I am capturing data to begin making copies of both the thin and thick wall mini martini.  My goal is to be interchangeable with meager parts but with three small changes.  I plan to use both a 4140 type modern gun steel and 12L14 mild steel for the receivers.
Any one interested in a new made Martini?
Alan

Alan, if you must build an ugly gun, make mine a Hepburn. Thank you.          Joe.

Alan,
I would think twice about building complete small-action Martini's - these actions and rifles still are available 2ndhand at moderate prices, no way you would be able to compete pricewise...  Now, spares for those rifles, that could be profitable!  Stuff like extractors, sears, blocks (RF and CF), firing pins, levers etc.

If you want to recreate a Martini, IMO the best one to do is its larger brother - the large-action Francotte Martini.  Why?   

1. Because that one is NOT available at a reasonable price, and
2. It offers the advante of easy (cadet-style) takedown in a large action, which
3. in modern steels would be able to handle quite powerful rimmed rounds

But - again IMO - the small action BSA's are still plentyful and relatively cheap, so it would be hard competing with those.

And as to the hump - form follows functionality - it does have its use, especially if you have small hands/short fingers

I will be offering parts and there are some at (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links); item #HX6A-96276
12L14 is a very good steal for this kind of recever but I will offer the same in 4140 gun steel.
The larger action will come later after I get a good sample.
Alan

Very cool idea, and I wish you the best of luck!

Some thoughts of my own (take them as being worth what you paid, however...).

I agree with others that there are other variations of the Martini that would be in more demand for new-built actions... however, I respect your wanting to wet your feet with the more routine action first.  I might choose the same path, if I had the wherewithal to get into such a project.

12L14 would make the manufacture way easier (it machines SOOOOO nicely!). However, I too would be a bit concerned about it's strength.  If it were me, I'd consider 41L40 instead.  OR, have a pack-carburizing* and hardending/drawing be the last step in manufacture. But by that time, you may have passed the point of economic value.   

* For those not familliar with pack-carburizing, it's like standard case-hardening, only the case is FAR FAR deeper, up to 1/16" of high carbon surface.. the process takes about 12 hours in an atmosphere controlled furnace packed in carbon bearing material.   

I would want to sit down with someone who is passingly familliar with action-engineering from a metallurgy standpoint, and make sure 12L14 is suitable.  I don't know that it's NOT... just would want to be safe.


Also, if you were to eventually build "german style" Schützen Martini actions with double-set triggers... I would SO be buying one from you! 

Keep us posted! I'd love to see ANYONE making ANY "new" single shot action for the market!
Paul F.

Hello Guys

Small RF martinis are in good supply here, for amazingly small amounts of money.  Usually around US$120-150.  CF breechblocks are as rare as hens teeth, and I'd buy 3 for actions I have, and would risk paying up front.  They are that hard to get and not as straightforward  to convert as everyone makes out.

Now a medium Francotte action as others have mentioned, well I'd give something pretty special to have a new one of these.

Cheers - Foster

Tentman wrote on Aug 11^th, 2006 at 11:00pm:



Foster, I've converted several RF Cadets to CF and have found it to be a fairly simple job, at least the RF-to-CF part is simple. As I'm sure you're aware, however, the block sometimes needs to be bushed for a smaller striker tip, and I've found bushing to be frequently more trouble than the RF-to-CF part.

My procedure was to shorten the ears of the lever, and I've found that ~0.025" is a good place to start. My two required 0.033" and 0.035", as I recall. I made a thread bushing for the receiver ring and used it to center the strike, by looking through it after each cut-&-try-&-reassemble session. Also used it to center the new hole when bushing the blocks on two other CF actions.

I first ground and then stoned the new breechface angle, using layout dye and a plug through the receiver thread bushing to attain a perpendicular surface. If I was doing this for a living, as at least one US smith seems to be doing, then I'd make up a little grinding/sanding/lapping fixture to do this under power to speed up the job.
Regards, Joe

When you make either the small or large version of the Martini I would be interested and I have read on other forums that there are quite a few others who would be interested. You would only have to get the word out. I have been using these actions since 1964 and I have not until recently found more than one every 3 or 4 years. The internet has greatly improved being able to locate these actions but a brand new one would be a treat.