What can you tell me about this martini?

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Obturation

Obturation

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Picked up this rifle from an old coworker about 5 years ago. Dont know much at all about it, all he knew was that him and his brother were given identical rifles as young men and he remembers his dad sitting in his kitchen carving the stocks in the mid 60's. Nothing more.
I cleaned it up when i got it and fired 50 rounds through it (he said it hadnt been shot since '87 ) and found it to be extraordinarily accurate.
What i know (or think i know)
Its a martini action with a remington matchmaster barrel and an apature sight. Chambered in 22s/l/lr - whooo that part was hard.
Appears to be made in england and issued to australia and had the lever cut off replaced by a thumb lever.
That is all.
I have seen the martini international rifles for competetion from years past but that isnt what this is. So help me out if you have any information on these things. Thanks! 20190202_011102.jpg 20190202_011112.jpg 20190202_011257.jpg 20190202_011237.jpg
 
The rifle was originally a .310 "Cadet". Made by BSA in England for the Australian Govt. for marksmanship training. Hence they were called "Cadet" rifles and the name carried over to the cartridge, which is quite similar to the US .32/20. After WWII many thousand were imported to the US and many were converted to other calibers. Popular conversions were re-barreling .22 Hornet and .218 Bee, and also .22 RF. They were especially popular among amateur gunsmiths who typically restocked them with a wide variety of styles and imaginative shapes, such as owned by OP.
 
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You might also have a BSA Martini that was purpose built for .22 LR competition. Given the rollmarks on your rifle, it could be an old cadet rifle like Offhand says or the post war International model. I would check the rollmarks as BSA's changed through the years and that might help you identify your particular rifle. Some examples with pix below.
Post war Martini International
http://www.rifleman.org.uk/BSA_Martini_International_Mks.I_&_ II.html (a variant is still sold today)

Examples of all BSA small Martini action rifles.
http://www.adamsguns.com/martini.htm

However, the barrel on it appears to have come from a Remington 513-T Matchmaster .22 LR rifle so it has seen a gunsmith in the past.

BTW, a very nice rifle.
 
I've had several .310 Martinis over the years and I regret trading them off, all but one. I had an original .310, one rebored to 38 Special and one rechambered to 32 WCF. The 32 WCF was the rifle with the worst recoil of any rifle I've ever owned, with the possible exception of a '98 Mauser with a Roman Nose stock. That one was a tossup.
 
It's a Cadet, not an International. The International uses a much larger action. The kangaroo and the Australia markings identify it as a 310 Cadet originally shipped there as a trainer. It has been converted to 22LR by adding the Remington barrel.
 
Cadet converted to .22 LR. Nice gun to have; as has been said, training rifles sold as surplus and often converted to .22 rimfire and the various .22 centerfires. Usually very accurate little target guns.
 
Thanks guys, the knowledge of members on this forum never fails to impress me.
Thinking of using this rifle for some informal friendly competition against my neighbors cz rifle he thinks is the end all in accuracy, i guess well see. These rifles fairly common in the states these days? I cant say ive seen another one and i frequent all the local gun stores.
 
Northern illinois doesnt have many gun shows that i know of. Once a month or so and i can never usually get there due to constant obligations. Maybe by the time im 60 i can move somewhere a bit more gun friendly.
 
Obturation said:
Picked up this rifle from an old coworker about 5 years ago. Dont know much at all about it, all he knew was that him and his brother were given identical rifles as young men and he remembers his dad sitting in his kitchen carving the stocks in the mid 60's. Nothing more.
I cleaned it up when i got it and fired 50 rounds through it (he said it hadnt been shot since '87 ) and found it to be extraordinarily accurate.
What i know (or think i know)
Its a martini action with a remington matchmaster barrel and an apature sight. Chambered in 22s/l/lr - whooo that part was hard.
Appears to be made in england and issued to australia and had the lever cut off replaced by a thumb lever.
That is all.
I have seen the martini international rifles for competetion from years past but that isnt what this is. So help me out if you have any information on these things. Thanks!View attachment 824236 View attachment 824237 View attachment 824239 View attachment 824240
Click to expand...


The Martini small action was available in both .22 LR and .310 Rook and the Cadet Rifles looked originally like this http://www.rifleman.org.uk/BSA_Model_4.html

It appears from the pix that you have a Cadet that was turned into a look alike for the Model 12/15 which were prewar--rather than post war internationals. The major distinction is how the aperture sight is mounted. The Remington barrel was probably added postwar as they only started making them in 1940.
 
The side dove tail looks like a standard BSA sight base. My MKIII internationals and MKIV were drilled and tapped for the BSA rear sight base, which then, uses the BSA rear sight. I removed the BSA sight bases on my rifles and installed Redfield rear sight bases, whose mounting holes are an exact match for the BSA, and I use Warner rear sights, or Redfield International. It would make sense to someone converting this rifle over to 22 lr to use existing hardward, if it fit.

I think this rifle was made for Smallbore Prone. Probably made for a competitor whose pocket was burning with cash to spend because what was done, required a lot of handwork. As to the installation of a Remington Targetmaster barrel, serious smallbore competitors frequently removed the factory barrel and installed custom barrels.

r67F8Pb.jpg

My Remington factory barrels shoot well, the Matchmaster was a M513, I have one. It shoots well. If someone took the one off their rifle, they would be glad to sell it for cheap. Take off barrels are undesirable in most instances.

I see a lot of rebarreling in NRA Bullseye pistol. There are lots of Volquartesen rebarreled Ruger pistols on the firing line. I have never found anything wrong with the factory barrels, but, if you think you need a custom barrel, then get one. There are Clark barrels for the S&W M41, I will bet there were custom made High standard barrels.
 
Slamfire said:
The side dove tail looks like a standard BSA sight base. My MKIII internationals and MKIV were drilled and tapped for the BSA rear sight base, which then, uses the BSA rear sight. I removed the BSA sight bases on my rifles and installed Redfield rear sight bases, whose mounting holes are an exact match for the BSA, and I use Warner rear sights, or Redfield International. It would make sense to someone converting this rifle over to 22 lr to use existing hardward, if it fit.

I think this rifle was made for Smallbore Prone. Probably made for a competitor whose pocket was burning with cash to spend because what was done, required a lot of handwork. As to the installation of a Remington Targetmaster barrel, serious smallbore competitors frequently removed the factory barrel and installed custom barrels.

View attachment 824404

My Remington factory barrels shoot well, the Matchmaster was a M513, I have one. It shoots well. If someone took the one off their rifle, they would be glad to sell it for cheap. Take off barrels are undesirable in most instances.

I see a lot of rebarreling in NRA Bullseye pistol. There are lots of Volquartesen rebarreled Ruger pistols on the firing line. I have never found anything wrong with the factory barrels, but, if you think you need a custom barrel, then get one. There are Clark barrels for the S&W M41, I will bet there were custom made High standard barrels.
Click to expand...
Good looking rifle.
 
Snidely70431 said:
I've had several .310 Martinis over the years and I regret trading them off, all but one. I had an original .310, one rebored to 38 Special and one rechambered to 32 WCF. The 32 WCF was the rifle with the worst recoil of any rifle I've ever owned, with the possible exception of a '98 Mauser with a Roman Nose stock. That one was a tossup.
Click to expand...
The 32 WCF is the 32-20 and it has almost no recoil in a rifle.

I'm guessing you meant to say the 32 WS or Winchester Special. That one is basically a 30-30 shooting a slightly larger bullet, but I don't think it would fit in the Cadet Action.

You got me guessing......
 
As a kid growing up in NYC there was a surplus place I'd go visit in lower Manhattan, Kaufman's. They had barrels of Martini Cadet rifles @ $12.

I also recall Modell's, where I bought, well, my parents bought for me, my first .22, they had dump tables of Carcano's @ $11.

I thought the Martini's were cool, but had no idea where I'd get .310 ammo for it, the surplus shop itself didn't have any.

Enjoy yours!
 
Speedo66 said:
As a kid growing up in NYC there was a surplus place I'd go visit in lower Manhattan, Kaufman's. They had barrels of Martini Cadet rifles @ $12.

I also recall Modell's, where I bought, well, my parents bought for me, my first .22, they had dump tables of Carcano's @ $11.

I thought the Martini's were cool, but had no idea where I'd get .310 ammo for it, the surplus shop itself didn't have any.

Enjoy yours!
Click to expand...

With places like that or Bannermans in its heyday, how did y'all all managed not to shoot each other without the NY Safe Act in place. (note just kidding). I can remember as a small boy when dime stores sold .22 LR's
 
boom boom said:
With places like that or Bannermans in its heyday, how did y'all all managed not to shoot each other without the NY Safe Act in place. (note just kidding). I can remember as a small boy when dime stores sold .22 LR's
Click to expand...
Shockingly enough, NYC at that time had no paperwork, permits, prohibitions, etc. for long arms. I used to ride the bus as a kid with a cased .22 rifle.

Now if only I could have been prescient enough to buy those barrels of Martini's......
 
tark said:
The 32 WCF is the 32-20 and it has almost no recoil in a rifle.

I'm guessing you meant to say the 32 WS or Winchester Special. That one is basically a 30-30 shooting a slightly larger bullet, but I don't think it would fit in the Cadet Action.
Click to expand...

Back when Klien's was selling them they offered Cadets rechambered to 32 WS for $19.99.

Recoil of the 32 WS in a sub-6 lb rifle would have been invigorating.
 
boom boom said:
in 2008-9, I foresaw the great centerfire ammo shortage by having a lot of reloading components on hand. I did not see the .22 LR shortage and ridiculous prices from that.
Click to expand...
Yeah, its changed my hoarding habits. I keep 10,000 rounds of 22 lr on hand and replenish as i use it. Normally 500 at a time. I also keep a brick of primers in spp, spm,lp, srm,lrm and about 15 # of assorted powders - minimum of 5# h110 and the same of unique. Funny when you go through shortages, it changes you.
 
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