Australian Martini Henry Cadet 310 cadet updated 11182021

peyton

US Veteran
Joined
Mar 24, 2006
Messages
3,274
Reaction score
2,581
I was going around the different LGS's, and spotted this rifle and it was incredible. Immediately I was thinking about whether the 32 s&w cartridges would shoot out of it?? It is straight walled and seems it would work?
I wanted to get your thoughts.
 
Last edited:
Register to hide this ad
A .32-20 will shoot out of mine. Not pinpoint accuracy, but that's about as good as it gets with factory ammo.
 
Mine is a bored out chamber .32-20/310. I use .32-20 brass and a .321 150 gr internal lube bullets. Had to use cerrosafe to make a chamber cast to see exactly what I had. A chore to load for but fun to shoot. Guns still in .310 are a breeze to reload for but rechambered guns are a little work. A terrific rifle.
 

Attachments

  • D33A9452-B736-47D9-A09C-F316A1502385.jpg
    D33A9452-B736-47D9-A09C-F316A1502385.jpg
    71.8 KB · Views: 81
  • 94B554E0-05DD-4A21-9B34-37974EA543E8.jpg
    94B554E0-05DD-4A21-9B34-37974EA543E8.jpg
    85.1 KB · Views: 74
  • 668E7C48-26FA-43F4-9151-351FBF2F6B38.jpg
    668E7C48-26FA-43F4-9151-351FBF2F6B38.jpg
    66.9 KB · Views: 76
  • 094D980B-8137-47E4-B3B6-BAC3601BB096.jpg
    094D980B-8137-47E4-B3B6-BAC3601BB096.jpg
    121.8 KB · Views: 107
Last edited:
Buy it if it's in good condition, the bore is good and the chamber hasn't been messed up.

Many were rechambered to 32-20wcf and can be made to shoot as shown above.
32S&W Long is too small for the chamber but will chamber and fire OK.
I shoot 32S&WL &S in a 32-20 quite often and it works. The brass bulges. The Longs usually split. The shorts just expand.

32S&W should not chamber in a 310Cadet chamber as the .310 has a thin rim at just under .040 thick.
The 32S&W & the 32-20 both use a rim around .055/060 thick.

The conversions of the .310 to 32-20wcf involve not only the slight re-shaping of the chamber walls but also the deepening of the rim recess to accept that .055" thick cartridge rim.

The orig .310 Cadet cartridge can still be found in modern brass and be loaded and used.
You won't have a need to crank out 10.000 rds as if it was an afternoon at the range w/ AR and friends..
So some tinkering and loading on a single stage press will fulfill your needs just fine.

Lots of info on loading the 310, brass forming and alterations, bullets, ect on the net.

Be aware that some of these rifles were re-chambered to 32 Winchester Special back when they were common on the surplus market.
People felt they needed a 'deer rifle' caliber and the 32 Win Spcl was a good idea. The bore dia is close.
They recoil heavily w/factory ammo,,a very wt. light weight rifle w/a 160/170 gr bullet.
They can always be loaded down of course and tamed that way to make them more pleasant to shoot.
 
Last edited:
Many of them will shoot .32-20 without being re-chambered. Or so I read. Mine did. Finding .310 bullets may be challenging.
 
In my reloading experimentation I’ve found that using .30 carbine dies and blown out .32-20 brass work well in my chamber. They might be a hair long but do ok.
 
Last edited:
I got back over to the LGS today, I told the store employee get into the way back machine and bring a case of the ammo back with him!!
 

Attachments

  • martini one.jpg
    martini one.jpg
    77.1 KB · Views: 95
  • martini two.jpg
    martini two.jpg
    83.1 KB · Views: 95
  • martini three.jpg
    martini three.jpg
    123.8 KB · Views: 98
I gave 480.00 plus ship for my altered Cadet 2 years ago. It might be in a little better shape than yours. My bud has one in original caliber and he says its a breeze to reload.
 

Attachments

  • E44A5388-66DD-4CDE-8EB4-AAE3C93048E3.jpg
    E44A5388-66DD-4CDE-8EB4-AAE3C93048E3.jpg
    57.1 KB · Views: 33
Last edited:
That one has the BSA rear sight with windage adjustment - that’s a plus.
Mine is a fun plinker with shortened 32-20 brass and a heeled bullet.
I use a cobbled- together setup with a universal decapper and an FCD for 7.63 Mauser.
I’d happily send you some heeled bullets to try -PM me.


Regards

Russ
 
Many of them were rebored to 32 Winchester Special or 357 Magnum. The former were marked 32 WS. A friend has one so marked that was later rebored to the old 35-30/30 wildcat cartridge. It is a great little shooter and the action is very strong one..The only thing I don't like about them is the lack of a safety.

John
 
Last edited:
they came out in the 50's sold with a mod. to .32 WC. lots of them from the NRA.
 
I had one in 357 but the original sights had been removed and a scope installed. Still in the old stock. I would have kept it if the original sights were still on it. A good shooter.
 
Back
Top