Rook-Type Rifle Wanted - Who Can Make one and what is the best action

My 310 cadet (reamed to "32-20"), or what I like to call "310 Magnum"... packs a nice little punch, even with mild handloads.

Full penetration through a piece of pressure treated 4x4 (and then flattened against a cement block wall) at 20 yards using a mere 3.3 grains of Trail Boss. I didn't expect it to pass through, especially with soft lead wadcutters. I usually send much hotter loads down range using IMR 4227 @ 15-17 grains using 110-115 grain hard cast lead boolits with gas check courtesy of Jethunter.

"7.5x33R" handload recipe: 3.3 grains IMR Trail Boss, .314" H&N 100 grain lead wadcutter, full length 32-20 WCF Winchester brass resized in a 30 Carbine die, bullet seated with a 30 Luger die.

Approximately 950 to 1000 fps

Surprizing power for such a light load. I get similar results out of my Swiss 1882 revolver at 12-15 yards which is what I designed this particular recipe for.

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Hmmm, anyone else here find their Martini has the nice slow, almost suspended in the air ejection?
While I do appreciate the workmanship of the shellholder, I usually just carry the loaded rounds in one breast pocket and pluck the empties out of the air ( to be dropped into the other breast pocket ). It's almost a parlour trick to see the ejected empty hanging in the air.
Mind you, mine are 303 Br. Perhaps the lighter brass are moving faster.
Just wondering if mine is a one-off when it comes to this quirky feature is all.

lol... funny you should mention that. I usually have my son catch them, and vice versa.
 
My 310 cadet (reamed to "32-20"), or what I like to call "310 Magnum"... packs a nice little punch, even with mild handloads..

That's pretty impressive for such a mild load. What are the specs of your "magnum" loads? Those must be belting along at a very brisk pace.

Somewhere I have an article from Rifle Magazine from several years ago by Ross Seyfriend entitled "Little Rifles, Long Range" where he and his son were shooting the .310 Cadet and .300 Sherwood out to 300 yards with quite impressive results, although I don't remember if they also did penetration tests. I must dig it out and make a .pdf of it.

The next time I get the .357 Cadet out into the wild (ie when the &%$#&^@%&^ RAIN STOPS) I'll take a couple of pieces of 6x6 treated post along and see what the penetration is like. I did this with my Marlin .44 mag. a few years ago, shooting into about 22" of wet newsprint with 1/2" ply every 600 pages. The 240gr Hornady XTP and 270 gr. FP went about 3/4 of the way through but a 240gr Bullet Barn RNFP sailed right through it and a piece of 2x12 behind it.
 
That's pretty impressive for such a mild load. What are the specs of your "magnum" loads? Those must be belting along at a very brisk pace.

Somewhere I have an article from Rifle Magazine from several years ago by Ross Seyfriend entitled "Little Rifles, Long Range" where he and his son were shooting the .310 Cadet and .300 Sherwood out to 300 yards with quite impressive results, although I don't remember if they also did penetration tests. I must dig it out and make a .pdf of it.

The next time I get the .357 Cadet out into the wild (ie when the &%$#&^@%&^ RAIN STOPS) I'll take a couple of pieces of 6x6 treated post along and see what the penetration is like. I did this with my Marlin .44 mag. a few years ago, shooting into about 22" of wet newsprint with 1/2" ply every 600 pages. The 240gr Hornady XTP and 270 gr. FP went about 3/4 of the way through but a 240gr Bullet Barn RNFP sailed right through it and a piece of 2x12 behind it.

"7.5x33R" handload recipe: 3.3 grains IMR Trail Boss, .314" H&N 100 grain lead wadcutter, full length 32-20 WCF Winchester brass resized in a 30 Carbine die, bullet seated with a 30 Luger die. Pushes 950+ fps. I haven't chronied this load, but 3.1 grains was netting between 865 and 900 fps.

".310 Magnum" handload recipe: 15-17 grains of IMR 4227, .314" 110-115 grain hard cast lead boolits with gas check courtesy of Jethunter, full length 32-20 WCF Winchester brass resized in a 30 Carbine die, bullet seated with a 30 Luger die. Pushes well over 2100 fps. Best accuracy is around 14-14.5 grains.
 
...you might note that I deep seat the wadcutters (for maximum accuracy), which I'm sure increases pressures somewhat.

The 17 grain ".310 Magnum" load is very hard on thin 32-20 brass, and I only push a few per range trip. I usually keep my Magnum loads in the 14-15 grain range which still provides good power and good accuracy.
 
...".310 Magnum" handload recipe: 15-17 grains of IMR 4227, .314" 110-115 grain hard cast lead boolits with gas check courtesy of Jethunter, full length 32-20 WCF Winchester brass resized in a a 30 Carbine die, bullet seated with a 30 Luger die. Pushes well over 2100 fps. Best accuracy is around 14-14.5 grains.

Ahh......that was the missing info. Pretty much 30 Carbine specs. Not bad at all.
 
Ahh......that was the missing info. Pretty much 30 Carbine specs. Not bad at all.

Yep, and I can guarantee that my ".310 Magnum" loads would penetrate any 6x6 fence post. :) I will test next.

I am quite satisfied to know that my Swiss revolver can certainly be effective in a defensive situation. Until you do a penetration test, you just never know how "effective" your loads really are.

What I like about Trail Boss is that it is so clean burning and goes a long way! :)
 
Here're a couple of shots of my chum's Martini, with the external hammer. I think that it's a Francotte, but there aren't any markings on it, but for La Martini on the left side of the receiver. A very cool feature is, that by pulling the small tab behind the lever, the breech block snaps open, ejecting the cartridge or fired case. I'm surprised that he's reluctant to part with it.
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That's a very unusual Martini. Don't think it's a Francotte as the action on those is in its own frame inside the receiver, like my Cadet, whereas that one has the breechblock pin at the back, like the large action models. The Martini-Henry Forum on Gunboards is a good place to hang out, esp. when you have unusual models like that.

Yes, what is it chambered for?

:) Stuart
 
Here're a couple of shots of my chum's Martini, with the external hammer. I think that it's a Francotte, but there aren't any markings on it, but for La Martini on the left side of the receiver. A very cool feature is, that by pulling the small tab behind the lever, the breech block snaps open, ejecting the cartridge or fired case. I'm surprised that he's reluctant to part with it.
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Hi Slug,
Have a look at the martini in the link http://britishmilitariaforums.yuku.com/topic/9677/Another-exposed-hammer-martini
Almost identical to your friends! A post at the bottom of the page hints at Bayard being the maker.
 
Stunning. Beautifully understated. Gorgeous figure in the wood, and love the panel in front of the receiver and the schnabel forend. What's the metal finish? Cerakote? Duracoat?
 
Kurgan why not .30 carbine? Pressure too high? Or not possible to use a rimless caliber?

Very nice rifles in this thread.
 
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Kurgan why not .30 carbine? Pressure too high?

Very nice rifles in this thread.

The Martini actions are very strong (I read 50k somewhere!). But the .30 Carbine is rimless and requires a special extractor. Other than Snapp's Gunshop in the US, I don't know who makes one.

From a list on Brownells website:

Snapp's Gunshop

6911 E. Washington Rd.
Clare, MI 48617
Martini cadet rimless case extractors
Phone: 989-386-9226

although the Martini Forum of Gunboards would be somewhere to ask.

:) Stuart
 
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