SlowShooter
SeaWaves not TigerStripes
This is a response for Pat.
The Nepalese MH rifle is officially called the MH Mark IV (in this case it is a model B). This model was done by the British for it's army, not just for Nepaleses/Indians.
After some 11 years seeing young soldiers struggling/dying in the battle fields during South Africa, Afghanistan and Sudan campaigns/ expeditions, the War Department (WD) admitted that the MH rifles had some flaws and needed to be addressed. A few major changes were the receiver and the butt stock shape to improve the hand grip and trigger pull. They also found that the average British soldiers were not men enough so...they elongated the cocking handle to improve leverage. Some minor changes included the front sight, handguard mount, beefier cleaning rod (the Mrk II rod looks like coat hanger wire), heavier striker (to counter excessive impact that may crack the striker at it's weakest point at the slotted area, and more positive strike to help with the poor primers), smaller butt plate...(these might be done in Mark III change).
At the end, they created an ugly, heavy, and new issues for the rifle. I think many firing striker's tip and extractors broken immaturely because of the long handle. In the old days, most soldiers fought in kneeling/standing positions so they might not know about the cumbersome of a long cocking handle. On the bench or in the prone position is a pain in the neck.
The real problem for the rifle was the cartridge. The shape of the casing and material are not ideal and the powder is too dirt. Engineers did their best and the MH kept evolving as what we see today. After Looking at the Mrk II and the Mrk IV rifles, I keep thinking about my wife (days before the wedding and now).
I shot the Mrk II yesterday to see how it works. It felt better than the Mrk IV with the cocking handle knob supports the gripping hand. It's also touching the pinky at all time so finding the knob to open the action is easy without looking down. On the bench, it did not require any special treatment. It's also as accurate as the Mrk IV with the tiny front sight. With the modern cartridge casing and load, I did not see any of it's handicaps.
The Nepalese MH rifle is officially called the MH Mark IV (in this case it is a model B). This model was done by the British for it's army, not just for Nepaleses/Indians.
After some 11 years seeing young soldiers struggling/dying in the battle fields during South Africa, Afghanistan and Sudan campaigns/ expeditions, the War Department (WD) admitted that the MH rifles had some flaws and needed to be addressed. A few major changes were the receiver and the butt stock shape to improve the hand grip and trigger pull. They also found that the average British soldiers were not men enough so...they elongated the cocking handle to improve leverage. Some minor changes included the front sight, handguard mount, beefier cleaning rod (the Mrk II rod looks like coat hanger wire), heavier striker (to counter excessive impact that may crack the striker at it's weakest point at the slotted area, and more positive strike to help with the poor primers), smaller butt plate...(these might be done in Mark III change).
At the end, they created an ugly, heavy, and new issues for the rifle. I think many firing striker's tip and extractors broken immaturely because of the long handle. In the old days, most soldiers fought in kneeling/standing positions so they might not know about the cumbersome of a long cocking handle. On the bench or in the prone position is a pain in the neck.
The real problem for the rifle was the cartridge. The shape of the casing and material are not ideal and the powder is too dirt. Engineers did their best and the MH kept evolving as what we see today. After Looking at the Mrk II and the Mrk IV rifles, I keep thinking about my wife (days before the wedding and now).
I shot the Mrk II yesterday to see how it works. It felt better than the Mrk IV with the cocking handle knob supports the gripping hand. It's also touching the pinky at all time so finding the knob to open the action is easy without looking down. On the bench, it did not require any special treatment. It's also as accurate as the Mrk IV with the tiny front sight. With the modern cartridge casing and load, I did not see any of it's handicaps.
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