Latest acquisition - The Pieper Rifle.
Chambering - 44 WCF.
Bbl - 24" octagonal.
Has quick removable breech block assembly and hole in the rear of the receiver for cleaning.
Obviously Henri Pieper's own revision of a miniature Martini action.
An original sporting rifle, not a re-engineered BSA, Francotte, Greener or Braendlin.
The receiver and extractor are entirely different, as is the pivot position of the lever.
It has the trigger guard as part of the lever and the trigger passes through a hole in the lever.
There are Liege nitro proof marks so estimated date of construction is circa 1890.
That's all I'll venture to speculate on as others here know lots more than me.




Chambering and proofs:


Top right bolt above side mount unscrews to remove breech block assembly:


With action open - decocking lever on right side of breech block.


Breech block assembly removed for cleaning:


Octagonal bbl with muzzle and crown:


Original butt plate.....unfortunately damaged:


Any helpful info appreciated.
BTW, the aperture sight is no help.
It's accurate but about a foot too low and to the right, hence the following 3 shot group:


I was aiming at the centre of the target right on the top of the "1" ring.
Any recommendations as to a sight I could put into the original dovetail would be appreciated.
I'm considering this bullseye rear sight for Winchester lever guns.
http://homesteadparts.com/shopcart/pid_1837.htm
Plus the requisite elevator:
http://homesteadparts.com/shopcart/commerce.cgi?cart_id=1424686448.1781&product=Sights_and_Elevators_Winchester_1873_Winchester_1886_Winchester_1892_Winchester_1894_Winchester_1895_Winchester_94_POST_64_Winchester_70&pid=1290
The full length rifles have the same bbl, same chambering after all.

Nice cartridge, rifle is sorta ugly, just my taste does not go for Martini's.

Andy, I like it. It's a single shot. Around 55 years ago I had a similar Martini type but much smaller. It was originally a 22 LR & I re chambered it for the 22 Magnum. It shot very well. I was somewhat hesitant about chambering it for the Magnum & asked P. O. Ackley his opinion. He told me that since there was no 22 Magnum rifles made at the time, it would be the perfect candidate for a re chambering job. I never regretted it. Finally traded it in to a gunsmith for work he did for me.  .....Paul H

G'day Kombi.

That is one of the better proportioned martini style rifles I have seen. The barrel length, fore-end length and fore-end style all just "work".

Marcus

I like it!!
44-40/.44WCF is perfect for it too!

Great score Kombi.
Won't the sights adjust far enough to get it on the bull?

ETA: I think I would get some fresh ammo, or make some to known specs, before I committed to replacing the sights.

THAT is a sweet piece !

It is, isn't it?
What really piqued my interest is that it's not a sporterised Cadet.
It's a 'pukka' sporting Martini.
That and the chambering makes it really easy to feed.

Quote from: Jamie.270;137777I like it!!
44-40/.44WCF is perfect for it too!

Great score Kombi.
Won't the sights adjust far enough to get it on the bull?

ETA: I think I would get some fresh ammo, or make some to known specs, before I committed to replacing the sights.

So far I can't adjust 'em up enough.
I can tell you than it's about half the weight of my buddies replica 1860 Henry in 44 WCF.
The Pieper kicks like a mule off the bench!:undecided:

Nice one Andy. Are you going to reload of this?

Would this be a "Rook" rifle?

Yup, I'll be reloading for this sucker and hope to knock over a goat or 2 with it in the future, if not a deer or pig.
It's certainly enough gun for a fallow doe out to about 100yds and an American friend said more than a couple of buffalo fell to 44 WCF, although I'd say it was almost certainly several rounds at close range.
By straight definition it's probably more a "rook rifle" than anything else, simply because of its size.
But 44-40 is more than a bit overpowered for knocking blackbirds off bell towers!
Apparently this sort of rifle was sold in Australia as a "kangaroo rifle", which is kinda cool.
At least, the guys at British Militaria forum have said as much, so I'm calling it that.
The most interesting thing about this rifle is that it isn't in 380 Long or 300 Sherwood or 297/230 or even .442 RIC - and I know of a Braendlin example in .442 for sale....unfortunately with a bore like tooth decay.
Instead this Pieper is in a popular US calibre that would not probably have sold in the UK at the time.
I know there were more than a few Pieper Rifles sold in Australia (I even owned 2 Pieper barreled receivers at one time in 32-20 and 297/230 - alas their breech blocks and other assorted parts were missing) so I'd say Henri Pieper was trying to break into new markets.
Winchester lever guns were certainly popular in Australia and I'd reckon he was perhaps following that lead.

Love rifle Andy.

Can't wait to see the range report once you sort out your reloading.

You know you can buy cowboy action ammo for it.

Oh, yeah, I know that.
The previous owner actually used it for black powder loads but I can't stand cleaning it after shoot BP.
I fired one round through it and then had to do the whole boiling water thing when I got home.
A serious pain in the neck!
I'm going to get some Starline brass and some cast bullets from either Westcastings or HRBC and load up for it.
BTW, how are the Lee dies for 44-40?
I had a bad experience with Lee 310 Cadet dies but every other Lee die set has been fine.

Ed. Do you know the prices for Cowboy Action ammo?

Nice rifle! I love falling blocks. A martini or martini style rifle has a cool factor like no other.

farmboy, to some extent I'll agree the Martini type action is outstanding. It does have it's drawbacks. The worst feature is the difficulty in loading with  a scope on it. This is where a "scout" scope comes in real handy even tho they take some getting used to. Another option is the "so called" reflex or electronic dot sights. The problem with them is a lack of magnification. .....The Peabody-Martini was designed & patented around 1862 by Peabody if memory serves me right. The general configuration today is the work of Martini. The Peabody/Martini action is a fairly strong design & probably the simplest of all single shot actions ever designed. Excluding barrel & wood, there is only something like 19 or 20 parts to the action. No other strong SS action has so few parts. The Peabody-Martini could have been made a bit simpler for ease of manufacture. The "knuckle" at the pivot point of the breech block is a waste of time & unnecessary. The rear of the breechblock should have been  flat as well as the rear of the breechblock mortise. The breechblock would rest flat against the rear wall of the breechblock mortise with just a pin holding it in place. There is no load on the pin. This is the system used by many of the finer German, Austrian & Swiss makers. I have a German made Scheutzen rifle in this configuration. It is chambered for the 8.15-45 cartridge. I have a Cadet that I gutted & re designed in this manner by making a new breechblock, lever & tangs as well as hammer & trigger & sliding tang safety. It is chambered for the 17 Ackley Bee. I have shot 5 shot groups as small as 0.240 with it at 110 yards. It has an Ackley barrel.....Paul H

One of the characteristics of tilting block actions that I really like is their simplicity. I remain amazed every time I take one apart.

Another issue that comes up occasionally with tilting blocks is cartridge size; either length or width or both together, making chambering difficult. The size of the action can limit the diameter or length of a cartridge, thereby limiting the number of cartridges for which the action can be chambered. This is of course true of any action, but I have run into it a couple of times with the tilting blocks I have put barrels on. My Martini-Enfield just barely handles the .50 Alaskan, and will not chamber a longer .50 caliber cartridge like .50/90 or 50/110. Sometimes this also effects the type and weight of bullet that can be used.

I know it's a pain, Paul, but we sure would like to see some of those old, fine rifles you have. Personally, I'd like to see the mods you made. I think I can visualize them in my mind's eye, but you know what 'they' say about a picture and words.

Paul