Markings, Stamps and Symbols

Transcription

1 Markings, Stamps and Symbols The average Military Martini is littered with markings, stamps, proofs and symbols. The longer the weapon was in service, the more "tattooing" the weapon is likely to have acquired. This page covers the meanings of some of the more common stamps, markings, symbols and proofs found on the metal and furniture (wood) of Military Martinis. Common Martini Markings on Metal.. Here are three versions of the "Sold Out of Service" opposing broad arrows. This marking denotes the weapon was released from Military service. Often they were then sold to the public, or to rifle clubs. Generally seen on the right and/or left side of the receiver, knoxform and often on the weapon's buttstock. Sometimes it will have the letter "S" between the arrows. The "S" denotes the arm was Safe, or Serviceable and didn't need to be reproofed if sold in England.

2 The crossed flags and "2P" represents the weapon passing second proofing. "Second Proofing" is a process where a barrel was mated to a complete action, and a 137 Grain charge of black powder was fired with a 715 Grain bullet to test for defects in the barrel metal. The "First Proof" was a 205 Grain charge with the same weight bullet, but with a cork forced down on top of it. Often times you will see "1P" accompanying this stamp, but oddly, on this MkIII from my collection, there are only two "second proofing" stamps. The first was applied when the weapon passed the proof test as a.450/.577 Caliber Martini. The second "2P" stamp represents the weapon passing after conversion to.303. The "E" over the 18 represents Enfield Inspector #18 showing acceptance of the second proofing process in the manufacture of this weapon. Inspectors were assigned numbers for identification purposes. The crown over V.R. is referred to as the Queen's, or Sovereign's Cypher. It indicates that the stamped item is property of the Crown. V.R stands for "Victoria Regina"...this is Latin for Queen Victoria. Queen Victoria died in 1901 and was replaced by King Edward VII and King George V. Martinis made or arsenal converted to a different pattern after this timeframe (although rather uncommon) will show the King's Crown, and the letters "E.R" or "G.R". The "R" in both are the Latin word for king, "Rex". "ENFIELD" is the place of manufacture, Enfield Lock Arsenal. "1876" is the original year of manufacture. The smaller crown with the downward pointing arrow is a Lock-Viewer's Mark. This mark means that the mechanism (or lock, as they were called back in the days of flintlock and percussion weapons) has been examined for correct operation, and that it conforms to specifications. Each manufacturer of Military Martinis had their own distinct Lock Viewer's Mark. "II." indicates that the weapon is the Mark II pattern.

3 This photo shows the left side of the receiver on a Martini-Enfield. Typically, any Martini-Henry converted to an Enfield or Metford pattern will indicate the year of conversion and other particulars about the conversion here. "1899" is the year this weapon was converted to a Martini-Enfield. "M.E. 303" indicates that the weapon was converted to a Martini-Enfield. A.303 caliber barrel with Enfield pattern rifling was fitted, and thus was born a Martini-Enfield. "M.M." would indicate a barrel with William Metford's pattern of rifling had been installed, thus producing a Martini-Metford. The "I" indicates that this particular rifle is a "First Class" weapon. The British had two classes of Service Martinis, First, and Second class. First class arms were those in better condition, and with less wear. These were considered "Frontline" weapons. Second class weapons were those that were worn, but still serviceable, or those of obsolete patterns. These were often sent to training units, or home guard/militia units. The "Class Marking" also typically appears on the buttstock of the weapon. Notice anything peculiar about the markings on this Mark II Infantry Rifle? Look below the Lock Viewer's Mark. Notice how the second "I" is off to the right of the first one. This

4 The brass circle on the buttstock is referred to as a stock disk, or a unit disk. Think of them as a dog-tag for the Martini. They identified which country, and sometimes which military unit the weapon belonged to. They could easily be changed if the weapon was transferred to another unit. Common markings include..."n.s.w." New South Wales, "Q" Queensland, "R.A." Royal Artillery, "VIC" Victoria, and "ACG" Australian Commonwealth Government. Martinis refinished at the Citadel Arsenal in Egypt, and weapons that served in the Middle East commonly have Arabic markings on the disks. is an indication that this rifle was converted to a Mark II from a Mark I. The additional "I" was punched in just to the right of the original. This specimen belongs to my buddy Randy Shoker.

5 Stock disk from a Martini-Enfield Carbine. This particular carbine saw service in Egypt, as is evidenced by the Arabic script on the stock disk. A clever use of the stock disk. Anybody know who Lt. A. Dalgliesh is???

6 Citadel Arsenal, Cairo Egypt. Martinis that served in Egypt and were serviced by the Citadel Arsenal will bear this marking. The workmanship of the armorers at the Citadel Arsenal is reputed to be somewhat substandard. As a result, collectors tend to shy away from Citadel Martinis. I bought this Citadel Martini-Enfield Carbine before I learned this lesson. The fit of the furniture is poor, the arabic metal stampings are rough, as is the finish of the weapon. I spent nearly a month cleaning dried, sand encrusted grease from the inside of the action body. It's a Martini nonetheless, and I still love it! The Queen's Cypher. The Roman Numeral III below, denotes a Mark III Pattern Martini. Note the smaller cocking indicator, lock viewer's mark, and the "First Class Weapon" mark. This Mark III was manufactured by the Birmingham Small Arms & Metal Company in Notice the subtle differences between this Queen's Crown, and the one above from Enfield. As with the Lock-Viewer's Mark, the Queen's Crown differed slightly between manufacturers. Note the small, wide broad arrow pointing to the left on the cocking indicator.

7 Stars, or asterisks on the knox/nocks-form indicate that an armorer found rust, or "Honeycombing" as it was also referred to. The number of stars usually corresponded to the severity of the rusting found, 1 star meaning slight rusting, two or three being more severe. If it is on the flat spot of the knox/nocks-form, it means the rust is in the chamber. If on the barrel, the rust is in the barrel.