Martini Disassembly

Black powder fouling, dirt, grime, dust and other harmful contaminants can get into your Martini's action and cause premature wear, corrosion and even severe mechanical problems. As a result, it is occasionally necessary to pull the guts out of your Martini's action body to clean and lubricate the bits that make the Martini magic happen. Cleaning and proper lubrication will keep your Martini in good working order, it will also enable you to view some of your Martini's more obscure markings. Stripping and reassembling a Martini can be a daunting task if you've never done this before. Using the following steps as a guide will help you through your first time stripping your Martini. Now, a little disclaimer: the information provided here is solely for the purpose of general knowledge. It is not intended as an instructional course in gunsmithing. Therefore, I am not responsible for any damages occurring as a result of these instructions.

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Okay, safety first. Step one is to ensure there isn't one of these in the chamber. Once the weapon has been verified clear, choose a nice big, flat work surface such as a table or workbench, and lay down old towels, sheets or other soft material you don't mind getting greasy. The idea is to be able to move the Martini around without acquiring more dents, dings, nicks or scratches.

Place the Martini on its right side, with the cocking indicator down. Find the Lever/Tumbler Axis Pin Keeper Screw indicated by the screwdriver tip in the photo at left. This screw is what holds the Lever/Tumbler Axis Pin in the action body. This screw has one, and sometimes two half-moon shaped cuts in its head. The purpose of the moon shaped cut is to enable the screw to be turned so the Lever/Tumbler Axis Pin (a.k.a. Cocking Indicator) can slide out. You'll notice in this photo that the screw is currently positioned to engage the small channel in the end of the Lever/Tumbler Axis Pin.

Using a regular screwdriver with the correct thickness, (usually between .6 and .8mm, depending on how buggered the screw slot is) rotate the keeper screw anti-clockwise until a half-moon aligns with the Lever/Tumbler Axis Pin as indicated here. It is very common to see these keeper screws buggered beyond use. Although it isn't necessary to completely remove this screw once the pin is out, you may want to do so to clean beneath it. I always do this with newly acquired Martinis. I clean the threads in the action body with a small pipe cleaner and a good solvent.

Once the keeper screw is correctly aligned, hang the Martini off the edge of the work surface and gently tap the Lever/Tumbler Axis Pin through the action body with a punch and rubber mallet.

Next, flip the Martini over and remove the Extractor/Trigger Guard Retaining Screw using a properly fitting regular screwdriver. Be sure to clean the threads and head slot of this screw with a wire brush before reassembling, as they are typically very dirty.

With the Extractor/Trigger Guard Retaining Screw and the Lever/Tumbler Axis Pin removed, gently rock the trigger guard assembly out of the action body. The operating lever, tumbler and extractor will come out with it.

The next step is to punch out the Breechblock Axis Pin. This is the only device holding in the entire breechblock assembly. Please note that this is simply a split pin, and it is not threaded. You could twizzle this thing all day, and it wouldn't move in or out an inch. The trick here is to punch the split end of the pin, and the whole pin will slide out.

Last but not least, pull the breechblock out of the action body. Notice the rounded portion of the block that the pin passes through. To remove the block, you'll need to lower the front portion of the block, disengage the rounded portion from it's shelf, and then slide the block out rear first.

You can vary the order of certain steps in the take-apart. Some people like to remove the breechblock first...it's really a matter of preference. Once you do it a few times, you'll develop your own habits.

Questions, comments, something to contribute? Contact me, Jason Atkin, at the address below...

jmatkin@martinihenry.com
Last Modified: 02/11/05

	Okay, safety first. Step one is to ensure there isn't one of these in the chamber. Once the weapon has been verified clear, choose a nice big, flat work surface such as a table or workbench, and lay down old towels, sheets or other soft material you don't mind getting greasy. The idea is to be able to move the Martini around without acquiring more dents, dings, nicks or scratches.
	Place the Martini on its right side, with the cocking indicator down. Find the Lever/Tumbler Axis Pin Keeper Screw indicated by the screwdriver tip in the photo at left. This screw is what holds the Lever/Tumbler Axis Pin in the action body. This screw has one, and sometimes two half-moon shaped cuts in its head. The purpose of the moon shaped cut is to enable the screw to be turned so the Lever/Tumbler Axis Pin (a.k.a. Cocking Indicator) can slide out. You'll notice in this photo that the screw is currently positioned to engage the small channel in the end of the Lever/Tumbler Axis Pin.
	Using a regular screwdriver with the correct thickness, (usually between .6 and .8mm, depending on how buggered the screw slot is) rotate the keeper screw anti-clockwise until a half-moon aligns with the Lever/Tumbler Axis Pin as indicated here. It is very common to see these keeper screws buggered beyond use. Although it isn't necessary to completely remove this screw once the pin is out, you may want to do so to clean beneath it. I always do this with newly acquired Martinis. I clean the threads in the action body with a small pipe cleaner and a good solvent.
	Once the keeper screw is correctly aligned, hang the Martini off the edge of the work surface and gently tap the Lever/Tumbler Axis Pin through the action body with a punch and rubber mallet.
	Next, flip the Martini over and remove the Extractor/Trigger Guard Retaining Screw using a properly fitting regular screwdriver. Be sure to clean the threads and head slot of this screw with a wire brush before reassembling, as they are typically very dirty.
	With the Extractor/Trigger Guard Retaining Screw and the Lever/Tumbler Axis Pin removed, gently rock the trigger guard assembly out of the action body. The operating lever, tumbler and extractor will come out with it.
	The next step is to punch out the Breechblock Axis Pin. This is the only device holding in the entire breechblock assembly. Please note that this is simply a split pin, and it is not threaded. You could twizzle this thing all day, and it wouldn't move in or out an inch. The trick here is to punch the split end of the pin, and the whole pin will slide out.
	Last but not least, pull the breechblock out of the action body. Notice the rounded portion of the block that the pin passes through. To remove the block, you'll need to lower the front portion of the block, disengage the rounded portion from it's shelf, and then slide the block out rear first. You can vary the order of certain steps in the take-apart. Some people like to remove the breechblock first...it's really a matter of preference. Once you do it a few times, you'll develop your own habits.