I've recently acquired a small frame Martini, maker unknown, with a replacement barrel chambered for .38 Special. It appears to be someone's attempt to recreate the Martini version of a rook rifle and is a great deal of fun to shoot. Using .38 wadcutters and light loads of Bullseye powder, it shoots far better than I can with my 56 year old eyes and iron sights and is about as quiet and close to recoil free as one could reasonably ask. The butt is probably original, or at least came off a commercial rifle and not a Cadet, as it has what looks to be an original oil finish and is checkered in the British style, with flat topped diamonds at a rate of 16 or 18 to the inch. The forend is clearly a replacement.
If Pennsylvania hadn't outlawed centerfires for small game other than varmints, it would make a delightful squirrel and rabbit gun, as well as being capable of taking the occasional crow or woodchuck out to 75 years or so. Alas, since I'm not a varmint hunter, it's likely to spend its time in my care punching very precise holes in paper targets.
Last edited by Remington40x; 11/19/09 09:49 PM.
