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Thread: New to me a 442 Martini Rook Rifle

  1. #1
    Boolit Master Bad Ass Wallace's Avatar
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    New to me a 442 Martini Rook Rifle

    Well it came into my local gunshop from an estate sale and I just cant resist a new toy, particularly one I've not seen before. This is a Issac Hollis & Sons 442 rook rifle and the bore is rust free which I would rat 8+/10, shiny with no blemishes from one end to the other. I have two original cartridges from my collection.

    Action is a scaled down Martini Henry


    2 original cartridges with a 44 Russian case for comparason


    I have found a reference to a 442 Webley on the CH4D website and I think the 44 Russian cases can be reformed.

    https://tecmagex.com/en/ch4d-die-set-442-webley.html
    Hold Still Varmint; while I plugs Yer!

  2. #2
    Boolit Buddy blackbahart's Avatar
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    well thats a nice find !
    had a webly revolver ,44 Russian cases did work but had to thin the rims and cut the cases shorter to work in it

  3. #3
    Boolit Master Bad Ass Wallace's Avatar
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    Been looking at running a 44 Special reamer into the chamber so I can load with standard dies and just need to use a 38/40 FLS to grip the boolit. Bertram brass is selling locally for $4.00 each.
    Hold Still Varmint; while I plugs Yer!

  4. #4
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bad Ass Wallace View Post
    Been looking at running a 44 Special reamer into the chamber so I can load with standard dies and just need to use a 38/40 FLS to grip the boolit. Bertram brass is selling locally for $4.00 each.
    Nice find there Mate. I think I have a hand full of 38/40 and some 44/40 from a death estate and may know for a few more if you go that route. Regards Stephen

  5. #5
    Boolit Master
    barrabruce's Avatar
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    I’m moving to BAW country so I can get on some of these deals.
    If I could beat him to it that is.
    I don’t think I have the knack or the luck thou.

  6. #6
    Boolit Master Jedman's Avatar
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    I have really admired a lot of your single shots you find . We seldom see the other martinis not made by BSA or Greener much. That seems to be a large caliber for shooting rooks ? I like your idea to ream to 44 special, I would do the same myself.

    Jedman

  7. #7
    Boolit Master
    barrabruce's Avatar
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    I think sometimes "rooks" was a generic term for poaching anything from pheasants to red deer.
    But I may have just read into it wrong.

  8. #8
    Boolit Master Drm50's Avatar
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    Some years ago I had a British Bulldog type revolver 442. Gun was in very nice shape, nickeled. Never shot it, no ammo. Was of the quality of H&R revolvers of the day.

  9. #9
    Boolit Grand Master uscra112's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by barrabruce View Post
    I think sometimes "rooks" was a generic term for poaching anything from pheasants to red deer.
    But I may have just read into it wrong.
    Rook was an English word for a crow's nest. Rook rifles used a fairly heavy bullet at low velocity, because farmers wanted to stand under the tree and shoot up the nests, incidentally killing the young, without having the bullet travel very far. Crows were very much hated for the damage they did to emerging crops. They still do. Ever seen crows following a farmer's seed drill?
    Cognitive Dissident

  10. #10
    Boolit Master Bad Ass Wallace's Avatar
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    I have a liking for the unusual. Picked up this Gemnar Martini a while back. A 44/40 with an exposed hammer.



    Hold Still Varmint; while I plugs Yer!

  11. #11
    Boolit Master
    barrabruce's Avatar
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    Beautifully.
    Looks along the lines of a vickers with that one piece stock.
    I like things made when people still made things with skills.

    When I win the lottery!

  12. #12
    Boolit Buddy
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    You can buy my pair of cased custom 12 bore Greeners if you like Bruce I'm sure you would admire the workmanship.

  13. #13
    Boolit Master

    TCLouis's Avatar
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    Exposed hammer Martini . . .

    NOW we're talking a proper single shot.
    Amendments
    The Second there to protect the First!

  14. #14
    Boolit Mold Makizushi's Avatar
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    Very nice rifle! I have a cousin of your gun there, an Issac Hollis Martini in .380 long. Buying that gun is actually what got me into reloading, since there wasn’t another way I was going to be able to shoot the gun without buying super expensive ammo from custom loaders.

    As it turns out, I have probably spent an order of magnitude more on reloading gear and extra stuff to trick out my press than a whole case of custom loaded rook ammo, but I had lots of fun doing it, and I have a whole new aspect of my shooting hobby to enjoy.

  15. #15
    Boolit Master
    GARD72977's Avatar
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    Very intresting guns. I have never owened a Rook rifle. Looks like a lot of fun to get one shooting again.

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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