The Martini-Henry Rifle was a breech loading single-shot rifle
A Martini-Henry Rifle.
was adopted by the British. combining the dropping block action first developed by Henry O.Peabody, later, the rifle would be improved by a Swiss designer by the name of Friedrich von Martini, whose work in bringing the cocking and striker mechanism all within the receiver greatly improved the operation of the rifle, combining with the polygonal barrel rifling designed by Alexander Henry, the rifle entered service in 1871. The rifle used a.577/450 Boxer-Henry cartridge and a single shot feed system.