doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com Another fix for my Martini habit: Comments?

Not all that much to add, actually - except that the commercial small-action Francotte had a permanent takedown lever where a rotation of 180 degrees allowed you to remove the innards, without having to get out a pin or whatever. Works with eccentrics, and is quite handy, actually. Francotte actually patented quite a few takedown mechanisms, most of them being used on the small actions. The large actions usually had a simple pin with retaining screw.

40X
Dan pederson did a barrel for me also, on my Manlicher Schoenauer project. Its a 10 twist 7mm that shoots a lot of different cast bullets into the same hole.
Joe I have two 310 BSA recievers I put on a barrel stub and drilled them for the cleaning rod and also made a threaded pin for the innards like on my 12/15. I think martinies are fun. One in 30/30 Wesson and the other a 222 rimmed.
Tom

They are not the best SS action for a scope sight down low.

True - but they are among the strongest and safest around. Every action type has its strong and weak points...

can anyone post some pics of different ideas on lever design on a pistol grip stock? I'm looking for ideas for an unfinished lever.
Tom

Tom, here's one I'm doing for my early Francotte varminter. I made the barrel on the end too small IMO but that's personal taste. I've inletted the grip cap and PG so the back of the lever will nestle closer to the grip but it still looks awkward to me. This IMO is the area where most Cadet smiths fail in forming an attractive final product. The curve of the wood at the grip combined with the curve of the steel lever and the difficulty of fitting everything properly has proven to be my biggest stumbling block with these splendid little actions.

Concerning the difficulty of low-mounting a scope, I've discovered that the comparatively higher line of the top of the wrist/grip (compared to other single shots) actually helps me with mounting the scope low enough or rather positioning my face high enough for me to use it comfortably. I make the buttstock's comb nose fall just below the bore line giving just barely enough clearance for the cleaning rod to enter from the rear. This automatically positions my face at the proper height for a low-mounted target scope and gives plenty of clearance for loading/unloading. Here's a full view of the same Francotte varminter.

With a normal modern 1"-tube scope with enlarged eyepiece, however, the scope must indeed be mounted somewhat higher than minimum in order to give more clearance for loading/unloading. Much depends upon the size of the cartridge case, the scope's eye relief and the shooter's manual dexterity. Here's a comparison of the Francotte varminter with an ELW Greener takedown fitted with small 6X Burris. The Francotte is 219 Improved (30-30 case) while the Greener is 224 Maxi (357 Maximum case); both setups have enough clearance for loading/unloading and both scopes are positioned for my eyes. I hafta add that the little 6X Burris has a truly impressive 4"+ eye relief and this is one reason I chose to use it on the little ELW Greener. Another scope would almost certainly have to be positioned further to the rear or higher. I also hafta add that the Greener's hidden right sidewall has been lowered very slightly (~3/32") for better loading/unloading access.

Another unique grip treatment by Pete Grisel can be found in Frank de Haas's fine work Mister Single Shot's Gunsmithing Idea Book, I forget which page and it's out in the shop right now so you're on your own there (G).
Regards, Joe

There is one thing I have learned you can say for sure about the various Martini actions; there is nothing you can say for sure about the various Martini actions!

Take the Francotte pattern for example. Parts for one Francotte made action may or may not fit or be capable of being fit to another Francotte made action. The BSA Cadet and later incarnations are Francotte patterns and parts from them normally do not fit Francotte made guns, except sometimes and they may not fit other BSA Francottes ever. You just have to try.

As much as I respect Pete Grisel's work, the lever mod as shown in DeHaas book is abomination. I made that lever for a gun I built in 219 Donaldson Wasp for hunting Rock chucks. Carried in the field the lever snagged on everything; coat sleeves, shirt front, weeds, brush, fence wire. It left .219 DW cartridges spread all over the landscape of northern California. Did I say I don't like Grisel lever mod? When I talked to Frank on the phone about it he said I wasn't the first to come to the same opinion.

J.D. very nice work! Not only do you know how do a proper fore stock, your lever end is wonderful.

I do not know why people insist on inletting a bridge timber or railroad tie for a forestock on the Martini...the large Martini''s usually the worse. I saw, a few days ago the work of the King of little Martini custom rifles. The rifle was a large Greener action and it looked like he inlet a fencepost for a fore stock -a nicely figure walnut fence post for sure, but still a fence post. I know he intended it for a forestock because it was checkered.

To many people just don't know what to do with the end of the lever and just leave it sort of dangling, like a loose thread dangling from the seam of a shirt. Something back in 1966 my dear Drill Instructor SGT Callahan abhorred and called an Irish pennant. Just something about Irish pennants set him off.

I have used a ball for that end but that doesn't have the same pleasing effect of a nice barrel like you have made. Very nice indeed.

The lever inletted in the PG with a barrel on the end is one of the best ways to do a nice job, I'm completely agreeing with DoubleD and JD there, they have impeccable tastes... As JD said, his barrel might be a bit larger, but the general principle is pretty good indeed.

Now if we can just get American barrel makers to make Nock's forms

Can anyone recommend a good source of semi-inletted stocks for small and large martinis? I have two large actions that were converted to .22. The wood appears to be the original military wood. That wood may be nice on some of the import .577/450s coming in nowadays, but I want more slender wood for these guns. I also have a cadet now being rebarreled in .218 Bee that's in need of wood. I'd like to do a close pistol grip on it, something like JD's above.