Martini Henry .557/450 value!

[koger]

I know where a MH, long lever is for sale, with a set of intermediate peeps sights on the tang. The blue is fading to blum or dark grey, barrel is very good, with bright sharp rifling, good wood, operates smoothly. What is the gun worth, and where is the best place to buy brass and dies for it? All replies appreciated.

[john.k]

.....Value in the US around $800 +- a fair margin........Holes for the sight will devalue the gun somewhat,even tho the sight is functional.......Components available from a supplier called X Ring Services..........hint......dont use bare 458 bullets ......for GG bullets use 470 -475 dia...........A cheap mould is Lee 476-400gn ..............if you have 458 moulds ,you need to paper patch to 470 dia................My advice......all you need is a Lee shellholder ,and a simple neck sizer to .500 OD or thereabouts to suit your bullet dia and case dims.....thats it......the Lee die set is very undersized and will trash your cases. ..........and never ....ever.....resize cases to hold 458 bullets tight............draught excluder foam is very popular with smokeless loads.

[Boz330]

I bought a set of Lee 458mag dies (cheap) and cut the sizer back some to just neck size the case. My rifle is a MkII though. I use a 45 Colt size die to taper crimp the boolit. As pointed out by John the Lee dies are too small for even the MKII with a .464 barrel.

Bob

[marlinman93]

Holes might devalue a gun, but if the sight is on it it's worth more than the deduction for open holes. So really a wash with the sight. A good bore is a must, as many have seen BP, and can be ugly. If it's got a good bore I'd agree with $800-$900. But if it doesn't I'd pass on it.
Brass can be found at BACO I believe.

[DxieLandMan]

X-ring services is a great place for dies. molds, and brass. A lot of fun to shoot and to reload for. A bit long on the reloading process but it is all worth it to me.

[Boz330]

I used the existing holes with extended bolts to mount a peep sight rather than drilling the receiver.


Bob

[Texas by God]

You made it better without hurting it at all. That "put your thumb here"spot always makes me chuckle. To keep it out of your nose!

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[salpal48]

There was a lot of Do's and Dont,s in this posts about 577/450. I shoot a unpatched lubed .459 diameter In all my martini s (5). sporter and military. All shoot very well @ 100yd and 200yds.
my dies are Jim Jukes and Unlike the lee dies all chamber In all rifles. The lee dies will not Chamber in The sporters. The advise is up to You. There are several people on line that make Brass. some better Than others. I also have a set of Ch Dies that chamber
Anything will Chamber in The Nepals