Enfield Martini .402" Mk1 Rifle Pattern B
| Calibre | .402 Seven groove Enfield Ratchet |
| Date of Approval | 13th May 1887 |
| Length | 49.5" (125.7cm) |
| Weight | 9lb 9oz |
Enfield Martini Pattern B
Whilst the 1000 Enfield Martini's were in its experimental trials, and production has moved ahead, The small arms committee had a re-think and decided many of the features were either too complicated, created issues such as the method of bayonet fixings, or harboured damp. It was therefore in April 1886 decided that work on another pattern, in effect a mix of the original MKIII converted rifle and the Enfield Martini was to be carried out. The new stocking shape of the Enfield Martini was adopted, so was the new receiver shape, rifling was a .402” seven groove ratchet, with one twist in 15 inches. As reports had permeated from the Sudan campaigns that the dusty desert conditions was causing extraction problems, the RSAF designed a new 3” longer lever, which gave a greater mechanical advantage when depressing the lever, Fore-stocking was to be of the traditional MKIII pattern as the Enfield store was full of old fore-stocks. This re-designed arm was known as the Enfield Martini .40” pattern B and its approval was 13th May 1887. Enfield had begun production in anticipation of full scale adoption of the arm in both patterns, even though no official order had been received, in 1885 the contract for 200,000 E-M arms was forwarded at a cost per rifle of 46s 8d, expected to drop to 46s 6d by 1886.
In October 1885 questions regarding the potential nightmarish logistical problems of supply began to be asked, the new arm was .402” calibre, when over 800,000 MkII and MkIII rifles & IC1 carbines still chambered the .577/450” round were in service, the Gardener Gatling round was not interchangeable and the pending decision to fully adopt the .303” calibre created a logistics nightmare, a year and a half later, the Enfield Martini project was suspended and cancelled. By now 21 49,902 pattern B E-M's had been made.
