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Rook rifle

plads
I've picked up a Martini action "Rook" rifle. Does anybody know when they were made and the calibres. I believe it's a BSA manufactured gun. And is anybody looking for these? I'd call mine a reasonable one, but the barrel is exterior pitted.
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  • plads
    OK I've just done some searching. Does "rook" refer to single shot rifle? and therefor any single shot rifle with a breech action? Anyway mine looks like a martini Cadet only it's engraved on the receiver and checkered wood. I believe it's a BSA and I believe it's a .380. I hope that helps.
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  • Pearyw
    Rook rifles were fairly small bore rifles that were popular in Britain for years in the early 20 th century. Gentlemen carried these around their estates to shoot small game. The .380 was one of the popular calibres. There were many manufacturers. They are usually single shot.
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  • MIKE WISKEY
    the term 'rook rifle' is usualy used to discribe a small cal. light weight single shot rifle used to pot small game and garden pests. these were made in a bunch of different cals. from .22 up to the .380 (about a .38 special). check cartidges of the world for some of the odd-ball cartidges. the martini's are my favorite and i've owned several from .22 up to .310. most of the .22-.25-.27 cals. can be made fron .22 hornet brass.
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  • ballardpacific
    Rook, I believe, is the English word for crow or raven. The idea was you shot crows with these guns. There is some trouble and sorrow around the ctg, the original maybe having an outside lubricated bullet, making the bore too large for the standard 357 slug and all the trouble and inherent inaccuracy involved in trying to make the original ctg. with the heeled bullet, though I think it can be done so that you get reasonable accuracy. Been too long since I ran into these problems and am no longer sure of any of the above, but I remember the headache!
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  • MIKE WISKEY
    b.p. is correct, some of the larger cals. did use 'heeled' type bullets (bullet are the same dia. as the caseing, like the .22 l.r.).the .310 and .380 are two of these. the .22's and .25's used nominal dia. bores and are easyer to load for. as an example the .310 can chamber a .32/20 but uses a +- .320 bullet, if you seat a .320 bullet in a .32/20 case it will be too large to chamber.
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