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Thread: .310 Martini Cadet question......

  1. #21
    Boolit Mold
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Sydney Australia
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    17
    Go have a read of the thread entitled '310 Martini Preliminary Results' on this website.
    High on Black Powder Smoke

  2. #22
    Boolit Mold
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Posts
    2

    Making .310 cases

    To make .310 cases from .32/20 cases just have someone with a lathe machine the front of the rims to reduce them to .045". Then trim them to length and full length resize with .310 dies. The question is what length? Someone on Wikipedia has quoted 1.075" but I can't find any actual published length in any of my books. If you want to use this length and use a Lee trimmer the pilot for the .32 H&R Magnum is exactly that length. Some Kynoch factory ammo I have has cases at 1.106". Most older commercial cases and Bertram cases are shorter at around 1.065 but vary greatly. I've found I can trim the .32/20s to 1.2" and using CBE .320-120 mould they chamber, shoot great and extract well with minimum freebore. Obviously other rifles are different but you could gradually trim them a little and try them to get the maximum length with your particular projectile.
    In answer to the original question re .32/20 rechambered rifles, the reamer would just lengthen the chamber and make the rim rebate a bit thicker. You should be able to use heeled bullets at around .320" in normal .32/20 caseswith good results.

  3. #23
    Boolit Mold
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Posts
    2
    Had good results yesterday with 4.0 gr of Trail boss in 1.075" Bertram cases with .323" 120 gr heeled cast bullets. Should say though, even though the rounds grouped 1-1/4" group at 50 yds, the group was 8 inches above the bull.

  4. #24
    Boolit Mold
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    MEDFORD OREGON USA
    Posts
    1
    I have a 310 that has been rechambered to 357/8mm which is a 357 necked down to 8mm it pushes a gas checked 175 lead bullet up to 1800 fps--and plain base cast up to 1400 fps with 1/2 inch accuracy at 100 yrds--all this is accomplished by using the origional 310 1in12 twist barrel which slugs out to 320 and of course 8mm is 321 to 324 depending on mold-really a nice shooter and even powerful enough for deer and blows the heck out of jack rabbits any questions

  5. #25
    Boolit Buddy
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Posts
    344
    ON my 310 i use a RCBS mold with a heeled bullet sized .324. Shoots very good! Even killed a small buck with it years ago. A real fun gun! the toolman

  6. #26
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Annapolis,Md
    Posts
    2,664
    I guess I'm one of the lucky ones. Mine accepts .32/20 ammo (I never checked it to see if it was re-chambered) and is devilishly accurate with .314 diameter lead bullets. I haven't fired it in years and have a project for it in the back of my mind. (I'm thinking .357 Mag or Max with a classic pistol grip stock and tang sight for a light handy deer rifle. The first thing I'll do is drill a .250" access hole in the back of the receiver to allow the cleaning rod to pass through to clean from the breech. I did that to two Martinis back in the 80's- 1 Hornet, the other .218 Bee. I got the idea from the hole that's there on small frame Martini .22 target rifles.)

  7. #27
    Boolit Bub
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Rockport, Texas
    Posts
    32
    From the Ammo Guide site: Case length - 1.120" Max Over All Length - 1.6" Bullet Dia .323"

    Nominal preformance: 120 gr Boolit @ 1,200fps

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Also known as the .310 Greener, the .310 Martini Cadet was introduced in 1900 for use in small Martini training rifles, most prominently in Australian military and police services. After WWII, many of these rifles would find their way to the United States to be sold on the surplus market and find limited success as a small-game hunting round. .32-20 Winchester brass can be used to form .310 Martini Cadet cases.

    To determine their commercial viability if rechambered, some of the original Martini Cadet rifles would be pressure-tested with proof loads as high as 60,000 psi . As a result, remarketed Martini Cadets were available from the Winfield Arms. Co. and Klein's Sporting Goods in Chicago, in more practical chamberings for the day, including the .357 Magnum, .22 Hornet, .44 Magnum, even the .32 Winchester Special.

    Barnes 'Cartridges of the World', 9th Edition lists a .310 Cadet load of 6 gr. blackpowder pushing a 120 grain lead bullet at 1200 fps with 385 ft-lbs. muzzle energy.


    My Cadet Rifle is chambered for the .32 Winchester Special but I am converting it to a single shot varmit rifle in 5.6X50R so I will soon have a cadet barrel with sights chambered in .32 Win Special for sale. Should have the project underway next month.

  8. #28
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Posts
    614
    I can certainly attest to the fact that the little flea weight Martini that is chambered to 32 Winchester Special fun is no fun at all to shoot with factory loads. The rifle is very light with a stock not built for recoil. The recoil is not a push but instead just slaps the snot out of you. Cast Boolits loads would be a different matter. Beware the Cadets that were chambered for 44 Magnum. The barrel tenon is only 3/4" and the chamber walls are rather thin. Most of them that I have seen have jugged chambers and that usually stretches the reciever ring and ruins the rifle. My experience with the ones rebored to 357 has been great! One of my better rifles is one that was rebuilt and barreled to 25.20 by Sportco in Australia. It is the only one that I have seen in this country although I do have a Sportco that is modified and barreled to 22LR. This has an unusual cross-bolt safety that is machined into the lever.
    A couple years ago I got into a group buy for 310 Martini 120 grain boolits. Lee certainly got my mold right. I trim 32.20 cases and thin the rims. Cases are neck sized in a 32.20 die and mouths are expanded very slightly with a taper punch. The shank size is close to perfect. I start the boolits by hand and finish seating with a press that was originally used for stampng some type of badges. The boolit dosen't have any lube grooves. I simply take a little Johnson Paste was in my hand, stick the loaded round between thumb and forefinger and give it a twist. The wax dries clear and hard and I have not experienced any leading. GreenDot, 231 and Unique seem to be working well but extensive testing is still to come. Neil

  9. #29
    Boolit Mold
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Yuma, AZ
    Posts
    10
    I have two 310 cadets. The barrel has to be pulled to chamber it for 32-20. My groove diameter is.316. This excludes the standard diameter bullet for a 32-20. So i had a custom mold made for a 100gr bullet by LBT in Idaho. It shoots like a dream. It loves 5.0 gr of Unique or 6.5 gr of AA9.
    My other is still in 310. I got cases from Buffalo Arms made from 32-20s and some Bertram as well. The bullet i use is a 120 gr heeled bullet cast from a mold made in Australia by Cast Bullet Engineering. And they make a fine mold. They have to be hand lubed. It shoots well as a soft bullet with 5.0 to 6.0 gr AA9. Others use Unique but I got terrible leading problems with Unique. I hope this helps. if you need more info i can be reached at Linus1943@hotmail.com.

    Jim Gilligan

  10. #30
    Boolit Mold
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Yuma, AZ
    Posts
    10
    I just read your experience with the bullet hitting high at 50 yards. Mine hits about 4 inches high on the lowest sight setting at 50 yards. i love the open rear sight, so i am not going to muck with that. However the front sight is dovetailed in, and it is done so perfectly one can barely see that it is. I found I can't get it out and will try a tool designed to remove dove tailed sights. It might also be soldered in there. and require heat as well. Then I will try a higher front sight in it's place to lower the impact. If the new front sight doesn't match the dovetail slot, I will modify the sight rather than muck up the original slot. That is whenever I get around to it. My other martini is in 310, nd I restocked it and replaced the older type rear sight with a proper BSA tang peep. It shoots just great.

  11. #31
    Boolit Mold Jamez's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
    Location
    Australia
    Posts
    5
    There was one dealer here in AUS pre-96 that I know of who restamped a heap of the .310s he bought with 32-20 to make them more saleable. 32-20 being easier to get than .310 it made them easier to sell, and since both rounds would chamber a lot of people were none the wiser. Didn't ream the chamber at all.

  12. #32
    Boolit Master Bad Ass Wallace's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    Australia
    Posts
    1,957
    There seems to be a LOT of mis-information being posted. 310 Cadet bores by BSA (30,000) were 0.316"dia (Australia must have packed up all the dud ones up to 0.323", and shipped them to America) Later the contract for replacement barrels was won by Greener (10,000)were found to be 0.320" and lacked accuracy. The Colonial Ammunition Co. based in South Australia worked on the problem and developed the heeled bullet. This does not mean to say therefore that a heeled bullet is required for every Cadet.

    I own 11 Cadets and only the Greener made one has a 0.321" bore. All the remainder shoot a non-heeled conventional bullet sized to 0.317". (See CBE 120.317)

    Always finding shooters confusled by a .310Cadet that has been converted to fire 32/20 Winchester. Firstly, I asked a gunsmith many years ago how this was done when a 32/20 has a bore of .312 and a Cadet .316 or larger. A normal .310 Cadet reamer modified to remove the rim cutter is run into a Cadet chamber then a new and deeper recess for the thicker 32/20 rim is cut separately.

    When a 32/20 is fired in this modified chamber, you get a gently sloping case of .310 dimensions but just a bit longer. Reloading is done by using normal .310 dies with a 32/20 (RCBS No.1) shell holder

    Left to Right : loaded 310 Cadet, Loaded 32/20 and ready for fireforming.


    This is what I tested in my Cadets back in March 2014 with a 125gn CBE cast bullet. I fired 3 rounds over the chrony then 2 x 10 shot groups for accuracy testing. Everybodies favourite, bloody Trail Boss, was the worst performer in terms of accuracy and it left a lot of soot in the barrel.

    AP70 4.5gns 1139,1194, 1210fps
    2205 9.5gns 1235, 1261, 1242fps
    Trail Boss 4.0gns 1043, 943.6, 955.8fps (Burnt dirty)
    AP50 4.0gns 1099, 1108, 1086fps
    AP50 4.5gns 1221, 1264, 1230fps (Best and most accurate load)
    AP100 5.7gns 1130, 1240, 1291fps (As good as AP50)
    Win296 9.5gns 1381, 1400, 1354fps (Max)
    Last edited by Bad Ass Wallace; 01-22-2017 at 05:43 PM.
    Hold Still Varmint; while I plugs Yer!

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check