I have been noodling around the threads here this morning, thinking about the various actions and rifles you gentlemen have been discussing -- Rugers, Hagns, Borchardts, Luxus etc.
Know what? I keep coming back to the action that had its roots in Rhode Island, the Peabody, and was refined by Martini in Switzerland.
These are strong, simple actions (and would be stronger still if made of modern steels). The triggers are uniformly excellent and the locktime is very fast. They are quick and easy to operate, what with that deep trough in the top of the breech block funneling the round into the chamber. And when you pop the lever open after the shot, the massive double extractor fork could pry a tooth out of a hippo and fling it singing over your shoulder.
The flat sides of the action offer every possibility for engraving (see the Frogmoore Peabodys!). Fitted with the Peabody sliding trigger block safety or the Greener rear lever, they are as safe as can be.
And I once owned a Greener that I bought from a gent on this site chambered in .577 3-inch BPE. It swallowed and extracted that great cigar of a shell with aplomb.
One other strength of this action is the very strong and simple through-bolt arrangement for attaching the butt stock.
I'll admit to being a Victorian at heart, but so many of the great single shot actions come from this period anyway, and I have played with the Sharps, the Maynard, the Ballard, the rolling block as well as the later Ruger and the T/C's (which certainly suggest the later Luxus).
Still, I'll have a Martini, thank you.

I hafta agree 100%.

One of my favorites is the Martini Cadet on the original Francotte patent, the one that BSA copied later.

It's as accurate as any other 22RF target rifle and actually more accurate than 99% of them, but IS somewhat awkward to scope. The CF versions are perfect for the smaller varmint cartridges and they make up into very attractive sporters if done properly. Actually the only strength limitation of which I'm aware is the small-dia barrel thread tenon which limits the size/pressure of suitable cartridges.

The large action is plenty strong enough for cartridges in the 30-06 range while the Cadets will digest the 223 Rem and the 7-30 Waters just fine.

If I had my druthers I'd wish for more trigger options and some sort of primary extraction. I personally have had trouble getting Cadet trigger pulls down below 3 lbs with safety, due to the 'jolt' when the lever ears go over-center when pushing the block into battery.

Have also had problems with the Cadet's initial extraction of high-pressure cartridges but that was minor and was mitigated by a good chamber polish.

The large military action suffers from the same low-leverage mechanics but the problem was greatly reduced when the newer Mk II actions were fitted with the long lever. Too bad that it took a disaster like Isandlwhana to bring a cure, but there it is.

A colleague (Martini Belgian) on another forum has shown photos of his Francotte Cadet with factory DSTs fitted into the original small Cadet TG. VERY interesting to me but the time-consuming fabrication is beyond my tuit range just now.

These actions are easy to make into takedowns since there are no front-end protuberances under the barrel. Their straight-line striker design is ultra-reliable and ultra-accurate while the buttstock's drawbolt ensures both accuracy and strength.

If only they were just a little better-looking!
Regards, Joe

Joe, I have a BSA 12-15 and you are right about the accuracy. These little fellas just want to shoot.
On a side note, the longlever was the Mk. IV, and originally chambered in the experimental .442 cartridge. The Brits then rechambered these to .577-450 as well.
Gert (Martini Belgian) really knows his Martinis and has them by Steyr and Westley Richards, the lucky stiff! He's a damned fine shot, too.

I have to agree since with you gents, and I happen to like the looks of the little cadet action.

I like them too, except for one thing which I detest about the design.

Generally, I find most of them made with triggers which are much too far forward for my liking.

That is not based on having owned just one, or just a dozen. I have had several original sporters made by Francotte, a variety of BSA cadets, a Greener "Club Rifle" heavy-barreled factory made target rifle (made by Greener in .310 Greener) and half a dozen full-sized ones by various makers.

Right now I am down to two, IIRC...a BSA cadet re-done into a nice little .22 K-Hornet, and a large actioned one made in Zurich in the early 1890s and used by the Swiss in the 1920s as one of their international team free rifles...chambered in, what else?....7.5x55 Swiss. It has a dainty little barrel about 31+" long, a very fancy curlicued schuetzen-style loop lever, and a half-rib for mounting the Swiss style schuetzen rear sight. (The original maker of this particular rifle went out of business in 1895)!!

Love them all as fine rifles, but hate the trigger location for my own shooting.

AC, my friend, that forward trigger is not ideal, and to my mind is the only disagreeable feature of the design. It is one I can live with though, but then I am contemplating having one made up in .461 Gibbs No. 2, to be shot with black powder and paper patched slugs.
I know Selous thought highly of this cartridge in his Gibbs, but I haven't the coin for a Farqy, don't want a No. 1 and am thinking a color-cased Martini might be just the right medicine.

Bill you are man after my own heart!! I cant wait to see what you come up with.

Degoins, the .461 Gibbs No. 2 case is enchanting, and the fact that Selous derived so much satisfaction from its performance in the field only adds to its charms:



From left, 9,3X74R, .450 3 1/4 BPE, .577-450 Martini Henry, .461 Gibbs No. 2, .50-90 Sharps and .577 3-inch BPE.

Bill,
Ross Seyfried has put the .461 to good use over the past few years as well. He did a write up or 2 on it also used one very similar to one that Selous had on a season of Under Wild Skies. Very interesting round indeed.

Degoins, would Ross by chance have written up the round in the Double Gun Journal? I am very keen to find his articles.
Thanks,
Bill

Found the article in Summer 2004 DGJ. Ordered the back issue.

Bill, do you have rifles for all the above cartridges? Very cool!

Biebs: Have or have had rifles in all but .50-90 and .461 Gibbs. Have a .50-70 rolling block with Green Mountain barrel that I have considered punching out to .50-90.

Bill,
Yep, that was one place. Now you've made me want to dig through my DGJs to find it.