Author Topic: BSA MARTINI (Read 3614 times)

JCP · « **on:** October 18, 2008, 03:18:12 PM »

Think about getting a BSA Martini .22 target rifle. Probably a Mk 2. I know little to nothing about these rifles except what I've read and heard. Any advise on what to look for and to look out for would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Jack

Sharps-Nut · « **Reply #1 on:** October 21, 2008, 11:25:29 AM »

Hope you have not wasted your money on one of these over rated pieces of english poo. NO just kidding. Shop around the prices are all over the place on the mk series. A mk 2 is what I have and I love it. Very accurate and not one on every corner like some of the 22's out there. Off the bench the lever makes them a pain in butt to shoot. I tend to shoot prone from cross sticks and that is where the gun really shines. They were made in light weights, it brings the weight down to 10lbs or so the full blown mk 2 weighs in at around 14 lbs so offhand shooting is not real practicle. You might consider 12/15's or model 12's 12's being the older design, but the straight stock and lends itself to bench work nicer than the 12/15 or mk series. The older the series, read 12, the harder is seems to be to find a nice one. Numbers matching on the barrel, action, drop trigger assembly now look at the block, trigger group and ejector, all have the serial number on them, and all should match. I really don't care for non number matching guns. Due to the fact they came from english clubs many are being imported in that have miss matched parts. Seems the trigger assemblies pretty well all interchange within the series and the clubs often did not keep all the part together, so once sold to exported mis match guns are out there. Get on rimfire central and go to martini forum. There is a dedicated bunch of martini freaks on there that are always willing to offer a helping hand. John Appleton, MT guns, Randy Davis at Martini gallery and bob adams are all known martini dealers with good reputations as far as I am concerned. Look and enjoy they are truly a piece of art that offers some of the funnest rimfire shooting I have ever had. Best of luck. SN

JCP · « **Reply #2 on:** October 22, 2008, 02:01:12 PM »

Thanks Sharps-Nut, I ordered a MK 2 from John Appleton yesterday. Great guy and very easy to talk to. Should get it friday or monday. I haven't got it yet and I already love it

. Can't wait. Going friday to look for a few different kinds of ammo to try.

Sharps-Nut · « **Reply #3 on:** October 23, 2008, 02:32:59 PM »

I just looked on rimfire central there was a mk 2 for sale in the classifieds. Described as nice, 640.00 plus shipping. If you decide to mount a modern scope on it buy a weaver base for a thompson center contender and use two of the existing holes from the posa style scope mount. Thats my current set up, it seems to hold ok for bench plinking. Allows for modern scope mounting on posa mounts, I don't see a fecker, lyman, unertl scope in future. The accuracy from a 32x scope on mine is scary. Minute of empty rimfire case from my 25 yard home range, and thats with cheap ammo like federal automatch. Enjoy your new gun, they are wonderful. SN

Brithunter · « **Reply #4 on:** October 23, 2008, 11:12:51 PM »

Hmmm what your looking at is the BSA International Mk 11, the model is International and NOT Mk11. Any Inter should come with the sights they were not an option but I see lots of US dealers charging extra for the sights which is a rip off

I only have a bull barreled BSA model 12/15 that I picked up a couple of years ago for £25 ($40 US) from a club member who was packing up shooting since then prices have risen here due to the classic shooting movement and things like the annual Traffalgar Meeting at Bisley camp.

The BSA martini's are very................. very good target rifles soem have been chopped and fitted with sound moderators (Silencers) for super accurate Bunny bashers as martinis were so cheap some shops couldn't sell them so were cutting them up to scrap them

same happened to the Vickers Francotte action martini's

.

JCP · « **Reply #5 on:** October 26, 2008, 03:24:42 AM »

My BSA Mk 2 will be here (monday) from John Appleton

. I can hardly wait. I'll let you all know how it turns out.

JCP · « **Reply #6 on:** November 01, 2008, 02:44:54 PM »

My Mk 2 International arrived monday as expected. Man does this thing shoot straight.

I"m shooting targets that has a black dot that is 1 7/8" in dia. with a 3/8" white dot in the center. I shot five of the targets yesterday , 5 shots each with all shots inside the 3/8" dot at 25 yds.

It really likes the cheap ammo like CCI Subsonic , wolf yellow tag match target. It even shoots the cheap 12.95 for 500 rnds. winchester Xpert 22 hollow points very well with a flyer once a while.

Loads of fun to shoot, greatest trigger I've ever seen.

Brithunter · « **Reply #7 on:** November 01, 2008, 10:50:03 PM »

Glad you like it however I would suggest that you clean the barrel and shoot some decent target grade ammo through it then try it for accuracy once the bore is seasoned with the lube from this ammo

at 25 yards it should be making almost on hole bullet sized

the NSRA targets are 10 bull cards for 25 yard shooting and the 10 ring has a small white dot in the centre and it should be taking this out or clipping it well

.

JCP · « **Reply #8 on:** November 02, 2008, 01:58:25 AM »

Thanks Brithunter, that gives me an idea of what these rifles are capable of. I'll painfuly purchase a $14.00 box of Eley target ammo and give it a try.

Brithunter · « **Reply #9 on:** November 02, 2008, 11:13:54 PM »

I don't have an Inter but do have an older Model 12/15 which has the bull barrel. I have been comtemplating fitted scopes blocks so I can put a scope on it to see what it can really do

BSA made some wonderful barrels

I have a couple of their Super Sport Five models and one has a 6-18x40 Simmons Competition Air Gun scope on it and at 25 yards with Blazer ammo it will pile the shots one atop the other virtually. Best I have managed from the bench with this one is a group of 0.219" the average is around .300" Sadly I am in need of practice with aperture sights as I discovered on Sunday when shooting my 7.62mm Sportco Model 44 target rifle. Have not shot it much and the handload I tried it didn't like so brought some std Nato spec 7.62x51 ammo to try through it and it shot much better than my thrown together handload now I need to practice getting the sight picture correct every time

.

The NSRA 25 yards 10 bull target well the 10 ring measures 1/2" the white dot in the centre measures as best as I can tell 0.050" for comparision on the 50 yard NSRA target the bull measures 0.430" and the X ring 0.216". The 50 yard target is shot for group and score I understand but the 10 bull 25 yard target only one shot is made on each bull. The 50 yard target dates fro 1966 and the 25 yard target was revised in 1989 and I expect it will be revised before too long as there are too many possibles being shot with the new Eley EPS ammo. Of course not many club shooters use Martinis now they are out of fashion

it's all these alloy and plastic multi coloured space age looking monstrosities that hardly look like a rifle that they have to have now

I suppose it's good for us as otherwise there would not be the Martini's on the market for us to collect

Sharps-Nut · « **Reply #10 on:** November 03, 2008, 09:04:34 AM »

Glad to hear you got your martini. I have a m2 international with a 8x32 variable scope. I downloaded the 25 yard one shot bullseye taget from rimfirecentral and have played. Mine shoots federal champion fairly well fedral automatch pre bad lot number is real scary small groups for cheap ammo. I also shoot the cheap eley and it shoots very well. I shoot prone off cross sticks free holding the back end as this matches my silouette rules for reduced scale bpcr 22. The white dot is in serious trouble with the old automatch, or eley. I have never shot this gun in silouette as the other members would rally on its 14lbs pure target configeration. They shoot low walls with soule type sights. But I do shoot my model 12 and 1215 in silouette with the factory peeps and the same ammo mentioned above. It will hold it own against the stevens 44 walnut hills, the new low walls being imported from winchester, and the custom built guns made from old actions or new repo 44 1/2 stevens or low walls, I think its only down fall is the shooter and his cheap ammo. Our distances are 80 meter chickens offhand, 120 yard pigs cross sticked, 154 meter turkey cross sticked, and 200 meter rams crosssticked. It will sure make you believe in the humble little 22 rimfire, with peep sights. Good luck with your gun and if you don't mind a few flyers buy some eley sport. Costs about 20.00 per brick and shoot wonderful minus the flyers, which expected for cheap ammo.

JCP · « **Reply #11 on:** November 04, 2008, 12:06:35 PM »

Thanks for the info on ammo and targets men.

I now have a 6-18 power scope on mine and if I could get the heart beat to go away in the scope I believe it would put all of them in one small hole, which It quite often does now. I'm shooting CCI blazer and it is great ammo for the price ($1.69 per box).

It likes CCI subsonic but they load hard. I'm afraid I will damage the lever or something trying to get them cammed into the chamber. Any of you have this problem?

Sharps-Nut, you said yours weighs 14lbs. Mine had a 29" barrel, 1.125 at breach and .875 in front, I think mine is supposed to weigh 11 lbs., does this sound about right?
Thanks again
Jack

Brithunter · « **Reply #12 on:** November 04, 2008, 09:57:40 PM »

Ahhh the problem is that in the BSA Martini when it chambers the cartridge it actually puts the bullet into the bore and engraves the bullet. Some bullets are a little larger with longer driving bands and these are the ones that cause more problems.

The loading lever is forged case hardened steel to it's stronger than you migh think. I have some South African Swartclip ammo that is hard on chambering.

JCP · « **Reply #13 on:** November 05, 2008, 01:13:39 AM »

Thanks Brithunter, I just don't want to damage my rifle. It is very quickly becoming my favorite shooter.

As for the weight I compared it just by feel at first with a M1 Garand that weights 9 1/2 lbs. and the BSA is much heavier. I then weight them both on a set of bath room scales. The M1 weighs 9 1/2 lbs and the BSA with scope weighs over 15lbs. Thinking about putting wheels on it

Sharps-Nut · « **Reply #14 on:** November 14, 2008, 09:15:49 AM »

Sounds like the weight issue solved itself. I was talking from memory but I think a mk11 weighs around 14 with orig. sights. With a scope they are just fun and shots thought imposible are possible even with cheap ammo. This is the only high grade target rifle I own so maybe all good 22's shoot like this, but it sure woke me up on what 22's can do. SN

Keith L · « **Reply #15 on:** November 14, 2008, 09:22:02 AM »

One of my 10-22s (that I put way to much money into with all the high priced top quality stuff and had I thought about it I could have bought a real target rifle anyway darn it) will do that as well. But for what I have in it it should.

Some day I would like a Martini also. I have enjoyed this thread and reading about them. Thanks.

Sharps-Nut · « **Reply #16 on:** November 14, 2008, 10:32:57 AM »

Keith not to direct to another site but go to rimfirecentral and look at the martini section. Its about the only one on the net that has a section for the martini. By all means get you one, you wont regret it. Real nice ones are getting a little tougher to find but most all I have ever seen have shot very well. Not a collector or a high headed gun owner myself so a martini seems like a caddy to me. But a strange little caddy they are. Best of luck, SN

JCP · « **Reply #17 on:** November 14, 2008, 12:00:12 PM »

Last weekend I made a scope mount that fits the male dove tale for rear sight and installed a scope, 9x18 power. I was shooting with some friends shooting Wold Match Extra ammo and shot a 1 hole 5 shot group at 50 yds. it is bullet width in hight and 1/16" wider than bullet. I will probably never do that again but with all the rifles that I have shot, this one is the best.

I was with guys shooting bolt guns with large fingers like mine and it was a pain for them to single load their rifles and they couldn't believe how easy the martini is to load. I highly recommend them.

Keith , get one while you still can

Jack

Brithunter · « **Reply #18 on:** November 14, 2008, 11:37:37 PM »

You might find soem more information here:-

http://britishmilitariaforums.yuku.com/

as well as this site is heavily into Martinis and the miniture ones as well

with some folks that really know them inside out.

Keith L · « **Reply #19 on:** November 15, 2008, 12:54:21 AM »

Darn you guys anyway, I just went back on Rimfire Central for the first time in three years. I got sick of the guys that thought their 17HMRs were elephant guns, and couldn't see the harm in shooting stuff that got away.

I think I will stay on the Martini page. Looks like grownups there.

cwop · « **Reply #20 on:** December 09, 2008, 10:16:03 AM »

i have a martini over there with pictures i call the blunderbus. it has a huge barrell it is not an international but a cadet. i have 2 coming as i think they will be good investments. the bluderbus i put a tasco early target scope on it and the international will have a 16 pwr unertle on it. the other one will have whatever i can dig up used somewhere. they are fine rifles lots of fun to shoot and pretty neat rigs.

one international has no stock so i ordered one from great american stocks he has a duplicator you show him a picture he makes you exactly what you want.

bob

cwop · « **Reply #21 on:** December 09, 2008, 10:17:56 AM »

kieth

i too see that nonesense but you cant control this stuff. you have deprived yourself of a lot of fun. i like 22ags the winchester guy. he is a great rebluer and tinkerer. he can crown a barrell himself and has put up with so much nonesense about this i dont know how he stands it.

lot of smart fellors over there

bob