.310 Austrailian Cadet cartridge

[Grandpa_Halfdime]

I have a Birmingham Small Arms (BSA) Australian Junior Cadet .310 calibre Martini-style Rolling Block Rifle (Kangaroo on Receiver) that I think is still in its original .310 calibre.
My problem is that it is hard to cast the chamber without taking the barrel loose from the receiver so I'm trying everything I can to keep from casting the chamber.
From everything I can find Australia is one of the two places that made ammunition to feed the .310 Cadet BSA single shot rolling block rifle--the other was Israel and I haven't found a firearms blog there, yet.
I have measured the breech with a Pin Gage set and the largest Pin Gage it accepts is 0.325 inches diameter, which goes approximately 1.6 inches deep.
According to Ammo Encyclopedia 5th Edition, 1.60 inches is the OAL (Over All Length) of the cartridge; there is a difference of opinion with Cartridges of the World 13th Edition which shows 1.72 inches OAL).
The barrel (not the original) has no stamps indicating the cartridge it is designed to accommodate.
I have measured the bull-style reverse target crowned muzzle with a Pin Gage set and the largest Pin Gage that can be inserted full length (2-inches) is the 0.300 inch pin gage; a 0.301 inch pin will go approximately 0.198 inches deep.
I am hoping that someone has a dummy round (no powder and no primer) that they can send me.
If that isn't possible I was wondering is someone could measure a barrel known to be .310 calibre in a BSA Australian Cadet Rifle and let me know if my measurements are correct for .310 calibre.
Thank you

[Mick280]

Hi Grandpa, Cannot help you personally but have an old gunsmith friend that more than likely could.
Trouble is that I am on the other side of the country working at the moment and as my mate is in no way tech savvy (Don't think he owns a computer) this may be a bit difficult.
I will keep an eye on your post over the next day or two and if you don't have any luck pm me and we will work something out.
Mick

[1290]

Thats not a cader barrel...cadets use, according to the current spec anyway; a 311/322 land/groove dia..

Yours has a 30 cal barrel which uses a 0.300/0.3079. If the 301 goes part in sounds worn....the 325 in 1.6 appears to discount a 310 chamber, i doubt its a 30cal 310;

this is the cadet, shows diameters, case lengths etc;

310cadet.gif (49.13 KiB) Viewed 7383 times

[newsteadvic]

Lots of cadet information on the US site castboolits:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthr ... Cadet-Talk
Some were re-chambered to 32-20 when 310 cadet ammunition became less common (although cadet 310 bore is actually larger than a true 32-20 rifle). The actions have then been re-barrelled to all manner of cartridges.
A chamber cast of martini actions is fairly easy, just make sure to make a dam or wall with some putty or plasticine to stop the casting material (cerrosafe or sulfur/graphite) running into the extractor grooves.

[CustomPC]

I have wanted to get myself a .310 cadet for a while so have been researching them a bit.

From the articles i have read so far I have found that the original barrels take a .316 projectile.

Many years ago when the rifles were sold as surplus here in Australia, the distributor was rebarrelling them with a barrel that had a slightly larger bore and these work best with a .323 projectile. The .323 bullets are heeled much like a .22lr bullet. The heel is crimped into the case and the rest of the projectile is the same diametre as the case.

Cast bullets to suit the .310 cadet are availble here in Aus in both .316 and .323.

Many of the cadets were also re-chambered in 32-20Win and i believe a 32-20 case can be modified by thinning down the rim to chamber in a .310 chamber.

[Grandpa_Halfdime]

Mick280 - Thanks but I think you can breathe easy as I have enough information here and from an NRA Training Coach I have taught some classes with here in Florida.
1290 - Thank you. I have saved the data sheet (I assume that is OK) and will share it with my old teaching buddy.
newsteadvic - Thank you for the memory jog, I will look there.
I appreciate all your help and hope that your government slacks off on you firearm restrictions. Every State here that has eased restrictions on concealed carry licensing has seen a drop in gun violence as the number of licensees grows; this is against all that the anti-gun lobbies claim.

From my fellow NRA Instructor, David: RCBS 2-Cavity Bullet Mold 310-120-RN 310 Cadet (310 Diameter) 120 Grain Round Nose produces a good bullet for shooters with a .310 Cadet that has been reamed out to shoot the .32-20.
I have a Marlin 1894CL in .32-20 and have dropped a new case into the breech and it dropped in fully. David says that with the measurements confirm that this is a .32-20 now. I did this after I posted here and so I waited to see if there was anything you folks could add that would help with my final decision; it was a good decision to wait and hear all your input--thank you.
One thing, it has a new barrel (without any markings) and I believe that it might be a .32-20 barrel. Its a heavy (target) barrel and is drilled and tapped for a scope. I don't believe that the .310 Junior Cadet ever came with that barrel as an original issue.

[Swarm]

I appreciate all your help and hope that your government slacks off on you firearm restrictions. Every State here that has eased restrictions on concealed carry licensing has seen a drop in gun violence as the number of licensees grows; this is against all that the anti-gun lobbies claim.

It's unlikely to say the least.

We have a couple of shooting bodies but they're just a shadow of your NRA.

Some times it seems like we're clawing ground back but we fell such a long way to start.

[kurl]

We have a couple of shooting bodies but they're just a shadow of your NRA.

NRA had 5,000,000 members at May 2013 Wiki says

[subatom]

I read they peaked around that number and have declined a bit in the last couple of years. Still millions of members though, huge compared to us.