Rebirth of a Martini 577/450

[Bad Ass Wallace]

Well how lucky am I, last week I was given a Mk2 577/450 barrel in reasonable condition but with lots of light rust and some tacky mess like rancid waterpump grease mixed to a near solid mass, and today I tore the workshop apart to find enough bits to rebuild her. There is no pitting and the bore and chamber would rate 8/10. I tried one of my cast pills and rifling is full depth at the muzzle and as tight as!

First a nice buttstock with some fiddleback features, then a matching Mk3 forewood, the first complete breech block I found was striped and had a broken main spring. Fortunately I had a spare. The firing pin had already been bushed and protrusion measured at 0.037", perfect.

Will share some pics tomorrow as all the bits get cleaned for reassembly.

Trigger assembly, tumbler, lever barrel bands and all the bits are complete.

Am soaking the bits in diesel overnight to loosen the rust and tomorrow I will start sanding the timber.

[skeettx]

Wonderful
Did the barrel have the action body attached?
I have a nice M/H short lever and also one in long lever
They are fun guns
Mike

[Bad Ass Wallace]

Just got the barrel but there is plenty of rifling in it!



Started sanding 100 years of crud from the donar stock today, quite good walnut on the butt and forewood!

[Boz330]

Wow, that is some pretty nice wood for an old military stock.

Bob

[Bad Ass Wallace]

Nearly Done, ran a test fire today and very impressed

Trying a new finish on my latest project. Through the SB Woodcrafters Club I was recommended a polyetherene finish sold by Bunnings and made by Feast Watson, called Wipe On Poly.

It is like a modern version of french polish and simply applied by a cloth in very thin layers. It really brings out the timber colour.

The 577/450 stock has had 1 coat of Feast Watson sanding sealer and 2 coats of wipe on poly. It will be finished once I have a total of 4 coats.

On the left 1 coat of Wipeon, On the right, same wood with no coat. I am hoping to use similar wood to make a presentation case for the old girl (1883)



Martini buttstock after 1 coat of Sanding sealer and 2 coats of Wipe on Poly

[blackbahart]

it is coming along quite nicely

[robg]

Nice grain in that wood.

[Guy La Pourqe]

Will you be shooting it Wallace? I’d love to see a range report.

[Bad Ass Wallace]

Will you be shooting it Wallace? I’d love to see a range report.

I've put about 20 rounds through it (fire 3 then clean) to see what I have. The depth of rifling indicates she would rate 8-9/10. Took it to my gundealer who has a bore scope and apart from some risidual dark spots which will polish out with cast boolits it looks pretty good.

The chamber is very tight, with ammunition from my other guns not chambering in this one. Found a date on the barrel 5/85

[no34570]

Good one mate
I love the old Martini's,I have two,but in 303,but they shoot good.
Would love a 577/450 was going to get one years ago,then fell sick and could not work
Love the walnut stock pieces.

[Bad Ass Wallace]

This is my 'baby' brother - a Cadet in 25/35

[skeettx]

VERY pretty rifle !!

OK, so you shoot left handed?
and please tell me more about the pelt/rug

Thank you
Mike

[Texas by God]

Martinis are rare around here. You Aussies should send some over and thru Panama to Houston so at least we'll get a chance at them first! We can send AR15s to y'all in exchange.....

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[Bad Ass Wallace]

The young shooters here in Australia think a semi-auto is a clutchless Mac truck

I have about 40 Martini's in both military and sporting trim.

The pelt is from our native dingo!

[BigEyeBob]

The young shooters here in Australia think a semi-auto is a clutchless Mac truck

I have about 40 Martini's in both military and sporting trim.

The pelt is from our native dingo!

Yeah if it aint 'tactical '
it aint cool .

[Traffer]

That gun would be up there with my "most desired" guns of all time. Maybe in the after-life.
1)Original Browning hi wall in 45/70
2)Martini Henri 577/450
3) Swiss Vetterli
4) Original Flobert 6mm

[Boz330]

That gun would be up there with my "most desired" guns of all time. Maybe in the after-life.
1)Original Browning hi wall in 45/70
2)Martini Henri 577/450
3) Swiss Vetterli
4) Original Flobert 6mm

They are available through IMA. Good wood can be gotten from Treebone Carving. Here are a couple stocks from them.

Bob

[Baltimoreed]

Very nice stockwork. I’ve always wanted a full sized Martini. I did buy one of your nation’s Cadet ‘Kangaroo’ rifles last year but it had been rechambered to .357 mag and scoped. A very cute accurate rifle. Kind of a small caliber to hunt kangaroo with though. Looking forward to seeing your completed rifle.