P1885 Martini Henry MK IV, Enfield, 1887, 570/450

ALL ANTIQUE RIFLES SOLD AS-IS. NEVER ATTEMPT TO FIRE AN ANTIQUE WEAPON WITHOUT CONSULTING A GUNSMITH. SEE PICTURES FOR CONDITION AND DETAILS

The legendary P1871 Martini Henry Short Lever Rifle was great, until it wasn't. The combination of the quality of casings in the mid-late 19th century, black powder residue, and the 1871's short lever often led to jams in the middle of combat. The P1885 was the culmination of 14 years of steady improvements, with the final being the introduction of the long lever. The new lever provided greater leverage for extraction. While this was the penultimate version of the Martini-Henry, it only served with front line British troops for three years before being replaced.
In all, only 62,000 were ever made, not counting 100,000 earlier models converted to this pattern. 
That wasn't the end of this rifle's career, however.
They continued to be issued in Nepal and India, among other countries in the British sphere of influence, and were used extensively in WWI. They again popped up in Britain where the IRA used them during "The Troubles."
Through the 1920s, the rifle remained popular with African big game hunters and as target shooters at NRA meetups.
The early 20th Century should have been the end of the Martini-Henry, at least in the Western military sphere. Unfortunately, in 2001 when the U.S. invaded Afghanistan, large numbers of various Martini and Snider rifles were pressed into service by insurgent forces.

The rifle we have here is in excellent condition considering its history. After its brief run in British service, it found its way, in 1909, to the Indian Rawul Pindi arsenal, in what is now Pakistan. It somehow made its way from there to Nepalese service in 1906. The bluing is good, with some slight rust foxing, markings on all metal parts are sharp, and most markings on the wood are sharp, though there apears to be an illegible original British unit marking on the stock. There are some expected dents and dings for a rifle this age, and the sight has a slight bow to it, but much less than usually encountered. Apparently this specimen was little-used and well-stored. The bore features good rifling.

See pictures for more details.