NEW Martini actions and rifles

[kbmoly]

Hi. I'm a new guy on the block, but a long time martini admirer. Have several, and enjoy them a lot. Thought you might be interested that a fellow in Ohio named Lester McFarland runs a small machine shop operation called Highland Technologies (1-937-288-3080). He tells me that he's planning (now making drawings and installing new machinery) to put the Martini back into production. He plans to make them (large and small actions) and rifles out of modern steel, in a variety of calibers, hand or laser engraving, etc, ect, ect.   Maybe some encouragement from anyone else interested could push him along a bit faster.

Regards,
kbmoly

[Lefty Behind]

Sounds like a great idea!
I have 10 of them, love them.
I want more.  New ones would be nice.
Keep us posted, please.

[kbmoly]

Grew up near Gasaway myself, mostly along the Elk river, 'twixt there and Charleston.  Lived down near the New River Gorge until after I graduated from WVIT.  

I'll be sure to post a note when he gets a little closer to generating some steel chips on his machinery.

Regards,

kbmoly

[Double D]

Hey Lefty,

I talked with both Lester and Ken "kbmoly".  I suggested that to get started that they should start making extractors and commercial levers and perhaps sell via Brownells.  Lester seems to be set pretty much on a rimless extractor ala Bob Snapp.  Not a bad idea, but I myself  would rather see a convential extractor first.  

I also sent them pictures of the two sizes of Francotte martini that I have.





And as a teaser I sent them a picture of a miniature commercial MH so the could see the lever.  You know which picture I sent them.



There is one thing I hope they do. put some sort of ejector on the top of the breech block.

I wish them the best in this endeavor.

DD

[kbmoly]

I didn't realize you were the moderator here.  Neat.

But I've been thinking about your large size Francotte Martini, because we've recognized some of the limitations of the small size Cadet action.  

We were going to address some of them by simply designing an action with heavy sidewalls.  This would enable us to put a large dia barrel on the action for modern usages.  But if someone wanted to exactly duplicate an original, it wouldn't be hard to set one aside for a small (original) barrel shank and grind the sidewalls to duplicate the original action.  

We'll probably still do that because it's so easy, but we'd also discussed enlarging the action and essentially making a large action that was 1.25 or 1.5 times the Cadet action.  But we decided it would have to wait a bit, as we (mostly Lester) have our hands full as it is.  But access to an existing large action would simplify things a great deal.  Would you be interested in selling yours, or perhaps renting it to us so that we could make a set of drawings off of its parts?  Out of curiouslity, what it's chambering?  

kbmoly

[Double D]

Kbmoly,

I'm not the moderator here, I am moderator over on the Blackpowder Mortar and Cannon forum.  Here the title moderator is an honorarium.

The thick side has been done,  it call the "thick side"  The only thing you gain is bulkyiness.  The little action will support 30-30 class cartridges as is and is plenty strong.   By making thicker sides and thus being able to use a larger shank you aren't solving any problems.  You have to  lengthen the action to allow the bigger or longer cartridges to feed.  The length of the block and the angle it makes is what determines the length of the cartridge that can be feed in the action.  

With a larger barrel tenon you may be able to increase the diameter of the cart a small bit but the increase in diameter is going to shorten the lenght of cartridge you fit down the feed ramp.

As is a 30-30 will feed but a 38-55 won't.  A 357 Magnum will feed but a 357 Maximum won't.

The other problem with the little action is the weight.  A 32 special is painful to shooting in the gun. A 7-30 Waters is nice but brisk.

I have a mind to build one in 7TCU-rimmed using 5.6x5.6R brass.  A 30 WhisperRimmed would be interesting also.  Or how about a .221 fireball rimmed.

The two size actions is the better way to go.  

DD