Baby Martini in 22 Hornet

[blackbahart]

last week I decided to use my last baby martini receiver .Turned down a 224 barrel blank to a heavy profile ,chambered it .Had to bush the block (cadet) make a striker ,pivot pins ,trigger spring and some other missing bits.

Done the test firing and cases look good and xtracted perfectly and quite by accident ended up with a trigger pull of 2#2oz .Beat it up a bit and it stays engaged .

finished drilling the drawbolt hole ,now to finish fitting the wood and a talley scope base
pics so far

[barrabruce]

Why is there a hole in the loading gate?

Looks good but the cheek piece is on the wrong side.
Glad to have helped you out before you made a costly error.



cheers good work

[Bad Ass Wallace]

Why is there a hole in the loading gate?

I think that could be a chamber but I might be wrong!

[Ballistics in Scotland]

I've seen heavily bedouinised large Martinis in Arabia which had the thin top of the block broken through to expose the mainspring. Heaven knows how they did it. If this one was done deliberately, it might have been to provide a vent for gas escape innl the event of a punctured primer. Actually Martinis handle gas escape pretty well, and it is unlikely to happen with modern primers.

It does allow dirt or rainwater into the mainspring tunnel, and probably ahead of the flange on the firing-pin, which might reduce the firing-pin protrusion to the point of misfired. I found some square-wire coilsprings which would, normally unnecessarily, put a bit of extra oomph into the Cadet firing-pin. But that is extra oomph you could afford to reduce a little, by putting a dowel though the spring and reducing its diameter by letting it spin against a grinding wheel or belt sander. Then you could block off that hole by lining the tunnel with thin walled tubing.

[blackbahart]

this action is a bits action sourced from all over and used parts .As for the hole in the top of the block I am going with bedouinised as I have no idea what was done to it in its previous life

don't over think the hole as I haven't ,Breech block was possibly used for something else before it came to me

[GOPHER SLAYER]

I have only one question. Why didn't you make it a 218 Bee. The brass lasts much longer and it is a much better cartridge as everyone knows. I took a survey and the Bee won hands down. Some might say that my survey was flawed since I only survived one person, that being me. To that I say, all surveys are somewhat flawed. I must however compliment you on your work, the rifle looks great so far. I had one in .218 but being stupid at the time, I sold it. I have a cadet in excellent condition which I intended to make into another Bee but it looks more unlikely as time goes by. I should pass it on to someone who would put it to use. I am looking forward to see your rifle when finished

[blackbahart]

the reason for the 22hornet is I already have a 218 mashburn bee ,and wanted the lesser hornet ,no real reason except for wanting one in a martini and to use up the action

[BigEyeBob]

Just finished one in 25/35 wcf ,just need a Brno model1 rear sight.to match the Brno front sight.

[richhodg66]

I recently bought a similar rifle already finished in .218 Bee. I have yet to shoot it, but will soon. That looks to me like a very nice rifle.

I love shooting cast in the Hornet. Best fox squirrel killing implement I own is a Savage 219 in .22 Hornet.

[blackbahart]

took it out today to see how it will group .put on a scope and factory win 46gr hp at aprox 90-95 yds.First 5 holes that are #were to zero and the larger hole was a 10 shot group .Will tighten up as I did not use a rest and just hung on a fence post.Am happy with the results and off to get the metal done(just wiped the iron down with some tool black to dull the shine)

[barrabruce]

Excellent.

I'd be over the moon with that.

[Bill Torzsok]

That is very pretty and so is the rifle!