finally got started on a couple of insects. Mr. steele was good enough to sell me one of his martini cadet actions this summer. Luxus walnut had this nice looking piece of turkish. Looking at the rack i discovered that i had a martini in 218 mashburn bee, but no consecutive number, thus the project started out to be a 219 donaldson wasp. Not sure if thats really consecutive or not, but its at least close. anyway i took the action down and polished everything in it resetting the trigger to about 3#'s, then a call to jim kobe located a takeoff remmy 223 barrel that was in good shape. I cut most of the rear of the chamber off and turned it and threaded it to fit the martini action cutting a new extractor groove in at the same time. Back up 35 to kobes again, he chambered the thing and fitted a pair of scope bases. I've never been able to really drill a straight hole for the through bolt. No matter what i'd try it'd get f--ked up someplace. Jim told me his secret of using a gun drill to do it. I told him my secret of leaving what is now a matching pair of buttstocks, cut out of the same luxus blank with him and having him do it. Picking up the whole workes in september i was about ready to start work, that is until we got flooded out. 3 months worth of clean up and rebuilding we still have some left to go, but it's time to restart the project. the 218 had a rather plain piece of wood that i often though should get replaced and now it is. shaping has begun so maybe sometime this winter i'll have a matched pair of insects. I'll get some pictures, but right now the computer network is still screwed up from the flood.

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insects

like bees, and wasps, and hornets and other stinging stuff....

The Wasp is a splendid cartridge for the little Cadet. I barreled one for Ben Shelor the Infamous Engraver, using a Walther barrel, that shot EXTREMELY well. Ben thought the exceptional accuracy was due to the long neck and the consequent good bullet alignment.

One caution: please don't attempt any maximum loads without working up carefully. The little action is extremely strong but the barrel thread shank is a small diameter and 50K-plus psi loads with the large-diameter Zipper case will sometimes bulge the chamber area.

However the Cadet has very little extraction power and so the shooter almost always encounters sticking cases well before any dangerous pressures are reached. I suggest that you polish your chamber very well and then let the finger lever extracton effort tell you when to back off the load.
Regards, Joe

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However the Cadet has very little extraction power and so the shooter almost always encounters sticking cases well before any dangerous pressures are reached. I suggest that you polish your chamber very well and then let the finger lever extracton effort tell you when to back off the load.
Regards, Joe

Great info there Joe. Thanks.