 577 snider. but that would have been a British-made rifle, of course, not one made by Providence tool cy.
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38_Cal
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Re: Peabodys
Reply #2 -
Jan 6
th
, 2008 at 12:15pm
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SWAG, but I'd say the tag may have been mis-marked as to caliber. Was it a Peabody Martini, or a Brit or Belgian Martini? Probably the caliber was 577-450, when you consider the African sights. Of course, anything is possible from the original production era...if enough gelt changed hands!
David
Montezuma, IA
David Kaiser
Montezuma, IA
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Fred Boulton
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Re: Peabodys
Reply #3 -
Jan 6
th
, 2008 at 2:37pm
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I have never seen a Martini in.577". The 577/45 British round was developed by extending and necking down the 577 Snider round. Being powerful enough for big game, many Martini sporting rifles were made for this calibre, the more commonly encountered ones are the Field's patent with the external cocking lever and the Swinburn. This merely carried on the practise established by the Snider round: I used to shoot a Rigby Snider hunting rifle. If you were an officer serving in Africa, taking a military calibre hunting rifle with you meant that you had free ammunition.
Fred.
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terry buffum
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th
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Re: Peabodys
Reply #4 -
Jan 6
th
, 2008 at 2:37pm
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Not intended to highjack this thread, but I recently bought a sporter Providence Martini in .38 - 55. Looking at all five Grant books, I don't find that as a caliber. Have any of you seen such in a factory barrel, or is this likely a rebarrel? It is stamped E Flues, Bay City, Mich both on top of the barrel and under the fore arm, so certainly could be a rebarrel by the Ithaca shotgun inventor before he moved East. No other marking on the barrel.
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DonH
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Re: Peabodys
Reply #5 -
Jan 6
th
, 2008 at 3:34pm
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MartiniBelgian and 38_cal;
This rifle may indeed have bben mislabeled. Pity that I was not free to have examined it much more closely. I did have a question in my mind as to the configuration of it (i.e., the barrel profile, sights, etc.).Now that it has been mentioned the appearance of the rifle was remininscent of rifles built for African hunting. Due to the number of other interesting pieces the gentleman had on display, all of which were what he claimed them to be, I did not think to doubt his word.
This Martini actioned rifle had a what appeared to be small thumb lever at the upper right rear of the receiver. In further research I have not seen this depicted on neither Peabody Martini nor Martini-Henry rifles. A friend who was present and quite familiar with the British built Martini actions did not question the labeling of the rifle. My curiousity is now thoroughly arosed!
The real treat for me was the pleasure of looking over the "side hammer" Peabody rifle at what was otherwise a fairly worthless show. I will confess to having a weakness for rifles from the post-Civil War early breechloading cartridge era.
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MartiniBelgian
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Re: Peabodys
Reply #6 -
Jan 6
th
, 2008 at 4:19pm
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Don,
Judging from your description of action and sights, this one seems to be a Martini with safety and cape sights (leafs and ladder) - definitely African style. There were a few chambered for the Snider round, but my guess is that it would be 577-450, someone not really familiar with Brit cartridge nomenclature might just think that the 'fat boy' would be a .58 (like in 45-70).
That type of safety is the later type, it lifts the sear from the trigger.
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DonH
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Re: Peabodys
Reply #7 -
Jan 6
th
, 2008 at 4:29pm
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the action depicted here has the same type safety as the rifle I saw yesterday. The one I saw, however, had a straight grip with the short lever as on a military Martini. The barrel was large in diameter. If it was indeed chambered for the Snider round I am in lust! It apparently was not a Peabody Martini but had a style that tripped my trigger!
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38_Cal
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Re: Peabodys
Reply #8 -
Jan 6
th
, 2008 at 5:00pm
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If you go to
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and page WAY down, you'll find a Martini sporting rifle by I. Hollis that sort of meets your description. The sporting rear sight with the military type long range forward section was pretty typical of African rifles. Occasionally, sporting Martini rifles like this one come up on GunBroker.com.
David
Montezuma, IA
David Kaiser
Montezuma, IA
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Fred Boulton
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Re: Peabodys
Reply #9 -
Jan 6
th
, 2008 at 5:28pm
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There is another one in the "Sporting Guns" section of
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Fred.
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DonH
Ex Member
Re: Peabodys
Reply #10 -
Jan 7
th
, 2008 at 8:20am
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38_Cal wrote
on Jan 6
th
, 2008 at 5:00pm:
If you go to
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and page WAY down, you'll find a Martini sporting rifle by I. Hollis that sort of meets your description. The sporting rear sight with the military type long range forward section was pretty typical of African rifles. Occasionally, sporting Martini rifles like this one come up on GunBroker.com.
David
Montezuma, IA
The action (and rear sight) of the rifle shown indeed matches that of the one I saw however it had a straight grip with the military pattern short lever. I almost didn't get to the intended pictures at the site you linked as I had great difficulty getting past the Snider sproting rifle! And then there was that * bore Paradox gun. SWEET!
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Fred Boulton
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Re: Peabodys
Reply #11 -
Jan 7
th
, 2008 at 9:18am
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Have a look at the Hammer Rifles page in
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Fred
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DoubleD
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Re: Peabodys
Reply #12 -
Jan 7
th
, 2008 at 9:51am
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First the 577/450 is not made from the 577 Snider. It is neither a necked down or stretched out. The only thing the two have in common is they are both made using Boxer's 577 size steel priming head and are foil wrapped...Gert, you knew this was coming.
Boxer heads were made in .577, .500 and 450 size.
Here is another .577 Snider on Martini pattern made by Jeffery's on a Francotte action.
Douglas, Ret.
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DonH
Ex Member
Re: Peabodys
Reply #13 -
Jan 7
th
, 2008 at 11:14am
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DoubleD wrote
on Jan 7
th
, 2008 at 9:51am:
First the 577/450 is not made from the 577 Snider. It is neither a necked down or stretched out. The only thing the two have in common is they are both made using Boxer's 577 size steel priming head and are foil wrapped...Gert, you knew this was coming.
Boxer heads were made in .577, .500 and 450 size.
Here is another .577 Snider on Martini pattern made by Jeffery's on a Francotte action.
You done flung a CRAVIN' on me! Oops - my true nature came out.
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MartiniBelgian
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Re: Peabodys
Reply #14 -
Jan 7
th
, 2008 at 3:06pm
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Don,
You just might have contracted Martinitis, welcome to the club.... And yes, that IS a nice rifle, isn't it? Very stylish and classy, an engraver's dream. Of course, it would have been even better if chambered for #2 Musket!
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