Anyone know anything about Martini Henrys?

[BogWalker]

Having a fair bit of trouble with mine. The lever doesn't want to go fully into place.

This is where it ends up when the block is in battery. I can force it to close the rest of the way with a moderate amount of additional force. It is the same with the tumbler and extractor removed so it doesn't involve those two.

At first I thought my lever was bent, but comparing pictures of it to others I don't think it is anymore. Could be wrong.

I'm thinking it may have something to do with how the lever interacts with the cutouts for it in the block, but I don't know what to look for.

When I put all the internals in it cocks and fires fine.

Am I just not being rough enough with it? Watching videos of firing it looks like the lever just swings into place, but maybe they're using more force than I think. How briskly do you close yours?

EDIT: The lever horns are not properly engaging in their recesses in the breechblock on the upward swing. Not sure what to do about it.

 

[patience0830]

Not intimately familiar with the inside of one but looks like a gear jumped a tooth. Any loose pins? Someone open it past tolerances?

 

[BogWalker]

I'm thinking something is off tolerance. Not sure what. Breechblock improperly angled, lever horns out of spec, something. It's in the lever, breechblock, or receiver I know that.

Here you can see that the horns don't go fully forward into the recess in the block. I can force it the rest of the way forward, but watching videos of other Martinis firing it shouldn't be necessary to apply a lot of force.

 

[BogWalker]

I think I've solved it. After polishing the bearing surfaces of the lever and block the amount of force needed has been quite reduced. I'll keep sanding it until it is resolved. Not a problem I've ever seen described anywhere, but it seems very likely an occurrence of when parts tolerances didn't quite match up.

 

[rob63]

I suppose you know this, but just in case you don't, I'll throw it out there. In the photo it looks like it is missing the pin that the breech-block rotates on.

 

[BogWalker]

Yeah, I just did that to make it easier to get the parts in and out for the photos. I had it in when testing the problem.