This is a Peabody-Martini M1874 rifle, used by the Ottoman army in conflicts ranging from the Serbo-Turkish War and following Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78, Greco-Turkish Wars of 1897 and 1919-22, Italo-Turkish War, Balkan Wars, World War One, and myriad uprisings in all nations of Turkey-in-Europe. Because of the amount of warfare during the dusk of the Ottoman Empire, very few of these rifles survived.
Into the modern era, both the Ottoman government and military were increasingly backward. However, the Ottomans upgraded firearms and artillery often. The Peabody-Martini and contemporary Krupp artillery were the latest in Europe when adopted. A few years later, the Ottomans kept up with the European arms race by famously stipulating in their Mauser rifle contract the right to change orders to whatever model was newest.
This excellent dissertation explains the procurement of the Peabody-Martini rifles by the Ottoman Empire, and highlights their financial and debt issues at the time:
http://www.militaryrifles.com/Turkey/PeabStory/PeabodyStory.htm
Lieutenant General Valentine Baker Pascha was an Englishman serving in the Ottoman army during the Russo-Turkish War, which transpired mostly in Bulgaria and effected their independence. He commented a number of times about the Peabody-Martini rifle:
"As the gallant Prizrend left wing and Chasseurs were falling back, an accident had occurred which caused me some anxiety. The battalions under my command suffered from the serious disadvantage of being armed with different rifles. The good battalions of Prizrend, Uskubs, and Touzla still retained the old Schneider, whilst all the others had the Henry-Martini or rather Peabody-Martini, which was the new arm of the Turkish service, and infinitely superior.
I had spoken, whilst at Kamarli, as to the advisability of these fine battalions changing arms with some of the bad Mustaphiz troops, but it was considered that the men at least knew their weapons, whereas there might not be time to instruct them in the new arm before some emergency would arise, and the idea had been abandoned."
"The troops of the Russian Guard opposed to us were all armed with the Berdan rifle, which, though rather inferior to the Peabody-Martini was far better than the Schneider."
"The Turkish infantry were being rapidly re-armed with the Henri-Martini, or rather the Peabody-Martini rifle. The contract for the delivery of 600,000 of these arms had been made in America, and was being quickly executed."
"As the Turkish infantry during the war were, for the most part, armed with a weapon almost similar to that which has been adopted in the British army, some slight mention of the merits of this arm may be of interest. My experience leads me to believe that the Henry-Martini, or Peabody-Martini, rifle is the very best weapon yet placed in the hands of a soldier on service; but the Turks were able to afford that which the poverty of England has not yet enabled her to achieve, namely, a sound and good cartridge which was entirely unaffected by weather or by the wear and tear of the campaign, the Turkish cartridge being formed of solid metal, and not made up, like those in use in the British army, from supposed purposes of economy. . . .
Much has been said and written relative to the delicacy of the Henry-Martini rifle as a military weapon. The Turkish battalions were, as a rule, very deficient in armourers, yet the weakness of the Peabody-Martini, was never practically apparent."*
*. I quote War in Bulgaria: A Narrative of Personal Experiences, Volume 2 by Valentine Baker, Gilbert and Rivington, 1879.
Into the modern era, both the Ottoman government and military were increasingly backward. However, the Ottomans upgraded firearms and artillery often. The Peabody-Martini and contemporary Krupp artillery were the latest in Europe when adopted. A few years later, the Ottomans kept up with the European arms race by famously stipulating in their Mauser rifle contract the right to change orders to whatever model was newest.
This excellent dissertation explains the procurement of the Peabody-Martini rifles by the Ottoman Empire, and highlights their financial and debt issues at the time:
http://www.militaryrifles.com/Turkey/PeabStory/PeabodyStory.htm
Lieutenant General Valentine Baker Pascha was an Englishman serving in the Ottoman army during the Russo-Turkish War, which transpired mostly in Bulgaria and effected their independence. He commented a number of times about the Peabody-Martini rifle:
"As the gallant Prizrend left wing and Chasseurs were falling back, an accident had occurred which caused me some anxiety. The battalions under my command suffered from the serious disadvantage of being armed with different rifles. The good battalions of Prizrend, Uskubs, and Touzla still retained the old Schneider, whilst all the others had the Henry-Martini or rather Peabody-Martini, which was the new arm of the Turkish service, and infinitely superior.
I had spoken, whilst at Kamarli, as to the advisability of these fine battalions changing arms with some of the bad Mustaphiz troops, but it was considered that the men at least knew their weapons, whereas there might not be time to instruct them in the new arm before some emergency would arise, and the idea had been abandoned."
"The troops of the Russian Guard opposed to us were all armed with the Berdan rifle, which, though rather inferior to the Peabody-Martini was far better than the Schneider."
"The Turkish infantry were being rapidly re-armed with the Henri-Martini, or rather the Peabody-Martini rifle. The contract for the delivery of 600,000 of these arms had been made in America, and was being quickly executed."
"As the Turkish infantry during the war were, for the most part, armed with a weapon almost similar to that which has been adopted in the British army, some slight mention of the merits of this arm may be of interest. My experience leads me to believe that the Henry-Martini, or Peabody-Martini, rifle is the very best weapon yet placed in the hands of a soldier on service; but the Turks were able to afford that which the poverty of England has not yet enabled her to achieve, namely, a sound and good cartridge which was entirely unaffected by weather or by the wear and tear of the campaign, the Turkish cartridge being formed of solid metal, and not made up, like those in use in the British army, from supposed purposes of economy. . . .
Much has been said and written relative to the delicacy of the Henry-Martini rifle as a military weapon. The Turkish battalions were, as a rule, very deficient in armourers, yet the weakness of the Peabody-Martini, was never practically apparent."*
*. I quote War in Bulgaria: A Narrative of Personal Experiences, Volume 2 by Valentine Baker, Gilbert and Rivington, 1879.