Paging Bad A$$ Wallace: Martini Cadet Sight Questions

[Bigslug]

So I got my little .32-20 converted BSA up and running today. It's immediately obvious that the accuracy potential is not going to be fully realized with the combination of 43 year old eyes and open sights. Thought I ask the more learned members about what my options are.

The rifle looks to be one of the early Cadets - the rear tang of the receiver is not tapped, but somebody already tapped the left sidewall, so I'm not worried about collectibility on this one.

There appear to be a few options for sights that mount on the tang. Any preferred variation and why?

EDIT TO ADD: And sources for same. I wouldn't be surprised if I have to troll outside the U.S. market.

The original front sight appears to be a dovetail that's been blended in - possibly brazed in place. Does anyone know if it's a common spec dovetail, and how hard it is to move? I see a Lyman 17A or similar in its future.

Thanks in advance! :drinks:

[Frank46]

I have a model 12 22rf that when I got it had no front sight. The block for the sight appears to be brazed in place. Stole the globe front sight off my rem 513T and it fit the existing dovetail fine. Mine did however come with the parker hale 7a rear sight and had the hole in the back of the received drill so you could clean the barrel with the trigger assembly removed. Frank

[Bigslug]

Yeah. . .kinda thinking the 7/7A is the way to go - beefy lookin' mutha! If a Remington front sight fit, it should be a 3/8" or similar. Good intel!

[Ballistics in Scotland]

BA Wallace is surely the man to consult on this, when he turns up. Some of the sights made for the BSA rimfire target rifles will work, but some of the later ones may have a different receiver curvature, or require a flat rear to the receiver. Anyway they look a bit bulky on the little Cadet.

My choice would be the Sportarget sight, which is a sort of bracket containing a sideways-acting micrometer tang sight. There was one 9not illustrated on this website) shaped for the side of the Martini, and you could probably use one of your existing screwholes. I have one made for a large diameter round receiver (probably a Webley air rifle, since they did advertise it.) Someday I will replace that by silver soldering on a mount for a flat and vertical receiver side.

They do appear on eBay from time to time, at prices varying from expensive to very expensive. But then you expected that, didn't you? They don't make them any more.

http://www.rifleman.org.uk/PH_Service_sights.htm

[Bad Ass Wallace]

If the left side has already been tapped you can make a telescope site or peep sight base from a piece of unequal angle (25x38mm), you can get a piece of 3/8"dovetail from Brownells and screw it to the angle. Then any reasonable sight (even an Anchutz) will fit to the dovetail rail!

The front sight can be as simple as getting a split sleeve made to match the Parker Hale or Anchutz foresight to your barrel diameter and tighten a couple of grub screws to hold in place!

[BigEyeBob]

I have had one of these sights sent to me for testing ,I haven't had a chance to find time to do it .
Bit they might be an option .It came with small Picatinny rail that could be mounted on a dovetail or a base that fits on the original screw holes for the standard cadet sights.
I have to get my ring into gear and see how I can make it fit some thing I have in my safe for testing.

https://seeallopensight.com/

Kev.

[Bigslug]

My big question at this point: Other than the holes I'll need to add for a P.H. 7/7A sight, is there any difference in the receiver tang between the early #4 (which is what I think I have) and the later actions?

Does anyone know if the stock mounting holes on those later actions were the usual 6-48 thread, or something. . .else?

[Ballistics in Scotland]

The page on identifying BSA models on that website is incomplete, and you can't see all of it at once when scrolling. But up to the model 9 was certainly of abut 1in. diameter, like the Greener Cadet. I think the little used 10 and 11 probably were as well, but don't know. The change to 1 and 3/16 (very implausibly given as 13/16 on the website. might have come with the 10 and 11, but more likely with the 12. I don't know when they gave up the narrow concavity at each edge of the butt socket, which would also have affected the radius of the part which lies between.

The radius at the bottom of the sight can be altered with an electric drill and stones, 1in. sanding drums or a half-round file. You don't have to bring it into contact all the way across just make each edge contact along its length, and fill the space with epoxy tinted with lamp black.

I don't know the screws used, but they are almost certainly not American unless a late modification has been done, which the action side holes probably is. Perhaps the most likely factory thread would be BA, although it might be BSW (Whitworth) or BSF, for which there are links on this page. Screws and dies should be available on eBay.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Association_screw_threads

http://www.rifleman.org.uk/BSA_Rifles_identification.htm

[calaloo]

134755134757What you need is a BSA No. 8. It fits the Cadet and looks really nice on one. It has an adjustable aperture eye disc also. Contact me if interested.

[Bigslug]

134755134757What you need is a BSA No. 8. It fits the Cadet and looks really nice on one. It has an adjustable aperture eye disc also. Contact me if interested.

Well. . .that was easy.:bigsmyl2: Now to bribe the gunsmith to get it mounted before I expire of extreme age...