BSA Martini Cadet in .357 Magnum

A little while ago I came to be the proud owner of a Martini Cadet rechambered to .357 Magnum a long time ago when she came to the States from Australia. I paid the exorbitant sum of $75.00 for her.

Massive exterior pitting over almost 15% of the barrel and action case due to a botched re-bluing job decades ago hasn't damaged the bore, chamber or action. She shoots beautifully and has a smooth crisp trigger. My wife is a retired, disabled veteran with shoulder and back issues. My Rook Rifle, even with a semi-hot handload, recoils about the same as a .22 Long Rifle.

I've been looking at a local guy with an action and barrel in the original .310 Greener, total for both about $350.00, and in near perfect condition to boot, non matching serials, but is it a good enough deal for me to get? I'd have to buy or manufacture the wood for her, but the wife is a great carpentress. With the lighter load of the .310 I'm thinking it would be best for the wife.



Thoughts?

I built up a Cadet action for a person many years ago, I install a heavy short bull barrel and chambered it for the 218 Bee, also made a smaller firing pin and breech block hole, not a lot you can do with the trigger pull, scope mounts were high too.

You could make lighter loads for the 357 with handloads or use 38 Special loads. There is some work involved making the 310 cartridges.

Check the gunbroker auctions to get an idea of what the going rate is. They are going up. The original .310 rounds were like a large .22 in that they use a heeled bullet. I have one that was reamed out to a .32-20. It is a lot of fun to shoot. I can use .32-20 ammo but the original bore is larger than a .32-20 bullet so accuracy lacks. I use shortened cases that if I size with a .32-20 sizing die allows me to thumb seat a proper heeled bullet. You can crimp heeled bullets by inverting them in a LEE factory crimp die. I love mine and I don't have to worry about finding rimfire ammo.
john

If you can't find good "original" .310 brass, try Bertram brass / bullets here in Oz. They have done the odd run or two.

Failing that, get a stash of new .32-20 cases and skim the rims to match the original .310 and then trim to length.

The ".310" is the BORE diameter, so conventional .312" cast bullets for the .32-20 will just about rattle down the bore.

The PROPER bullet is a heeled design, with the bullet "major" diameter being the same as the case diameter, and a "stepped" tail section that sits inside the case. I believe correct moulds are available from several sources, as the .310 "Greener" / "Cadet" was not the only cartridge of this size that used a heeled bullet. Check out the makers of moulds for sundry "Rook" cartridges in Britain.There is a small company in Australia making "poly" coated, heeled bullets for the .310, but they might get a bit pricey if you include posting to Alaska.

With a good barrel and the right bullet, these little rifles are usually VERY accurate.

If you want to build a "Cadet" dynasty, keep an eye out for the "sporters" in .222 RIMMED. These little actions held up to the .222 pressures quite well if loaded to "normal" levels. Original "Super" or "Riverbrand" brass is like hen's teeth, but there are a couple of cases in the RWS catalogue that look the part.

.22 Hornet is another good one, often seen branded as "Sportco" and with new "commercial" woodwork.

Also there were a lot converted to .22RF; the trick here was that the camming lugs on the lever were "adjusted" a tiny bit so that the breech block did not rise as far as normal, and thus the striker lined up with the rim of the .22 case. Of course you need a new / modified extractor, but, ...........

If you are twitchy about .222 Rimmed, try .218 Ackley Bee; a potent little package.

There are shooters that have installed a tang on the Cadet, like a Winchester Model 92, both as an aid in stock installation and for a rear tang sight. Most are tig welded on.

Note that the Greener 310 usually used a .320 diameter heeled projectile, while military models (the actual "Cadet") usually used .316. Some of the 32-20 chambered Cadets that I have seen were actually done by running a 310 reamer a little deeper to allow for the thicker rim, while others were done with a 32-20 reamer, so chamber casts and slugging the bore is essential.

Sounds like the easiest thing would be to run 38 special loads through your current one. This mob advertises wood sets, but no idea if they are any good. Martini Small Frame