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Forums10
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Apr 29th, 2024
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Joined: May 2008
Posts: 8,158 Likes: 114
Sidelock
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OP
Sidelock
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 8,158 Likes: 114 |
Getting back to the original question, I have a BSA Martini Model 15 that was converted to .22 Hornet using the original .22 Long Rifle barrel prior to my acquiring it. It's the less common saw-handled stock, but is otherwise quite similar to RWTF's Model 12/15, except that the rear sight is actually mounted on a vertical dovetail at the rear of the action rather than separately on the tang.
The firing pin needed to be re-bushed, which was done by David Kaiser. Once that was done, I discovered it is a quite pleasant and more than satisfactorily accurate rifle. I have no idea how long the rifling in barrel will last with the higher temperatures and pressures of the Hornet compared to the Long Rifle, but I doubt I'll shoot it out in my lifetime.
The .222 requires a rimless extractor (Bob Snapp made them and may still, for all I know) or procurement of a batch of .222R cases.
As nearly as I can tell from 20 years of small frame Martini shooting, the BSA rimfires make quite satisfactory rimfires as long as the firing pin is bushed. Since you have to bush the Cadet firing pins as well for any of the higher pressure cartridges, starting with a rimfire is not really all that inconvenient. I've owned small frame Martini centerfires in .20-20 KCF (think .20 Mashburn Bee), .20 Tactical, .22 Hornet, .218 Bee, .218 Mashburn Bee, .219 Zipper, .222 Rimmed, .225 Winchester (which was loaded down a bit in view of the case diameter), .256 Winchester, .310 Cadet, and .357 Magnum, and I've probably left one or two out. I have an action set aside that will be a .30-30 or a 7x30 Waters if I ever get the funds and the ambition together simultaneously. They are fun little guns and deserve more respect than they get. Thanks- I agree 100% about the 12/15 Martini-- I am not as familiar as you are with the other Martini models- but I like this one- 29" heavy wall barrel, sweet trigger, positive lever and ejection of the spent shells- all good indeed.
"The field is the touchstone of the man"..
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,521 Likes: 20
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,521 Likes: 20 |
Nero:
I've heard all kinds of things about the differences between rimfire and centerfire barrels. I cannot answer the question definitively, but I have read some knowledgeable writers who have suggested that the rimfire barrels are softer than centerfire barrels and so wear more quickly when shot with jacketed bullets. I would expect the rates of twist to differ and a lot of early .22 rimfire barrels seem to be .222 or .223 rather than .224. The early Hornets used a .223 bullet in part because they were being developed on .22 rimfires. I think it was Mark Berenson who was looking for an early BSA Martini that was converted to centerfire and chambered for .22 Hornet as part of the development of that cartridge. Don't know if he ever located the rifle.
Rem
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 204
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 204 |
Rem
I have a 43 Win in hornet. Im shooting the lyman225438gc bullet without worring about wearing out the barrel or overstressing the action. I would think the 22mag would be harder on the Martini than the hornet. I have a cadet with a short heavy barrel chambered in 222r that is very acurate with the match bullets Will try the cast sometime this summer. 222 probably a better choice than the hornetr.
One summer I killed more groundhogs with a #1 ruger tropical 458mag and 500gr. gcrn under 150yds than my varmint rifles. That was a very acurate rifle if you could handle the recoil.
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Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 262
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 262 |
I am embarrassed to admit how many assorted miniature Martinis I own. My favorite is a H&H that was Parkerifled and chambered for the .22 hornet. Its had thousands of factory and handloads through it by me and still is as accurate as when I bought it used, and I have no idea how many rounds the original owner shot. Virtually all of the pre-war custom Hornets were made with rimfire barrels and most seem to shoot well with reasonable loads and last forever.
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Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,119 Likes: 27
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,119 Likes: 27 |
Whew! I didn't realize that this thread was still going on! The small Martini is a strong action and many have been converted to high intensity cartridges, up to and beyond the hot centerfires. That's too far in my opinion. I know of a Cadet, different but about the same size as the 12/15, that was barreled to a 5.6X50R Magnum. The chamber bulged but the action held up to stiff handloads. I don't know the charges. It was rebarreled to a more sane caliber and is still in use. My earlier point about rechambering the 22LR to 22 Magnum is about extracting the long straight case. I have no doubt that the .22 Hornet would extract perfectly.
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Joined: May 2008
Posts: 8,158 Likes: 114
Sidelock
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OP
Sidelock
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 8,158 Likes: 114 |
Me neither- I had it for a "sniper op." the other day at a favorite area dairy farm- the huge pile of used truck and tractor tires (tyres for the Brits) I call "The Goodyear Hole" is a playground for woodchucks this time of year- so I hid in a barn loft in the shadows- range about 125 ft. and downhill- and waited them out- Another advantage besides the sniper mantra of "one shot-one kill" with this .22 with the current ammo situation- one shot, all or nothing- I popped 3 within 2.5 hours, and lung or neck shots-love that heavy 29" barrel
"The field is the touchstone of the man"..
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Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 1
Boxlock
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Boxlock
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 1 |
A Fox is a Feral whichever way you look at it. Shoot it and be done with it.
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Joined: May 2008
Posts: 8,158 Likes: 114
Sidelock
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OP
Sidelock
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 8,158 Likes: 114 |
A Fox is a Feral whichever way you look at it. Shoot it and be done with it. Yes indeed. One July evening about 4 years ago- son-in-law and I were in a 80 acre rolling field- 40 in corn, 40 in just cut alfalfa-- we had nailed two "whistle piggies" when from our hide in the fairly high corn, we saw several foxes emerge to cruise the alfalfa. I nailed one with my Sako .243- and Jeff popped the other running with his .22-250 Ruger-- about 1/2 hour later three more came out to check out their dead brothers, we got one, the other two hauled ass back into the corn. A Fox is like a Feral cat-except the color and bushy tail- so at shorter range a .22LR hollow-point (CCI mini-mags) in the head is sure and sudden death- I kill every fox I can see-
"The field is the touchstone of the man"..
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 168
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 168 |
A friend in England who lives in the centre of a town in Kent sent me this photo of one of several fox's that his wife feeds. Regards, Roly. 
Last edited by Nero; 07/07/13 05:39 PM.
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Joined: May 2008
Posts: 8,158 Likes: 114
Sidelock
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OP
Sidelock
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 8,158 Likes: 114 |
A friend in England who lives in the centre of a town in Kent sent me this photo of one of several fox's that his wife feeds. Regards, Roly. She is taking quite a chance- Foxes are highly rabid and cannot be tamed--I prefer to feed them a high velocity bullet- head shots preferred.
"The field is the touchstone of the man"..
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