Ejcb Posted March 23, 2018 Report Share Posted March 23, 2018 Hello all, Have always lusted after a BSA Martini for vermin and target but sadly never got round to to getting it done, until today. It’s a BSA Martini International, I refinished the woodwork and waxed, whilst the metal work was cerakoted matt black and the barrel shorted and threaded. I added a SAK supressor, a Shooting Shed optics mount, Tier 1 rings and a Minox ZPTAC 5-25X56 I had laying around from a work project. Many thanks to Mark Bradley for doing a terrific job, and being a gent to deal with - his reputation is well deserved. Have bought 1000 Tenex and fingers crossed it should shoot nicely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brown dog Posted March 24, 2018 Report Share Posted March 24, 2018 I bloomin' love that! I have exactly the same itch. One day, I'll copy that with a l/h action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradders Posted March 24, 2018 Report Share Posted March 24, 2018 Looks great Ed with all the woodwork back on it :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1066 Posted March 24, 2018 Report Share Posted March 24, 2018 Lovely - I've done similar with a CM-2 Russian .22lr target rifle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ejcb Posted March 24, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2018 1 hour ago, brown dog said: I bloomin' love that! I have exactly the same itch. One day, I'll copy that with a l/h action. I’m a leftie myself mate, as in left handed (not a communist) I worked the right handed comb off the stock so it’s more ambi now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ejcb Posted March 24, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2018 1 hour ago, bradders said: Looks great Ed with all the woodwork back on it :-) It’s amazing what some sand paper, perseverance and some wax can do. The matt black and the semi reflective waxed finish really works nicely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terryh Posted March 24, 2018 Report Share Posted March 24, 2018 Now that is a really neat looking rifle, nice job - and look, it’s not camo’ed ? T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie Posted March 24, 2018 Report Share Posted March 24, 2018 Very nice indeed. There was a gunsmith who made a specialty of reshaping target Martinis into short, neat sporters back in the days when you almost had to pay somebody to take them away for you. There was a feature in Guns Review magazine (RIP) about him and his rifles. Must have been the 80s or early 90s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ejcb Posted March 24, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2018 3 minutes ago, Laurie said: Very nice indeed. There was a gunsmith who made a specialty of reshaping target Martinis into short, neat sporters back in the days when you almost had to pay somebody to take them away for you. There was a feature in Guns Review magazine (RIP) about him and his rifles. Must have been the 80s or early 90s. Thanks Laurie, I understood Wembley Venom did something similar but with nice woodwork, a hot blue and tapped for a scope mount - although that spec may have varied. I didn’t want a MK3 due to the screws in the fore end, but I feel it has worked out quite nicely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breacher Posted March 27, 2018 Report Share Posted March 27, 2018 You wont regret your choice of rifle. I have a mk2 which dates to mid 1950s according to the serial number. And it still shoots amazingly accurately. It gave me a win with 50.9 at the Autumn Mini McQueen and another 50.9 at the Spring Mini McQueen the other day. I found it groups by far the tightest with Eley Match ammunition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunner Posted April 2, 2018 Report Share Posted April 2, 2018 Can this martini be used for bigger cases , 222 for instance ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breacher Posted April 2, 2018 Report Share Posted April 2, 2018 9 minutes ago, gunner said: Can this martini be used for bigger cases , 222 for instance ? I dont think so. Unless a lot of steel is taken out of the curved feed ramp. I have thought about it though........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1066 Posted April 2, 2018 Report Share Posted April 2, 2018 39 minutes ago, gunner said: Can this martini be used for bigger cases , 222 for instance ? I guess the Martini Cadet action would do the job - make a neat little single shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baldie Posted April 2, 2018 Report Share Posted April 2, 2018 Both of those are lovely. Something I've been going to do for myself. There are loads of martini's kicking about, and they have a trigger to die for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie Posted April 2, 2018 Report Share Posted April 2, 2018 1 hour ago, gunner said: Can this martini be used for bigger cases , 222 for instance ? Pete Walker (Walker Rifles) did a conversion to .22K Hornet for the well known West Yorks shooting dentist Simon Austin maybe 20 years ago. IIRC it was Pete's first job after setting up as a gunsmith. He says of the job .......... Never again! It's the rimfire to centrefire conversion that's the hard part. Also, rimfire .22 barrels are both a bit 'soft' and 'tight' for .22 centrefires with their 0.224 bullets - many early .220 Swifts in the US utilised easily obtained .22LR barrels or even complete rifles and barrel life was very poor with this hot number. (Winchester 70s made as 220s were fitted with a special steel barrel to cope.) American gunsmiths imported large number of Martini Cadet actions and rifles at one time to build single-shot varmint rifles out of them, even the rather too large full-size actions from surplus .45 Martini-Henry military rifles. I should think this practice has nearly died out now. They were very well suited to handling the rimmed varmint cartridges that were in vogue from the 1940s for a few decades. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris-NZ Posted April 2, 2018 Report Share Posted April 2, 2018 The Aussies used to use Cadets for varmint rigs. It remember reading about a lot of them in the Aussie "Sporting Shooter" magazine as a kid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Copperjacket Posted April 2, 2018 Report Share Posted April 2, 2018 That’s very nice. I always wanted one of those especial the Venom conversion. I bought a rifle to have converted but oddly enough my Martini Action .22 rimfire is based on a Boer War 577/450! I keep wanting to chop the barrel as you have done but that doesn’t feel right. It has a very early BSA tang rear sight and a previous owner had it threaded. l had a scope mount installed. With a moderator and subsonic rounds, literally the firing pin is the loudest sound you hear. If someone was interested in a larger calibre conversion ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montey Posted April 2, 2018 Report Share Posted April 2, 2018 A lovely looking rifle I started rifle shooting with my fathers Martin action.22 so I've always had a soft spot for these. He all ways said his was ex Boer war vintage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blaster10_4 Posted March 22, 2019 Report Share Posted March 22, 2019 Hi ejcb I have recently reserved a BSA martini mk 2 for collection in the near future and would like to shorten the barrel and fit a silencer to the same spec as yours. What length is your shortened barrel. I really like the look if your completed project Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ejcb Posted March 22, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2019 Hi buddy! im glad you like the rifle and hope yours works out well! mine is a MK3 which has an aluminium frame which screws into the underside of the barrel and accepts the two wooden foreend sections which also screw in. in currently away in the USA, so unable to measure but I had the barrel shortened to .5 inch longer than the foreend. there’s a fair amount of barrel which is hidden by the action - perhaps 3 inches or so. am back on the 8th and happy to measure it and even do a video call to help you have a look around. all the best, ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blaster10_4 Posted March 22, 2019 Report Share Posted March 22, 2019 That is very good if you, i would appreciate it if you could give me the specs. I will have the work done at bradley arms. My eyesight isnt up to open sights these days so i will be fitting a decent scope so i can continue shooting for a few more years Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ejcb Posted March 22, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2019 You’re very welcome - will measure it as soon as I’m in the UK. mark cut, threaded and cerakote the gun for me and did a terrific job. the shooting shed provided the scope mount - an excellent it is too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blaster10_4 Posted March 22, 2019 Report Share Posted March 22, 2019 Thanks I will check out shooting shed mount Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazzarM1 Posted March 23, 2019 Report Share Posted March 23, 2019 Plus one on the shooting shed mount literally plug and play ,no mucking about Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazzarM1 Posted March 23, 2019 Report Share Posted March 23, 2019 I have yet to shorten the barrel on my BSA ....what length does everybody trim to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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