Martini 218 Bee

[dromia]

As some of you know I am a big fan of Martini action rifles with currently a couple or dozen of so in my collection. I am also a fan of interesting calibres with a special affection for small and large bores. So when I was offered this rifle as part of a collection I was buying a couple of years ago I just couldn't say no.

This Martini is an interesting rifle and is probably a one off, perhaps an apprentice piece when you see all the jobs that had to be done to make it.

The receiver is a small frame Francotte with the action being by BSA, now as you will know these Martini actions were fitted with two part stocks, for end and but. However this one has been fitted into a one piece stock that originally came from a Vickers Martini action rifle. To fit this stock to the receiver a tang has been added to the rear of the receiver, the tang has been drilled and tapped to take a BSA rear peep sight which came with the rifle. The lever has also been cut off and replaced with a new one to fit the stock. Internally the action has been polished and break very cleanly at 3 1/2lbs. The stock itself has been refinished, chequered and an end cap fitted to the half pistol grip.

The action has been fitted with a Lothar Walther .22" barrel that has been chambered for the lovely little .218 Bee cartridge with a ramp and blade foresight.

The rifle came with a rather large Zomz scope with I replaced with this little Dinox 2.5-4 scope from my collection which sets the rifle of nicely I think. So here are some pictures of the gun:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/adamsutherland/218%20Bee/IMG_7055.png


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/adamsutherland/218%20Bee/IMG_7056.png


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/adamsutherland/218%20Bee/IMG_7052.png


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/adamsutherland/218%20Bee/IMG_7053.png


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/adamsutherland/218%20Bee/IMG_7051.png


As well as being a Martini the calibre was very interesting as I have fondness for these early CF small bore cartridges that were all trying to better the 22 Hornets performance and knocking at 3000 fps. I have played with most of them over the years and it was nice to get a Bee back in my hands.

My initial load was just 2 1/2 gns Vihtavuori N310 under a NOE 225107 37Gr GC giving me just under 1500 fps and 1/4" 25yrd groups however I wanted to up that velocity so yesterday I shot some different loads.

These were loaded with 4 1/2 gns Vihtavuori N320 under the same NOE 225107 37Gr gas checked boolit cast from range scrap BHN 12, sized to .225" and lubed with 2500.

The photo below shows, right to left, loaded 218 Bee round, empty case, a couple of lubed and sized boolits, a couple of as cast boolits and a 315299 boolit along with a 30-40 Krag case for scale.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/adamsutherland/218%20Bee/IMG_7062.png

These chronographed at a tad over 2000 fps and gave the following 100 yrd group shot in a stiff wind blowing right to left.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/adamsutherland/218%20Bee/IMG_7059.png


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/adamsutherland/218%20Bee/IMG_7058.png


Another keeper.

[Jeff Michel]

It's tough to keep envy/jealousy at arms length with that particular setup.

[Bad Ass Wallace]

20 years ago I spied a Martini Cadet in 218 Mashburn Bee at a gunshow for the princely sum of $175. Installed in home made figure 8 mounts was a Pecar 4x scope so how could I not buy?

It still remains one of my favourite small calibre rifles. If I could buy a Ruger No.1 in 218Bee it would also bee rechambered!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v152/BAWallace/Christine218MBTarget.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/BAWallace/media/Christine218MBTarget.jpg.html)

[JeffinNZ]

ADAM: Euan sent me some of those little 225107's and I shot them in Kiera's Hornet. Cut one ragged hole at 50m exiting my company at 2250fps. Awesome little (and I mine LITTLE) bullet. Looking forward to laying her down on a hill in serious rabbit country and letting her light up the countryside with them.

[skeettx]

What fun, what fun
My 218 Bee is on a BSA made Commonwealth action
and the barrel is a shortened Remington 223 Varmint barrel

Bottom one

http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/MVC-065S1.JPG

Mike

[Gaseous Maximus]

It's tough to keep envy/jealousy at arms length with that particular setup.

Yeah, Me too. That is really nice.

[Mk42gunner]

I've played with several of the little .22 c/f's, but never a Bee. I do have one lone fifty round box of brass waiting in the wings though.

I am going to have to try that 225107 in my Savage 219 .22 Hornet.

Robert

[Von Gruff]

I saw the 216 Bee title and thought there was a new extra small bore but pleased to see that was not so. Great example of what can be done with a little imagination.

[BigEyeBob]

Your rifle is only the second one I've ever seen in a full one piece stock .I'm looking for a 218B or 219 Donaldson Wasp or a 22 Hornet Martini at the moment .
I have one in 222rimmed.

[hendere]

Beautiful gun.

Speaking of Mashburn, a couple of years ago someone was renovating a building close to me (Oklahoma City) and the Mashburn Arms sign was uncovered. I knew it was somewhere around here but couldn't remember exactly where.

[skeettx]

Mashburn Arms & Sporting Goods Co., Inc.
1218 N. Penn, Okc, OK 73107 Phone: (405) 236-5151

or


3800 S EASTERN AVE
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73129
Business Phone Number
(405) 670-5885

[hendere]

It's amazing what has been done with these fine old guns, and Dromia's gun makes me think that I need one. Badly. Congratulations again for a really great score.

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.4816498,-97.5476635,3a,37.5y,122.05h,91.37t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sLylq9Ld7pJ5g3Ze97TOcfA!2e0!5s2 0120301T000000!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1?hl=en

[MT Chambers]

Nice rifle!!! I'd Mashburn any and every .218 Bee that I came across.

[Bad Ass Wallace]

"Down Under" 218 brass is a rare as rocking horse poo so we get by reforming Starline 25/20 brass; lately Starline has dried up also!

[Ballistics in Scotland]

It looks extremely good. Do you know if it still has the ordinary BSA stock attachment bolt? There is no reason why it shouldn't, except that the rear end of the tang ought to be quite thin, to remove as little wood as possible. I would replace the stock bolt with a thicker one, so that the tang could be secured by a machine screw into a hole drilled and tapped in the bolt.

Could that be a 7/8in. or similar diameter scope? It should make it easier to insert cartridges in a hurry, and possibly even complete ejection. I have a pre-war Zeiss Zielklein on a .40-65 large Martini, which isn't as bright as a modern scope, but not at all bad, and although it was probably meant as a rimfire scope, it has a moving reticule, which is probably about as recoil-proof as scopes get. I have it in a long-discontinued type of Leupold mount which I think only production economies doomed to disappearance. It gives reliable external adjustments, putting the reticule central and permitting (rimfire) range adjustment to the marked figures on the elevation dial.

Once I found a Voigtlander scope in a fitted leather case marked "For the Ross rifle), and therefore early 20th century, on a display table in a game fair in Scotland. It was for sale at £20 but like a fool I hesitated and made noncommittal noises in the hope of a reduction, and the friend I was with bought it. That scope really did compare pretty well with those of the present day, too.

One snag of the Vickers design is that the action takedown screw is also the front stock attachment screw. That, I think, makes it suitable only for a fully floated barrel. The .218 is one of the best cartridges for the Cadet, and I don't see any pressing need for the Mashburn conversion. If this is to be done, I would make sure the reamer-maker knows it is a conversion, and will therefore make the pilot long enough for good alignment when you are starting with an empty space. If I was starting from scratch I would use the 5.6x50R or something based on it. But at the worst you can make the Bee from .32-20, which doesn't have nearly as precarious a hold on the marketplace as the .25-20.

There is a special place in hell for the people who introduce endless new cartridges, forcing good old ones from the marketplace. And when they get there, there is a rack of unusable guns in the corner.

[rollmyown]

I've spoken to one of our best local custom gunsmiths. Given the time to produce a quality martini he thinks there will be no change from $3500 (AUD). I'm now thinking of converting a CZ 527 to a bee as it should be much cheaper. Hopefully that would be a much more cost viable project.
That said, that martini looks superb. Thanks for the pics and story.

Is your barrel a 1 in 14 or 1 in 12 twist?

[rockrat]

I remember Mashburn Arms on N. Penn. just down from the old AMC. Used to go there, Mashburns and Southwest shooters

[Bill Torzsok]

"Down Under" 218 brass is a rare as rocking horse poo so we get by reforming Starline 25/20 brass; lately Starline has dried up also!
You are not wrong BAW, I have had 218 bee brass on order over 18 months and there is no hope of getting any
in the near future according to my supplier. I sacrificed some 25-20 brass to keep my Bee fed.

[Sur-shot]

Sorry but can not help myself. This is my 222R, 218 Bee, 357 Super Mag and the 225 WM / 357 Super mag switch barrel gun. Folks said I could not build a Cadet in 357 SM or Max so I built two.;)

Once I made a new firing pin and put in the bushing for the firing pin hole, I built the 225 barrel which is about the largest diameter case the cadet will take. For you below the Equator folks that little 222R is a real shooter. I bought the original rifle from Australia, rebarreled it and stocked it and had the dealer ship me 10 twenty rd boxes of new brass. I really like my little Martinis. The Maple stocked gun has a whitetail buck to its credit.
Ed

[enfield]

Sur-Shot, very nice collection there, all mine are still in 22LR form, except the Mashburn, and no fancy wood. They're just a great little action. Not sure what those things are sitting on top of the barrels :) I'm going to stick with the BSA #8 sights as long as I can still see.

[Sur-shot]

Sur-Shot, very nice collection there, all mine are still in 22LR form, except the Mashburn, and no fancy wood. They're just a great little action. Not sure what those things are sitting on top of the barrels :) I'm going to stick with the BSA #8 sights as long as I can still see.

I discovered, by accident, that if you leave the barrel straight, right at 1 inch in diameter, for 6 inches or so from the front of the action, then taper to the muzzle, a Remington 541 scope base fits the barrel perfectly. Pop the rings on and a scope fits just great. The 218 and 222R make great turtle guns on my farm ponds.
Ed

[DerekP Houston]

wow those are some gorgeous single shots. is 218 bee brass an easier to find overseas?

[Bill Torzsok]

wow those are some gorgeous single shots. is 218 bee brass an easier to find overseas?
Derek, I have had .218 bee brass on back order for over 18 months!
There is no ETA according my supplier here in Australia.

[eljefeoz]

Derek, I have had .218 bee brass on back order for over 18 months!
There is no ETA according my supplier here in Australia.
Bill,Have you tried Bertram?

[DerekP Houston]

Derek, I have had .218 bee brass on back order for over 18 months!
There is no ETA according my supplier here in Australia.

I have looked at a few local places for members and had the same answer from sales folks. It appears to not exist I guess.

[MaxJon]

I got 25-20 Does and 218 bee dies cheap, so I convert 32-20 starline....made sense to me....

[Jedman]

216430Seeing this post and the one piece stocked martini has me inspired to get back to work on a project that has been waiting several years for me to get finished.
I bought a rifle that needed some work, mainly it had a broken firing pin and would not fire.
It has a Zeller martini action and stocked in a nice looking 1 piece stock and had a barrel in 22 K hornet but was poorly fit and looked bad.
I have a 25 cal. barrel blank and a reamer in 256 Win. mag as start and need to get the blank profiled , chambered and modify the extractor. Making a firing pin should be easy enough.
I also plan to make a nice all steel scope mount with rings that will look like it blends to the overall look of the unique rifle.
The Zeller action is quite a heavy chunk of steel it alone weighs almost 2 1/2 pounds.
This rifle wount be a lightweight like my Cadet based rifles.

Jedman