I've got a project in mind for a Martini Cadet action that I'm unsure of. I would like to ideally make a 25.06 caliber rifle with the action but do not know if it will feed and extract with the case size. And, will the action be strong enough for the caliber? What caliber are most converted to? And would an octagon or round barrel be more appropriate? Thank, Mike

The 25-06 is way too long to work in a Cadet action. Also, way to much pressure. The "biggest" round I've seen them chambered in is 32 Spl. Hard to load due to OAL of the cartridge, and recoil was pretty nasty.

My 'smith has a 32Spl Martini for sale

What's he asking for it?

Me too. Not wanting to start a bidding war. Thanks to gentleman who offered the comment on which caliber not to try. Thanks. Mike

This one is in the original 310 chambering.

Craigster, DUDE, that is a lovely little Martini.

The issue is that the action is NOT strong enough to deal with the stress and strain of rounds such as 25-06.

Get a Ruger No1 instead. No British maker ever produced a (and that full size) Martini action in anything more powerful than 303 British for a reason.

Greener's specifically cautioned against those that tried to make their GP Gun into rifles with high performance rounds. Such as 600 Nitro or 577 Nitro or etc.

It's a nice idea but it won't work long term. It will wreck the pin that secures the block.

Thanks for the feedback. ,22 Hornet it is, Good shooting, Mike

Hope it helped. Good luck. The Ruger No1 is IMHO a more "classy" single shot anyway being based on the Farquharson used for the best British single shots.

The Martini was a cheaper action to build and whilst nothing wrong with it is also longer in the action than a falling block of the Ruger style.

Thanks, Bill. I bought the rifle from Frank Martinez. It was a nice original, but I decided to do what I did. Please don't report me to the milsurp collector police. I sold all the pieces and parts that I didn't use and recouped almost what I paid for the rifle.

A couple more pics:




Four Tails, other chamberings you might consider would be the 218 Bee, 25-20, or 32-20.

As mentioned above, the .25-06 is just too long a cartridge for these rifles. Why not .25-35 or even .25-35 Improved?

The Martini was already sold

quote:

Originally posted by FourTails:
I've got a project in mind for a Martini Cadet action that I'm unsure of. I would like to ideally make a 25.06 caliber rifle with the action but do not know if it will feed and extract with the case size. And, will the action be strong enough for the caliber? What caliber are most converted to? And would an octagon or round barrel be more appropriate? Thank, Mike

"Back in the day" I'd say most of them were converted to either .22 Hornet or .357 Magnum, or a moderate number to .222 Rimmed (for which brass was obtained from Australia where apparently that was a very popular rebarrel job for the little Martinis). A few were even made in Europe in .22 Hornet. I had a beautiful Francotte that was made in that chambering. (beautiful, but didn't shoot accurately enough to hold my interest...in fact it was the most inaccurate Hornet I've ever owned).

Of the 10 or 15 other Martini Cadet conversions to Hornet I've had, one I bought from the 1961 Wimbledon Champion USAF M/Sgt. Earl Burton was made with a rechambered barrel taken off a Stevens 416 rimfire. Bore was about .2225" groove diameter, but with the U.S. Air Force hard ball survival ammo of the day (1961 is when I got it) it was one of the three most accurate Hornets I've ever seen. In those days jacketed bullets were pretty commonly available in both .223" and .224" diameters. The .223" ones were apparently made because so many Martini owners and 2-R Lovell owners used .22 rimfire barrels to rebarrel their guns. The other two were a Model 54 Winchester Super Grade, and another Cadet in .22 K-Hornet in a Hart barrel, which I fell heir to when Len Wilson died and still currently own.

I also had a Cadet Martini in .357 Mag back in 1965. It was an excellent rifle in every way and very deadly on the little Columbian black-tail deer of western Oregon.

They are really good little actions, but they simply aren't intended for big, or long, or hi-pressure cartridges, and IMHO trying to turn them into any one of those results in an ugly little retarded bastard child.

" An ugly little retarded bastard child " is what results from putting wheels on a miscarriage.

quote:

Originally posted by craigster:


Four Tails, other chamberings you might consider would be the 218 Bee, 25-20, or 32-20.

Those are three really excellent suggestions. I had the Francotte re-chambered to .218 Bee, hoping to save the original 25" barrel and forestock. But it was not to be...it was not AS inaccurate in that chambering, but was still a 3.5 MOA gun. So I sold it to the Custom Gun Shop in Edmonton, Alberta. I should have just had my friend Doug Paul (co-owner and really good gunsmith at that shop) rebarrel it to .25-20...I already had 4 .32-20 rifles and didn't need another one of those.

My close friend, Larry, had this 17AB Martini built while he was is in 'Nam.

Lew Williamson, in Ft. Worth, did the work in about 1968, with his signature forend. A Shilen 20" sporter barrel was used. The overall style of the little sporter is typical of the period.

Larry left me his "17 Bee".....where it will remain.

Kevin

FWIW I've got one in .219 Zipper. Interesting odd medium size cartridge. Also a .222R. Much more practical then the Zip. Or you go to a .223TCU - .223 case necked up to 7mm, or 6.5mm, or 6mm.

I had one in 256 Winchester but sold it and can't recall why. Have one today in 222 R but it was my hunting buddies. We hunted together for 49 yrs. before it died, I have never fired the rifle.