Blind Squirrel Posted April 28, 2022 Share Posted April 28, 2022 Not sure if this should go here or in the Saloon, but here it goes: What is the common definition of the term "Martini action rifle"? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rip Snorter Posted April 28, 2022 Share Posted April 28, 2022 Think British military, Zulu Wars, Rorke's Drift. Single shot Victorian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpo Posted April 28, 2022 Share Posted April 28, 2022 This is my understanding. A Sharps is called a falling block. When you push the trigger guard down, they block falls straight down through the bottom of the receiver, allowing access to the chamber. A martini, on the other hand, is a tilting block. When you push the trigger guard down (open the lever) the front of the block tilts downward giving you access to the chamber. Closed Open An Ithaca 49 - little single shot 22 that looks like a lever repeater - is a Martini action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpo Posted April 28, 2022 Share Posted April 28, 2022 21 minutes ago, Blind Squirrel said: or in the saloon, Tsk, tsk, tsk. Always Capitalize Saloon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forty Rod SASS 3935 Posted April 28, 2022 Share Posted April 28, 2022 Tough, usually quite accurate (especially with a good barrel and a scope), simple, elegant design, foreign look. I never owned one but had a few friends that picked some up in the surplus bin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chantry Posted April 28, 2022 Share Posted April 28, 2022 I have two Martini rifles right now. The first is a Martini Cadet rifle, which is a smaller Martini action that was made for Australian cadets and has a Kangaroo on top right in front of the breach. It was re-chambered from .310 to .22 LR. I have seen Cadets for sale in the following calibers: 32-20, .357 Magnum, .218 Bee, .22 Hornet and 25-20, although .22 LR is definitely the most common caliber. The other is one that Navy Arms built using Green shotgun actions. I think most were chambered in 45-70 with heavy octagonal barrel (at least 1" from flat to flat), the one I bought has a 10x Unertl on it. With a starter load of 27.1 of Accurate 5744 and some 405 gr bullets I had laying around, when I zeroed the gun at 50 yards I was getting 3 round groups of 1/2" or smaller and I don't consider myself a particularly good shot with a rifle. In the hands of a better shooter and with some load development I think the gun is definitely capable of 1/2 MOA groups or better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blind Squirrel Posted April 28, 2022 Author Share Posted April 28, 2022 1 hour ago, Alpo said: Tsk, tsk, tsk. Always Capitalize Saloon. Done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watab kid Posted April 29, 2022 Share Posted April 29, 2022 i have one of those that started life in 1888 as a military rifle - went to the miniature for conversion to 22cal trainer turn of the last century then got changed commercially to a 12ga trap gun , Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabez Cowboy,SASS # 50129 Posted April 29, 2022 Share Posted April 29, 2022 Saw one today in a small gun shop $995 was the asking price, it was in 577/450... Bore looked good ... No hammer so not a SASS gun ... Jabez Cowboy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warden Callaway Posted April 29, 2022 Share Posted April 29, 2022 Had several over the years. Divested in all of them. Had 450/577 military model made in India. Had 310 Cadet unaltered. A BSA 22 target rifle. Sold or traded them all off when I started Cowboy Action Shooting. Did well on them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trailrider #896 Posted April 29, 2022 Share Posted April 29, 2022 Friend of mine back in college had a BSA .22rf with a Martini action. Used it in intercollegic competition on our AFROTC cadet rifle team. The ejector on that thing would throw the empties about six feet! We tried to always be squaded to his left. One time, I wound up on his right, in the last stage...ofhand... of the match. I heard him eject the brass and got my finger off the trigger just in time, as the hot brass went right down the back of my shooting jacket! I steadied down and got off my last shot. Our team won the match by one point! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colorado Coffinmaker Posted April 29, 2022 Share Posted April 29, 2022 Two Olives Please. Shaken. Not Stirred. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 Posted May 4, 2022 Share Posted May 4, 2022 I've got one in .303 British. Nice shooting gun. Why was this thread moved to the Saloon? For that matter, a LOT of threads are getting moved over here lately that seem to fit well on the Wire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpo Posted May 4, 2022 Share Posted May 4, 2022 4 minutes ago, H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 said: Why was this thread moved to the Saloon? This is just my thought. The wire is subjects about cowboy action shooting. Since cowboy action shooting requires either a lever action or a pump action repeating rifle chambered for "pistol caliber" ammunition, and Martini action rifles are single shots which are normally chambered for high powered rifle ammunition, it does not seem that they could be used for cowboy action shooting. Therefore any question about a Martini action should not be on the cowboy action shooting board, so they moved it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 Posted May 4, 2022 Share Posted May 4, 2022 16 minutes ago, Alpo said: Therefore any question about a Martini action should not be on the cowboy action shooting board, so they moved it. Ah, but these rifles CAN be used in the long range side matches that use rifle calibers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rip Snorter Posted May 4, 2022 Share Posted May 4, 2022 Then there is the Martini .310 Cadet, a cartridge equivalent to the 32-20. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Father Kit Cool Gun Garth Posted May 4, 2022 Share Posted May 4, 2022 On 4/28/2022 at 5:28 PM, Alpo said: Tsk, tsk, tsk. Always Capitalize Saloon SALOON. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpo Posted May 4, 2022 Share Posted May 4, 2022 24 minutes ago, Rip Snorter said: Then there is the Martini .310 Cadet, a cartridge equivalent to the 32-20. Is the Martini 310 Cadet a repeater with a tubular magazine and an exposed hammer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpo Posted May 4, 2022 Share Posted May 4, 2022 24 minutes ago, Father Kit Cool Gun Garth said: To capitalize a word, you use uppercase for the first letter of the word. Every Word In This Sentence Is Capitalized If you wish the entire word to be in capital letters, you write the word in uppercase. THIS SENTENCE IS WRITTEN ALL IN UPPERCASE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Father Kit Cool Gun Garth Posted May 4, 2022 Share Posted May 4, 2022 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpo Posted May 4, 2022 Share Posted May 4, 2022 I am Arthur, King of the Britons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rip Snorter Posted May 4, 2022 Share Posted May 4, 2022 28 minutes ago, Alpo said: Is the Martini 310 Cadet a repeater with a tubular magazine and an exposed hammer? BTT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabez Cowboy,SASS # 50129 Posted May 4, 2022 Share Posted May 4, 2022 No Hammer ,,, No go for SASS long range... Jabez Cowboy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 Posted May 4, 2022 Share Posted May 4, 2022 Nih Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wallaby Jack, SASS #44062 Posted May 4, 2022 Share Posted May 4, 2022 34 minutes ago, Alpo said: Is the Martini 310 Cadet a repeater with a tubular magazine and an exposed hammer? .... no. It's a "tilting block", single shot rifle. I have one that was converted to rimfire and later converted back to centrefire. It is (now) chambered in .222Rimmed which is almost an obsolete cartridge these days. It is one of only 3 scoped rifles within my menagerie of 80-ish firearms. *note: .222 Rimmed is not .222Remington* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 Posted May 5, 2022 Share Posted May 5, 2022 Well... if ya want something of the Martini flavor that is SASS legal, find yerself a Peabody~! This was actually the predecessor of the Martini-Henry, somewhat copied by Swiss gunsmith Friedrich von Martini; he made it hammerless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedalia Dave Posted May 6, 2022 Share Posted May 6, 2022 On 5/4/2022 at 3:42 PM, H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 said: Ah, but these rifles CAN be used in the long range side matches that use rifle calibers. A Peabody action is legal, a Martini action is not. SHB Page 30 Single Shot and Buffalo Single Shot firearms must be originals or replicas of single shot rifles manufactured during the period from approximately 1860 until 1899. All rifles MUST have exposed hammers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Hanger #3720LR Posted May 6, 2022 Share Posted May 6, 2022 Some where in my shop, I have a Martini action. The bluing looks new so I have always thought it might be a reproduction bu I never checked in to it. The extractor is fitted with for .303 British cartridge. This is only the receiver. There are no marks on the front threads showing there was never a barrel fitted. No marks on the receiver end showing a stock bolt was tightened up. I never had any interest in building a rifle using this receiver. I got a new Petersoli 74 Sharps about the same time. Could be a project rifle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabez Cowboy,SASS # 50129 Posted May 6, 2022 Share Posted May 6, 2022 The Peabody Action is a fine Strong action, but getting one for use in Our Game would be $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ There used to some one building modern copies, I believe in the USA ... I saw one at a Shoot many years ago, it was a superb example of Modern machining and Hand craftmanship. Easily capable of Out Shooting the Man behind the trigger (owner) And the Ammo he had loaded... Jabez Cowboy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedalia Dave Posted May 6, 2022 Share Posted May 6, 2022 2 hours ago, Jabez Cowboy,SASS # 50129 said: The Peabody Action is a fine Strong action, but getting one for use in Our Game would be $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ There used to some one building modern copies, I believe in the USA ... I saw one at a Shoot many years ago, it was a superb example of Modern machining and Hand craftmanship. Easily capable of Out Shooting the Man behind the trigger (owner) And the Ammo he had loaded... Jabez Cowboy Likely built by Larry Romano. He builds exceptional firearms that are also works of art. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steel-eye Steve SASS #40674 Posted May 6, 2022 Share Posted May 6, 2022 1 hour ago, Sedalia Dave said: Likely built by Larry Romano. He builds exceptional firearms that are also works of art. Actually the builder was out of Wisconsin, http://www.peabodyrifle.com/home.html I don't believe they are making the rifle anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabez Cowboy,SASS # 50129 Posted May 6, 2022 Share Posted May 6, 2022 1 hour ago, Steel-eye Steve SASS #40674 said: Actually the builder was out of Wisconsin, http://www.peabodyrifle.com/home.html I don't believe they are making the rifle anymore. Yep that is what I was remembering, but wasn't 100% sure of. Sadly It does appear that they are not making any more. Thanks Steel-eye-Steve Jabez Cowboy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 Posted May 6, 2022 Share Posted May 6, 2022 1 hour ago, Steel-eye Steve SASS #40674 said: Actually the builder was out of Wisconsin, http://www.peabodyrifle.com/home.html I don't believe they are making the rifle anymore. There are usually a smattering of Peabody's on Gunbroker ~ they can be had, in various configurations and calibers, some of which you can actually find or make ammunition for. The "Peabody Rifle Company" no longer build rifles, but they do make a pretty decent Winchester 95 type sight - which, unfortunately, would not be SASS legal (receiver mount). Equally unfortunate is the fact that the rifle does not have a tang, so traditional target sights would not be easily mounted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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