Why Brother TC is a very bad influence here...

[astronomy.domaine]

Congrats on acquiring this gorgeous piece. Just a li'l input about the markings,,, the numerics are 1 (third chrctr on top row and 2nd chrctr in bottom row)and 6(3rd chrctr bottom line) and not a 9. Hence the engraving should read: "J V 1" in top row and "No. 16" in the bottom row.

[timmy]

AD: Thanks for that! I guess it must be the unit designation?

[essdee1972]

Another thought on JV. It just might be JB. the Hindi/Nepali "ba" being very similar to "va" with the addition of a stroke across the "belly". In that case, JB might stand for Jung Bahadur. The stroke across the belly might just have been a victim of time.

Shree Shree Shree Maharana Jung Bahadur (Nepalese insist on 3 Shrees before the names of Kings, Uncle Wiki tells me!) commanded Nepalese (Gorkhali) regiments during the relief of Lucknow in 1857.

[timmy]

Gentlemen, thanks again for you input on the markings. It makes having the thing very nice, because it increases my closeness with history. Real people carried, trained, and fired this thing. It puts me in that pleasant mood of wondering, "If only this rifle could talk -- the stories it could tell!"

[TC]

Lovely words Timmy ..... "if only this rifle could talk...."


TC

[gladiatorgarg]

TC daa last leave of mine was a vv hectic affair....so could'nt meet u..but in the coming leave... I ll'b a Bad boy...and you will have to indulge me hope to catch you soon

[miroflex]

Dear Timmy,
Having my name in the title of a thread so rich in history is a matter of great honour my friend. I am humbled and speechless.
And, for all the good reasons, I felt that lump in the throat as I went through your post... and the others that followed.

My first expression on seeing the outstanding piece of history was : WOW

This is the rifle that defined the course of many battles across continents and will always shine at every museum with a war section, no matter how small.
I saw it at the Royal Palace in Jodhour, Victoria Memorial in Kolkata, Salar Jung Museum in Hyderabad, more than a dozen Army establishments across India, The Police Museum at Hong Kong, Abdeen Palace in Cairo, Army Museum in Singapore and the National Army Museum, London.
But nowhere would they let me handle or fire it. For that, and MUCH MORE, I suppose I must start saving for a trip to New Mexico…. and Minnesota..and of course Richmond...

TC

This may be of interest to you, TC. While browsing through the collection of rifles belonging to an arms dealer in Kanpur, I came across a venerable Martini Henry along with a few rounds of.577/.450 ammunition that looked almost as old as the rifle.

The dealer, a well known figure located in the Meston Road - Halsey Road area who may be known to you, was selling it for the princely sum of Rs 20,000. I asked him about the market for so ancient a weapon among the shooting community. He said it would be useful for "covering" an arms licence while the licence holder was looking around for a more suitable weapon.

For the uninitiated, "covering" a licence refers to the practice of buying an obsolete or obsolescent weapon for a low price within the period prescribed by the licensing authority, to prevent the licence from lapsing, thereby gaining time to scout around for a weapon of choice.

It may still be with the dealer for all I know.

[TC]

Hi Miroflex,
Seeing you on the forum after a rather long hiatus
Yes I am well acquainted with many dealers from Meston Road, Kanpur's famous (or infamous to many ) gun bazaar.
Well, if you look hard a couple of Martinis can be found with dealers in every city I guess, especially old cities with heritage, of which Kanpur is one.
Thanks for the information but right now I have no licence left to buy a new weapon and can only wish the government had a change of heart and allowed gun crazy buggers like us have a dozen licences for buying pieces of history. If people can collect vintage cars and watches why not guns ??



TC

[TC]

TC daa last leave of mine was a vv hectic affair....so could'nt meet u..but in the coming leave... I ll'b a Bad boy...and you will have to indulge me hope to catch you soon

Sirjee,
Aap sirf padhariye aur hukum kijiye.

Will eagerly wait for our next meeting

Best wishes
TC

[miroflex]

Hi Miroflex,
Seeing you on a forum after a rather long hiatus
Yes I am well acquainted with many dealers from Meston Road, Kanpur's famous (or infamous to many ) gun bazaar.
Well, if you look hard a couple of Martinis can be found with dealers in every city I guess, especially old cities with heritage, of which Kanpur is one.
Thanks for the information but right now I have no licence left to buy a new weapon and can only wish the government had a change of heart and allowed gun crazy buggers like us have a dozen licences for buying pieces of history. If people can collect vintage cars and watches why not guns ??



TC

You are right on all counts, TC. I wonder how these Martini Henrys are in the market with so many dealers, considering the fact that these rifles were in service with the Indian and British Armies and a prohibited bore at that time.

[essdee1972]

Meston Road, Kanpur!! Ahhh Miroflex, do you by chance hail from my old home town?

That place is where, a long long time ago, a small boy would look into the shop windows of the arms dealers with an expression like the hungry Charlie Chaplin in "The Immigrant", while his parents shopped for other, mundane stuff like suitcases and utensils. My first DIY stuff, screwdrivers and wrenches, as well as my first cycles came from Meston Road!

[miroflex]

Meston Road, Kanpur!! Ahhh Miroflex, do you by chance hail from my old home town?

That place is where, a long long time ago, a small boy would look into the shop windows of the arms dealers with an expression like the hungry Charlie Chaplin in "The Immigrant", while his parents shopped for other, mundane stuff like suitcases and utensils. My first DIY stuff, screwdrivers and wrenches, as well as my first cycles came from Meston Road!

Kanpur happens to be my birthplace although I don't live there. SIr James Meston, after whom Meston Road is named, was Lieutenant Governor of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh from 1912 to 1918 and was later, in 1919 a signatory of the Treaty of Versailles on behalf of British India, along with Sir Satyendra Prasanno Sinha. Both of them were later elevated to the peerage. Most of the arms and ammunition shops in Kanpur are located on Meston Road and the remaining few on Halsey Road.

Timmy, sincerest apologies for taking your thread so much off-topic.

[captrakshitsharma]

Timmy you are being a bad influence in a good way..lol

[timmy]

Timmy, sincerest apologies for taking your thread so much off-topic.

A big part of the fun of these topics is the wide range of things brought up when discussing them. Please continue, Miroflex! These discussions are what make us a community.

We have just sent the movers down the road with all of our worldly possessions, except for a few toys and baubles! Hopefully I can make some more meaningful points when we settle in to our new digs.