Collecting 19th Century firearms has the tendency to just drag you in deeper. Just when I think I've seen everything, something new pops up. On Euroarms Italia's website is a cool little Westley Richards Martini military carbine. Looks to be made around the 1870's or so. Westley Richards was a pretty neat guy, another iteration of the classic Birmingham gunmaker who started in the early 1800's trying to make a better gun than the guy next door. By the end of the 19th Century, the firm was building guns by machine like everyone else, but they just couldn't keep their hands off their product, and still hand fit, filed and polished the end result. The company as a whole has succeeded wildly, as their shotguns and African Express rifles are second to none.
They also made guns for the British military, especially during the Crimean War, and also supplied the Boers before they got a taste for Mausers. They made an improvement on the Martini action, which is their claim to Martini fame, that makes dissassembly a lot easier. This little carbine seems to be made in Westley Richard's Bond Street works in London, which he set up soon after opening for business in Birmingham. They've had their ups and downs as a company, but they are still around and still making high end guns for discriminating sportsmen.
