I've been asked by Douglas to post a summary of my experiences and lessons learned with the Gahendra rifle, since the recent offering of "as found" uncleaned/unrestored rifles by IMA has triggered a major interest (and buying spree) in these unique rifles.
First for the basics. While the Gahendra is grouped with the Martini Henry, the primary aspects it shares with the MH is that it is a tilting block design chambered for the 577/450. Its internal design is totally different and based on that design it is not as strong as the MH, and as discussed below, by metallurgy it isn't as strong either. They are a unique and fun to shoot military rifle…..but they are no Martini-Henry. As with all used (and these are of course VERY used) firearms, the owner must first be satisfied of the firearm's safety before shooting. If you don't feel qualified, either find someone whom you trust or hang it on the wall. This is normally where someone would write find a gunsmith…..but good luck finding one that will touch something of this age of 3rd world origin.
These are hand-built rifles using relatively primitive materials and tools, comparable to many pre-industrial revolution arms. No two will be exactly the same, which has implications in two important areas. First, part interchangeability is primarily by pure luck. These were made using hand powered tools by individual craftsmen to a given general pattern. Screws don't even interchange on some. As such, repairs require the same approach. While often parts from one can be fitted to another, you can't count on it. The second important part is that bores were hand rifled and the norm is for a bore's major diameter to be considerably smaller than that expected for tradition Brit Martinis in 577/450. However they vary considerably, so each one must be slugged and measured to determine the correct bullet choice in handloading for them. While most will fall in a range allowing use of dirt common .457 bullets, some don't and only through slugging your rifle can you know for sure. This isn't just about accuracy, it is primarily an issue of safety.
While various reasons are given for the retirement of the Gahendra, the primary one is that upon availability of plentiful 577/450 ammunition from the Brits, the Gahendras started experiencing burst barrels. This was blamed on the metallurgy…..which certainly is partially at fault…..but it is also an issue of shooting oversized bullets down some pretty tight tubes. While we can speculate on the differences between previously used Nepalese ammo and Brit ammo, it is clear that ammo was rationed prior to the Brits stepping in and that the rifles were carried a lot but shot very little. With the availability of plentiful Brit ammo, regular training was conducted and the faults showed up. Hence retirement of the Gahendra.
Metallurgy is certainly inferior to Brit steel of the era since the barrel blanks were made as a rural cottage industry and sent to the central armory for finishing. That does not mean that all are unfit for use and in fact I've shot everyone I own. I've also shot a number of original Kentucky long rifles of comparable metallurgy and manufacture. This isn't a blanket indictment of the Gahendra or the numerous other arms made under similar conditions. However, each should be carefully examine for cracks or defects from manufacture. While I haven't seen any in person, examples have been posted on-line. Even if there are no visible defects, I strongly recommend remote firing one a few times (tied to a tire with a long cord to the trigger is my approach). This isn't proofing….but it beats putting one next to a body part when it is shot for the first time in a century. Again, while I haven't seen any in person, failures from credible sources have been documented.
Some additional personal thoughts and observations.
First, I download my rounds to 65 to 70 grains of BP and use a tad more kapok or carded wool to fill the space. This gives 45/70 performance, which is more than enough and saves some stress on the rifle. Accuracy of course varies by the condition of the arm, but my best Gahendra outshoots a number of my better MH rifles, while using this reduced load (and my shoulder doesn't miss the extra BP either).
Next, if you aren't going to keep a tight sling on the rifle, take off the rear sling swivel and store it in a safe place. With a loose sling or no sling this swivel will bind the lever on opening resulting in aggravation and a bent swivel. This is the worst design feature of the Gahendra and you've got to wonder "what were they thinking???" I've got a peg by my gunsmithing bench that has 3 of them hanging up nice and safe.
Also, the forearm of the Gahendra suffers from the same design fault as the MK I and MK II MH rifles and is
easily cracked/broken by using a rest that resists the rearward movement of the forearm in recoil. This of course is
particularly true of most of the stocks that have been stored for a century under less than ideal conditions. If you
must use a rest, make sure that it has a nice slick surface, such as provided by covering with a nylon stocking.
Lastly, while I've given lots of reasons to just hang the Gahendra on the wall, these are warnings and considerations from someone who owns and shoots Gahendra rifles on a regular basis. None of them, however, are my regular shooters. When I'm going to blast through a few boxes of ammo, I'll be shouldering a MH MK IV pattern B. I definitely would not recommend the Gahendra for moderate to heavy use. The difficulty in making a replacement hammer or sear is just too great to tempt fate too often.
Good luck with your projects. I broke down and ordered one of the "as found" rifles right before the price
increase. Hopefully I get one as nice as some have found, but since I got a great "as found" Nepalese
Francotte pattern rifle, the odds are probably against me.
