Anyone have a clue what kinda shotgun this is?

xsiv4s

Member
I bought a big pile of reloading supplies at an auction this weekend and scored big (Lots of parts, breeches, black powder stuff that wasn't even listed). This shotgun receiver was in one of the boxes, but I don't have a clue what it is??? Any ideas?
 

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Joshua

Taco Aficionado/Salish Sea Pirate/Part-Time Dragon
I’ll just leave this here.
————————————————
Gunga Din
by Rudyard Kipling

You may talk o’ gin and beer
When you’re quartered safe out ’ere,
An’ you’re sent to penny-fights an’ Aldershot it;
But when it comes to slaughter
You will do your work on water,
An’ you’ll lick the bloomin’ boots of ’im that’s got it.
Now in Injia’s sunny clime,
Where I used to spend my time
A-servin’ of ’Er Majesty the Queen,
Of all them blackfaced crew
The finest man I knew
Was our regimental bhisti, Gunga Din,
He was ‘Din! Din! Din!
‘You limpin’ lump o’ brick-dust, Gunga Din!
‘Hi! Slippy hitherao
‘Water, get it! Panee lao,
‘You squidgy-nosed old idol, Gunga Din.’

The uniform ’e wore
Was nothin’ much before,
An’ rather less than ’arf o’ that be’ind,
For a piece o’ twisty rag
An’ a goatskin water-bag
Was all the field-equipment ’e could find.
When the sweatin’ troop-train lay
In a sidin’ through the day,
Where the ’eat would make your bloomin’ eyebrows crawl,
We shouted ‘Harry By!’
Till our throats were bricky-dry,
Then we wopped ’im ’cause ’e couldn’t serve us all.
It was ‘Din! Din! Din!
‘You ’eathen, where the mischief ’ave you been?
‘You put some juldee in it
‘Or I’ll marrow you this minute
‘If you don’t fill up my helmet, Gunga Din!’

’E would dot an’ carry one
Till the longest day was done;
An’ ’e didn’t seem to know the use o’ fear.
If we charged or broke or cut,
You could bet your bloomin’ nut,
’E’d be waitin’ fifty paces right flank rear.
With ’is mussick on ’is back,
’E would skip with our attack,
An’ watch us till the bugles made 'Retire,’
An’ for all ’is dirty ’ide
’E was white, clear white, inside
When ’e went to tend the wounded under fire!
It was ‘Din! Din! Din!’
With the bullets kickin’ dust-spots on the green.
When the cartridges ran out,
You could hear the front-ranks shout,
‘Hi! ammunition-mules an' Gunga Din!’

I shan’t forgit the night
When I dropped be’ind the fight
With a bullet where my belt-plate should ’a’ been.
I was chokin’ mad with thirst,
An’ the man that spied me first
Was our good old grinnin’, gruntin’ Gunga Din.
’E lifted up my ’ead,
An’ he plugged me where I bled,
An’ ’e guv me ’arf-a-pint o’ water green.
It was crawlin’ and it stunk,
But of all the drinks I’ve drunk,
I’m gratefullest to one from Gunga Din.
It was 'Din! Din! Din!
‘’Ere’s a beggar with a bullet through ’is spleen;
‘’E's chawin’ up the ground,
‘An’ ’e’s kickin’ all around:
‘For Gawd’s sake git the water, Gunga Din!’

’E carried me away
To where a dooli lay,
An’ a bullet come an’ drilled the beggar clean.
’E put me safe inside,
An’ just before ’e died,
'I ’ope you liked your drink,’ sez Gunga Din.
So I’ll meet ’im later on
At the place where ’e is gone—
Where it’s always double drill and no canteen.
’E’ll be squattin’ on the coals
Givin’ drink to poor damned souls,
An’ I’ll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!
Yes, Din! Din! Din!
You Lazarushian-leather Gunga Din!
Though I’ve belted you and flayed you,
By the livin’ Gawd that made you,
You’re a better man than I am, Gunga Din!
 

Petrol & Powder

Well-Known Member
Man, you guys are good...I spent an hour looking for shotguns and it looks like it's not even a shotgun. I better stick to my day job.
xsiv4s - if you've never seen the movie Zulu (and if you didn't immediately recognize a Martini action, I'm guessing you haven't seen it) I can HIGHLY recommend you watch "Zulu".
It was made in 1964. It featues Stanley Baker and Michael Caine. I think it was Caine's first movie.
It is based on the 1879 battle of Rorke's Drift.
 

358156 hp

At large, whereabouts unknown.
There were shotguns made on Martini actions. It could be one of the Greener-Martini single shots, made specifically for local Constabulary use in some of the far reaches of the Empire. The British had very good reason to mistrust the locals, so the local police were rarely (if ever) issued repeating weapons. The shotguns also used a weird 14 gauge hybrid type cartridge that couldn't be used in your standard 12, 16, and 20 gauge shotguns. This made the shotguns and their ammo totally dependent upon British supplies.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
I think Cain done a movie just before that, where he was a writer of soft core sam spade type dime novels.
it had mickey rooney in it and some other future middle name actors.
 

L Ross

Well-Known Member
I bought a big pile of reloading supplies at an auction this weekend and scored big (Lots of parts, breeches, black powder stuff that wasn't even listed). This shotgun receiver was in one of the boxes, but I don't have a clue what it is??? Any ideas?
Something is tickling a far away memory cell, Gehendra, Nepal, Martini. Something like that. Another shooting friend/family that likes the unusual and odd ball stuff may be shooting one.
 

Barn

Active Member
The action is a Martini. I doubt that it is a British Martini because it lacks the usual British markings. I suspect that it is a Khyber Pass Martini. Made in a cave in Pakistan.
 

462

California's Central Coast Amid The Insanity
The action is a Martini. I doubt that it is a British Martini because it lacks the usual British markings. I suspect that it is a Khyber Pass Martini. Made in a cave in Pakistan.

Third photo shows the British proof stampings.
 

Petrol & Powder

Well-Known Member
Third photo shows the British proof stampings.
Yep. And a single arrow, indicating that the weapon was never released from British control. So, that's likely a captured weapon or a weapon lost from the British government.


A Broad Arrow stamp was used to indicate ownership by the crown. When the item was declared surplus and "sold out of service" a second arrow was stamped with the points of the two arrows aligned point to point. This practice wasn't always followed and there are countless examples of surplus British weapons that lack the second broad arrow.

 
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