Question about bushing a Martini Cadet firing pin hole

[RG1911]

I need the firing pin hole bushed and drilled, and the firing pin turned down to stop the primer flow back into the firing pin hole. (The Martini Cadet has been barreled and chambered for .222Rimmed.)

Being in Colorado, I called Greg Tannel because he does a lot of this work on other actions. The reply was along the lines of "did it once, worst experience I've had, will never do it again, click." Naturally, that caught my attention.

A bit more searching found about three 'smiths who specialize in this procedure, although the price seems pretty hefty.

Apparently I'm missing something. Is anyone familiar with why this job seems to be so touchy and complex?

Thank you,
Richard

[LAGS]

I have had rifles that had Wallered out Firing pin holes.
I made a new firing pin that was larger diameter on just the tip, after truing up the firing pin hole, and solved the problem.
But I did drill and insert a bushing in a Mosin Nagant Bolt head, and silver soldered it in place.
After a while, the forces that cause the primer to flow back into the firing pin hole caused the Bushing to start to work loose.
Also, your firing pin spring may be Too Weak for the new rounds chamber pressure.
I would try a heavier spring First.

[Outpost75]

John Taylor bushed my BSA Cadet Martini and several other single shots for me.

[akajun]

John Taylor

[Ballistics in Scotland]

I'd agree with LAGS that within the limits usually found in Cadets, the fit of the pin is more important than dimensions. Most likely a bigger and well shaped pin would be enough. But the front of the block is quite thin and funnel-shaped to the rear, so there isn't much metal if you do want to bush it in the simplest way. One way to proceed would be to turn and silver solder a funnel shaped bushing, to the conical part of the hole as well. Another would be to mill or file a shallow groove across the breech face, and silver solder a steel strip into it.

[RG1911]

But the front of the block is quite thin and funnel-shaped to the rear, so there isn't much metal if you do want to bush it in the simplest way. One way to proceed would be to turn and silver solder a funnel shaped bushing, to the conical part of the hole as well. Another would be to mill or file a shallow groove across the breech face, and silver solder a steel strip into it.

Thank you. I had not thought to check the thickness and shape of the block. Shall do so. The funnel-shaped bushing sounds interesting, so long as it doesn't interfere with the forward motion of the firing pin.

I'm assuming that the shallow groove you describe would be wider than the diameter of the existing firing pin hole.

I'll also follow up with John Taylor.

Cheers,
Richard

[Ballistics in Scotland]

Thank you. I had not thought to check the thickness and shape of the block. Shall do so. The funnel-shaped bushing sounds interesting, so long as it doesn't interfere with the forward motion of the firing pin.

I'm assuming that the shallow groove you describe would be wider than the diameter of the existing firing pin hole.

I'll also follow up with John Taylor.

Cheers,
Richard

You would have to make a pin with a longer nose, or inlet one into that pin, or slightly reduce the conical part. I've seen rimfire-centrefire conversions, so long ago I don't remember in which direction, and in one the new tip was inlaid into the old pin, and in the other it was like a sort of steel thumbtack with the two full-diameter surfaces soldered together.

I'd say about a quarter inch wide. They sometimes dovetailed a piece of harder steel when they converted .577/.450 Martinis to .303, because there was supposedly a tendency for the breech face to become dished and impede opening. I have seen what I take to be original and unmodified blocks suffering no such effect, but maybe it only happened when there was less brass in the case head than there is nowadays. I would use a piece of a spring steel cabinet scraper 1/32in. thick.

If you need to get more spring power into the available space, there are now square wire springs made for separating industrial die-casting moulds.

[GOPHER SLAYER]

Richard McKinney in Drake, Co. is a fine gun smith. He bushed a firing pin hole for me on a German single shot. He did a great job. His phone number is 870-635-2409.

[gnoahhh]

What was that German single shot, Gopher Slayer? I have a break-open stalking rifle with some nasty pitting around the firing pin hole that I figure a bushing in the breech face should eliminate.

[GOPHER SLAYER]

What was that German single shot, Gopher Slayer? I have a break-open stalking rifle with some nasty pitting around the firing pin hole that I figure a bushing in the breech face should eliminate.
It is difficult to say what the name of the rifle is or was since the German MFG seldom put their name on the action but rather on the barrel. They often sold the actions to other rifle MFG and they could call it whatever they wanted. Mine is a great looking falling block. One name I have read about the action is Schmigt- Haberman. I will see if I still have a picture in my puter file. It will take some searching to find the picture. I will post it later.

[GOPHER SLAYER]

This is the single shot I referred to.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

That looks very much like the Kettner action, which is stronger than those based on the Aydt system. The reinforced sides are something I have never seen, and suggest that this one was meant to withstand high pressure. Some of the Kettners have disc-set strikers, and as the design permitted thick enough metal in the front of that rather long block to accommodate this, I doubt if they would have made it thinner in this case. It was probably a much simpler bushing job than the Cadet Martini.

This picture is the Portuguese Guedes, which although mostly a domestic Portuguese design, much resemblets some of the German ones. It is a good example of how the thin breech face and the curved striker movement would make bushing difficult.

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