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BSA Martini project


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I recently picked up a rather tatty (and cheap) old BSA Martini International target rifle, it's been a club rifle for the last 40 years and came with no sights but that suited my needs perfectly.

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My idea is to turn it into a benchrest rifle. So first a really deep clean of the barrel and action and then made a very crude bracket to temporarily mount a scope just to see if the potential was there to start with. Pleased to say inherent accuracy was just as good as I expected it to be.

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So, designed a much more substantial bracket, roughed it out with a hacksaw then machined it to size. Again checked it for fit and function, milled out a small rebate and, after a home anodising job inserted a pre-engraved plate (99p from an ebay trophy supply shop)

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I made the flat forend from a piece of oak salvaged from a kitchen cabinet door. 

Next job will be to refinish the woodwork with an oiled finish.

It really shoots a treat.

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6 hours ago, wisdom said:

Used to shoot one years ago 25yrds with a peep sight.Very accurate indeed.

My party piece was to shoot the head off a match at 25 yards. With the same type of gun.

I had a custom barreled/stocked model in 17 Remington for many years and I genuinely would have take up the challenge with you but me at 100yrds.  They are super actions and with the right barrel can be scary accurate.

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10 hours ago, NoBodyImportant said:

That would have been a 6-800$ rifle on this side of the ocean.  

Although I feel your pain, It makes a change to see the boots on the other foot. Almost everything shooting related we buy here is at an inflated price, powder, bullets, reloading tools, rifles etc.

Maybe 10 years ago you could hardly give these BSA Martini's away, now though people are beginning to value them and prices are creeping up. This rifle is a Mk5 of about 1980's vintage, the last of the BSA Martini Internationals to be made - I paid £100.

Up until around 25 years every town had a rifle club, often several clubs in the same town, almost all shooting standard prone target rifle with a sling and aperture sights, most shooting in local and national postal league competitions under strict NSRA rules. A great majority of these club shooter were using BSA Martini action rifles, - The earlier 12, and 12/15's were very common club rifles, more affluent clubs may have had the MK2 internationals - Many serious shooters opted for the MK 3, 4, and 5's as they became available. I would guess that the BSA Martini accounted for around 80% of all rimfire  target rifles used in competition at that time, the remainder were made up  a few Anschutz 54's, Finnish Lions, Russian Vostok CM-2's, the odd Unique etc.

Although many of these clubs still exist but a great many have closed down, flooding the market with these old but good quality target rifles, many were scrapped and just barrels salvaged and fitted to various sporting rifles.

 

Quite typical - Ruger precision rimfire Midway USA £300 ($390) same rifle Brownells UK £670 ($867)

https://www.brownells.co.uk/RUGER-PRECISION-RIMFIRE

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1020908991

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4 hours ago, 1066 said:

Although I feel your pain, It makes a change to see the boots on the other foot. Almost everything shooting related we buy here is at an inflated price, powder, bullets, reloading tools, rifles etc.

Maybe 10 years ago you could hardly give these BSA Martini's away, now though people are beginning to value them and prices are creeping up. This rifle is a Mk5 of about 1980's vintage, the last of the BSA Martini Internationals to be made - I paid £100.

Up until around 25 years every town had a rifle club, often several clubs in the same town, almost all shooting standard prone target rifle with a sling and aperture sights, most shooting in local and national postal league competitions under strict NSRA rules. A great majority of these club shooter were using BSA Martini action rifles, - The earlier 12, and 12/15's were very common club rifles, more affluent clubs may have had the MK2 internationals - Many serious shooters opted for the MK 3, 4, and 5's as they became available. I would guess that the BSA Martini accounted for around 80% of all rimfire  target rifles used in competition at that time, the remainder were made up  a few Anschutz 54's, Finnish Lions, Russian Vostok CM-2's, the odd Unique etc.

Although many of these clubs still exist but a great many have closed down, flooding the market with these old but good quality target rifles, many were scrapped and just barrels salvaged and fitted to various sporting rifles.

 

Quite typical - Ruger precision rimfire Midway USA £300 ($390) same rifle Brownells UK £670 ($867)

https://www.brownells.co.uk/RUGER-PRECISION-RIMFIRE

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1020908991

Yea, it’s funny what a few import laws and hoops can do to prices.  I would love to have one of those Martini 22s but the price makes it not worth it. 

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I used to shoot one in smallbore comps. Great gun and fantastic martini action. Very popular rifle until the big anschutz revolution. 

I did some work on one a few years ago for a mate. He had barrel cut and threaded. I cut downs stock and put pistol grip in it etc. Remember it was accurate. but a bit of a pain to reload being single shot and hanging onto the back of truck while chasing rabbits

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29 minutes ago, Walker570 said:

Never ever seen a Martini action with a magazine....photos please....you learn something every day.

If only there was one :) All the Martini's were single shot. The BSA Century was a sort of semi "match" rifle, fairly standard bolt action with a 5 shot magazine produced from mid'50's to early 60's - not really competitive against the Internationals and Anschutz 54 of the same period.

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1 hour ago, 1066 said:

If only there was one All the Martini's were single shot. The BSA Century was a sort of semi "match" rifle, fairly standard bolt action with a 5 shot magazine produced from mid'50's to early 60's - not really competitive against the Internationals and Anschutz 54 of the same period.

Yes, I know that, just couldn't see the connection with the original theme.    Great little action and rue the day i got rid of mine.

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