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Been working on a Cadet about 15 years now. It has had 2 stocks, 4 foreends, 4 barrels and no scope mount I liked. I finally got it the way I want and completed. It's been worked on so much that this is the third blue job.

I found a small diameter octagon barrel on McGOwans site, that was obviously for a Martini. It had a 3" cylindrical section at the chamber. It was .22 CF with a 14" twist. I bought it and chambered in 218 Bee. After installing the barrel, I turned the straight section so that a TC Contender cantilever mount fit. The firing pin is bushed. The stock saw life 20 years ago as a Fajen stock for a No. 3 Ruger. I cut it down to fit and made it a straight grip, since I always liked the looks on a cadet. I got Treebone carving to turn a small forend from my wood I matched. I saw one on his website which he had done for his personal rifle. The last forearm was a large diameter target style.

All in all I like the way it came out after all this time, and it shoots better than I had any right to expect.



 
Posts: 1238 | Location: Lexington, Kentucky, USA | Registered: 04 February 2003Reply With Quote
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Very nice! Wink tu2



Doug Humbarger
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Posts: 8351 | Location: Jennings Louisiana, Arkansas by way of Alabama by way of South Carloina by way of County Antrim Irland by way of Lanarkshire Scotland. | Registered: 02 November 2001Reply With Quote
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What a great looking rifle! I am in the process of building one too. Hope I get the project done is less time than it took you, but one never should rush into things like this.


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Posts: 444 | Location: Rockport, Texas | Registered: 19 August 2007Reply With Quote
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I'll take it!! tu2
 
Posts: 495 | Location: South Texas | Registered: 13 November 2003Reply With Quote
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Art,

Kudos on the Beautiful Cadet!! tu2
I REALLLY like it.
I have two Cadets chambered in 218 BEE, one completed, and another in need of a stock and bluing.
There is something special about Cadets that I like very much.
I also have a pair of Mk II's in 22 RF.

Don




 
Posts: 5798 | Registered: 10 July 2004Reply With Quote
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Did you hvae to bush the firing pin hole to reduce the diameter of the opening to prevent primer flow back?



Doug Humbarger
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Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club 72'73.
Yankee Station

Try to look unimportant. Your enemy might be low on ammo.
 
Posts: 8351 | Location: Jennings Louisiana, Arkansas by way of Alabama by way of South Carloina by way of County Antrim Irland by way of Lanarkshire Scotland. | Registered: 02 November 2001Reply With Quote
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I don't know if I really had to or not. When I first got the gun years ago, I did it as a safety thing when I was installing a barrel for a 22 wildcat (barrel was a Winchester take-off and wouldn't shoot). I would hate to ruin a new rifle with a gas problem. I just broke this rule with another 218 I am building. It is on a heavy 410 shotgun break action. I drilled out the monoblock, silver soldered in the new barrel, and decided to test fire with the original firing pin before doing the extractor work. I figured with the Bee being only around 35k psi, I might slip by. Wrong! I ended up having to knock the action open. The primer didn't let go, but it flowed back and left a perfect outward "bubble" the same size as the pin. I of course had used a string from a distance, but I still should have bushed the pin to start with. With a 50k cartridge, I am sure it would have let go.

With any old gun chambered for a low pressure cartridge, I feel a lot better about a tight fitting small pin. I suspect the Martinis are fine as a general rule, but it's just something I like to do.
 
Posts: 1238 | Location: Lexington, Kentucky, USA | Registered: 04 February 2003Reply With Quote
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Art, a truly gorgeous rifle. I just have one question, and it is probably just your taste, but why a recoil pad? I am not bashing at all, simply wondering... That incredibly beautiful buttstock to me just cries for a skeletonized buttplate.
 
Posts: 4748 | Location: TX | Registered: 01 April 2005Reply With Quote
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I bought one of those little actions at a gunshow about 20 years ago for a mere $15.00 & it was in the white! I latter sold it. Boy what a dumbass I was! Roll Eyes



Doug Humbarger
NRA Life member
Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club 72'73.
Yankee Station

Try to look unimportant. Your enemy might be low on ammo.
 
Posts: 8351 | Location: Jennings Louisiana, Arkansas by way of Alabama by way of South Carloina by way of County Antrim Irland by way of Lanarkshire Scotland. | Registered: 02 November 2001Reply With Quote
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quote:
Originally posted by Art S.:
I don't know if I really had to or not. When I first got the gun years ago, I did it as a safety thing when I was installing a barrel for a 22 wildcat (barrel was a Winchester take-off and wouldn't shoot). I would hate to ruin a new rifle with a gas problem. I just broke this rule with another 218 I am building. It is on a heavy 410 shotgun break action. I drilled out the monoblock, silver soldered in the new barrel, and decided to test fire with the original firing pin before doing the extractor work. I figured with the Bee being only around 35k psi, I might slip by. Wrong! I ended up having to knock the action open. The primer didn't let go, but it flowed back and left a perfect outward "bubble" the same size as the pin. I of course had used a string from a distance, but I still should have bushed the pin to start with. With a 50k cartridge, I am sure it would have let go.

With any old gun chambered for a low pressure cartridge, I feel a lot better about a tight fitting small pin. I suspect the Martinis are fine as a general rule, but it's just something I like to do.

I've built a fair number of Cadets over the years and have found that they will almost always need bushing for any conversion. Not because the action would be damaged or the shooter injured by any accident, that typically won't happen. The problem is the flowback, locking the action closed when the pressure of firing has pushed the striker back far enough into the block for the primer cup metal to flow into the hole in the breechface.

The problem is often exacerbated by a weak mainspring due to the age and condition of the rifle, and it appears to be worse with cartridges taking the small-size primers. I usually end up replacing the old mainspring with a new one cut down from a 1903 Springfield. Wolfe makes a dandy 1903 replacement in several strengths, and one 1903 spring will make 2 Cadet springs.

I usually bush to a diameter smaller than 5/64", and prefer to weld the breech face. A carbide end mill will usually be necessary to cut the case-hardened skin if you're using the insert method of bushing, and I've done it that way myself many times.

A while back I posted a tutorial on the Gunsmithing forum here, you might want to check it out.
Regards, Joe


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Posts: 2756 | Location: deep South | Registered: 09 December 2008Reply With Quote
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Two reasons for the recoil pad.

Number one, it was already there. I originally had this stock on a Ruger No 3 that had been rechambered to 45-120, and it really needed the pad then. Number two, while I like steel buttplates, I don't put them on any of my rifles any more for a practical reason. I simply have had too many dings and boo-boos from them. I tend to use my rifles, and whether hunting or at the range, I always seem to need to set the rifle down for one reason or another, and they always slide with hard butt plates.

I am thinking about replacing this one with a thin rubber pad, but probably will leave it as is for a while.
 
Posts: 1238 | Location: Lexington, Kentucky, USA | Registered: 04 February 2003Reply With Quote
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