There is one thing I have learned you can say for sure about the various Martini actions; there is nothing you can say for sure about the various Martini actions!
Take the Francotte pattern for example. Parts for one Francotte made action may or may not fit or be capable of being fit to another Francotte made action. The BSA Cadet and later incarnations are Francotte patterns and parts from them normally do not fit Francotte made guns, except sometimes and they may not fit other BSA Francottes ever. You just have to try.
As much as I respect Pete Grisel's work, the lever mod as shown in DeHaas book is abomination. I made that lever for a gun I built in 219 Donaldson Wasp for hunting Rock chucks. Carried in the field the lever snagged on everything; coat sleeves, shirt front, weeds, brush, fence wire. It left .219 DW cartridges spread all over the landscape of northern California. Did I say I don't like Grisel lever mod? When I talked to Frank on the phone about it he said I wasn't the first to come to the same opinion.
J.D. very nice work! Not only do you know how do a proper fore stock, your lever end is wonderful.
I do not know why people insist on inletting a bridge timber or railroad tie for a forestock on the Martini...the large Martini''s usually the worse. I saw, a few days ago the work of the King of little Martini custom rifles. The rifle was a large Greener action and it looked like he inlet a fencepost for a fore stock -a nicely figure walnut fence post for sure, but still a fence post. I know he intended it for a forestock because it was checkered.
To many people just don't know what to do with the end of the lever and just leave it sort of dangling, like a loose thread dangling from the seam of a shirt. Something back in 1966 my dear Drill Instructor SGT Callahan abhorred and called an Irish pennant. Just something about Irish pennants set him off.
I have used a ball for that end but that doesn't have the same pleasing effect of a nice barrel like you have made. Very nice indeed.
