New for me,B.S.A. Martini.

Guy JR

Guy JR

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I thought I would share the B.S.A Martini 12/15 that I picked up yesterday. I paid $500 for it which seemed fair to me but I dont really know the value of these things. So far I have been happy with the accuracy shooting CCI SV getting a couple 3/4", 5 shot groups. I wanted to replace the current Martini I have as the original sights were missing and the prevoius owner installed a set of Lyman peeps on it and I it just dident shoot like I thought it should. The barrel on my old first one looks rough for the first few inches from the chamber which I'm sure is the problem. Anyway here is the new girl.
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I guess I might as well show a few pics of the one I am replacing. I dont yet know what I am going to do with this old girl. In ways I hate it but in ways I love it. I hate that someone drilled and taped into the side of the reciever and that the barrel seems to have corosion near the chamber but it still looks kinda cool, is numbers matching and is covered in Canadian markings. Not sure if I will attempt some kinda project with it (.22 Hornet) or put her on the EE and see if there is someone out there that likes what she sees. If anyone has any good ideas for her lets here them.
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If that's 10 23 and 245 CC on the disk, I would guess that this rifle was issued to 245 Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps in October 1923.

A bit of history on 245 RCACC:

http://www.armycadethistory.com/Cadet%20Corps%20DB/db_cc_245.htm

Quite possibly used by the Kingston Public Schools Cadet Batallion. A great piece of history you have there!
 
Very nice Guy jr! that is a beautiful 12/15. Some guys at the range get the same groups as you with CCI SV, but they get often sub 1/2" with Federal 510c, and even better with the now discontinued federal target ammo. Eley... obviously makes the smallest holes as thats what these guns were designed to shoot originally.
Anyway, what im saying is try some different ammo. I've had several Small frame martini's and there are a few currently shooting at my club. None of them shoot CCI SV as well as they do other types. Wierd because thats my budget ammo of choice for my other target rifle(s). Just never worked all that awesome in the Martini's.
Nice find. $500 is a very fair price for that gun BTW.
 
I will definately try some different types of ammo in the old girl Mikeystew, I was just hoping she would like the CCI SV as it is also my go to plinking ammo. For most of the shooting which is at steel plates off hand, 3/4" is acceptable to me but I would like to find her favorite for any local matches. Anyone want to chime in on what they think the cadet rifle is worth? it is number matching and Canadian military marked but the barrel is rough by the chamber(still shoots OK concidering, 1-1.5" at 50m) and the reciver is drilled and taped and original rear sight gone. I would just like to know what would be a fair price to ask.
 
The BSA Martinis are beautiful rifles. The workmanship is impressive. My International MKIII prefers Federal high velocity hp ammo. It also shoots well with Eley Tenex. If I were you I would hang onto your old one. I sold two other BSAs a number of years ago and have been kicking myself ever since. I hate getting rid of guns. I only like acquiring them.
 
Very nice rifle. I would have been all over it for $500 :D

As for accuracy of the old one, check the muzzle and see if the crown is still consistent. If not, it can be recrowned. You can also polish out some of the roughness in the chamber with Flitz. JB Bore polish will work, but it is a finer grit and will take much longer to polish. The barrel could also be cut/set back an inch or so and rechambered.

Worst case would be to put on a new, same profile, barrel. I have one with a replacement barrel. Got it that way, it is a customized, offhand target rifle. Very accurate too.

As said above by jcarter, after you get a Martini, parting with them can be difficult, and if you do, regrets often follow.

I have a few now, and couldn't bear the thought of parting with them. Closest I could come to getting rid of one would be giving it to one of my kids.
 
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Well thanks for the advice guys, I wrote the for sale add and looked at its fair value and decided I would be crazy to sell it for a few hundred bucks. I think it will make a good first rifle for my son when he gets old enough to shoot. Anyone know what this thing would have had for original sights or where to look for an original set of sights for this thing?
 
Guy JR said:
Well thanks for the advice guys, I wrote the for sale add and looked at its fair value and decided I would be crazy to sell it for a few hundred bucks. I think it will make a good first rifle for my son when he gets old enough to shoot. Anyone know what this thing would have had for original sights or where to look for an original set of sights for this thing?
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Pm me... I may know where you can get a rear, but if not I can put you in contact with someone who knows where to get them.

It would use either the PH 7a sight or the #8 flip up sight. They usually run $75-150 each depending on condition. Front sight would be a BSA dual post tunnel sight or even the PH FS-21 IIRC.
 
mikeystew said:
Pm me... I may know where you can get a rear, but if not I can put you in contact with someone who knows where to get them.

It would use either the PH 7a sight or the #8 flip up sight. They usually run $75-150 each depending on condition. Front sight would be a BSA dual post tunnel sight or even the PH FS-21 IIRC.
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Thanks for the help Mikeystew but another nutter offered me a correst sight set for a good price. Do you happen to know anyone who would re-line this barrel or where I could get a liner? I would imagine a replaceement barrel would be hard to find.
 
Guy JR said:
Thanks for the help Mikeystew but another nutter offered me a correst sight set for a good price. Do you happen to know anyone who would re-line this barrel or where I could get a liner? I would imagine a replaceement barrel would be hard to find.
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Lol, no problem, the guy who contacted you was the friend I was going to refer you to.

There were barrel liners for sale in the EE rimfire parts section not long ago, may still be there, they were 25" long a piece. Most gunsmiths can do it. Getting the liner is the tricky part.
 
Y'know the US State Dep't has bad things in mind for folks shipping gun parts out of the US without permits, eh?

Check in the Legalese stickies, as well as a couple other spots around here and read up on Importing Parts Legally.

There are a couple Canuck barrel makers that could use the support, and several sources for imported barrel blanks that are legal.

Sorry to come off like a wet blanket, but if the guy ships out and gets caught, the fines he would pay are close to the price of a nice house. BSA (the maker of the barrel) is unlikely to have registered with the Export folks...
The chances are, he knows that, too, so your odds of getting anywhere shopping that side of the line, are pretty poor.


Cheers
Trev
 
Recently bought a BSA Cadet in .22LR myself. Serial number is 34*** which makes it about 1928 I think. The brass plaque on the butt is marked "L" above the screw and 1219CC below. There is a 1 below that. Anybody know what all this means?
 
Hmm, I would if I could figure out how to get it on the post. I did go to the armycadethistory link you suggested, saw the the 1219 was in Chatham but there was no other info there.
I'll work on how to post a picture, stand by one.
 
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