TH44:
You have gone to extraordinary lengths to share a bottle of whiskey with a friend!

Nice to see these things chambered in half-decent cartridges, my example shoots the .500-450 No.1 Carbine with the ballistics of an overgrown pistol round!

...although the engraving of a tusker is perhaps a tad ambitious for the .577-500 No.2, especially with the 'express' load that one must assume had a lighter than standard bullet!

Despite their relative lack of elegance for a vintage British sporter, I like these WR 'improved' Martini rifles, built like a tank. I must confess to a soft spot for the .577-500 No.2 as well. Loaded nitro-for-black its a mild-mannered big-bore cartridge that works very well on large thin-skinned game with sensible bullet choice. The Henry rifling is a bonus, it usually shoots modern jacketed bullets with good accuracy.

I'm certain you will thoroughly enjoy your unsuccessful attempts to wear it out!