Well Done! I love the simple lines and choice of wood. Thanks for sharing,

Craig, beautiful stock. How's it shoot?

That is a beautiful rifle. A true classic done perfect. What are the specs on the rifle and project?

I'd give my cousin's left nut for a rig like that in .17 Hornet.

That slab-sided action crys for engraving. And, nice as those sights are, maybe a 1 1/2" target Unertl in 8x or 10x?

Nice looking rifle, I really like the wood!

As an aside, can someone explain the appeal of the Martini action? Is it the relative availablility and price that lends to their popularity for restoring/customizing? Does the action have inherent advantages in strength or simplicity that gives it appeal? Are they accurate or just plain fun to shoot? I confess that I don't know much about them and have never really handled one.

I can appreciate almost any firearm, but it just doesn't seem to have the class or style of other old single shots like the high/low wall, Sharps, etc. Please don't take this wrong, I'm asking because frankly they just look a little odd to me. I think it must be the rounded "lump" just forward of the rear sight. It makes for odd lines...

quote:

Originally posted by montea6b:
Nice looking rifle, I really like the wood!

As an aside, can someone explain the appeal of the Martini action? Is it the relative availablility and price that lends to their popularity for restoring/customizing? Does the action have inherent advantages in strength or simplicity that gives it appeal? Are they accurate or just plain fun to shoot? I confess that I don't know much about them and have never really handled one.

I can appreciate almost any firearm, but it just doesn't seem to have the class or style of other old single shots like the high/low wall, Sharps, etc. Please don't take this wrong, I'm asking because frankly they just look a little odd to me. I think it must be the rounded "lump" just forward of the rear sight. It makes for odd lines...

Well, I'd have to answer yes to all of your questions. I think Martinis have sort of a "cult" following.

The rifle is the Aussie 310 Cadet version. New wood for buttstock and forend. The issue sights were removed and replaced with the BSA #8 rear and Lyman #17 globe front sights by ToomanyTools. J. D. Steele tuned the trigger, breaks like glass @ 2.5 lbs. I did the stockwork and rust bluing.

A lot of the Aussie rifles were "rechambered" to 32-20. I think some were, and some were just stamped 32-20 if the rifle chambered the round. Mine would chamber and fire the 32-20, but accuracy was relatively poor.

I finally settled on shortened and fire formed 32-20 brass that is a bit longer than the original 310 round. I like to call it a 310 Cadet Mag. Loaded with the correct healed 120 gr. bullet, the rifle is quite accurate.

32-20 left, 310 right



5 shots 100yds



All in all, it was a fun project, and the rifle is a lot of fun to shoot.

Lovely rifle. That rear sight is built like a tank, though! Seems a bit out of place on such a slender, elegant piece. But the sights sure seem to make for good shooting. Congrats!

Lovely. I am building a similar rifle in .22 Magnum on a rimfire action, only mine will have a 6X Malsom scope on it as well as the iron sight.

A very nice little rifle. I'd like something like that in 25-20 or 22 Hornet someday especially to start the grandkids shooting.

Jerry Liles

Very nice wood!

I'm itching for my .22 Martini (Shilen barrel, English walnut pistol grip stock) to be finished in the next couple of months. It will be primarily a scope rifle, with one of several old-style target scopes mounted.

I am also getting ready to replace the wood on one of the older straight-grip .22's, keeping its original 29" barrel (3/4" at the muzzle).

The Martinis really grow on people. At first, they don't look all that nice, but with time... The BSA barrels shoot really well, too.

Clarence

Nice wood, simple and classic!

I like it. I've never played with one of those actions. It looks like a neat project, are the actions hard to come by? I know little about the Cadets.

They're not super rare, rifles and actions pop up now and then on the auction sights. Quite a bit of info on them on the internet.

One of my favorites is an original cadet rechambered to 32 Special and restocked in curly maple. It has a Redfield rear aperture sight and a ramp mounted front bead.

Very nicely done, thanks for sharing with us. Have a couple of cadet martinis...fun rifles to shoot. Last one I got, had made to a 22 hornet since I had to have a barrel put on it. Lucky for me, a retired machinist, who's done gunsmithing on the side for over 40 years, loved working on a Martini and did a great job on it. This was once he realized I would not sell the rifle to him. LOL

Your rifle is beautiful!

I am currently building one. It is going to be 5.6 X 50R. The first one I built was in 1961 in highschool auto shop after school in .218 Bee. The rifle I'm working on now was rechambered for .32 Win Special. (I still have the barrel if anyone is interested)

The Cadet rifle is very light weight and very handy to carry and shoot.