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THE BSA MARTINI INTERNATIONAL .22RF TARGET RIFLE

(latterly known as the Mark I) ~ and its successor - the Mark II

The design for the BSA Internationals was influenced by Al Freeland of the U.S.A., who developed two Martini falling block type rifles in the late Forties (of the Twentieth Century)- the Freeland Super Rifle and the Freeland Free Rifle. The International, for which production commenced early in 1950, carried his stock design very little altered. The Internationals, built in England by the Birmingham Small Arms Company, were subsequently distributed by Freedland in the U.S.A.

 

The Freeland Super Rifle

 

The Freeland Free Rifle

Freeland's rifles were largely custom built in that clients could have the furniture cut to fit and the barrel weight of their choice, although the standard barrel was of the "bull" type in the terminology of the day, referring to its comparatively heavy weight in relation to the then norm for a small-bore target rifle.

 

The BSA International ( latterly known as the Mark I ) RHS

The BSA International ( latterly known as the Mark I ) LHS

As can be seen below, the first model was simply marked up on the RHS of the receiver body as

" B.S.A. MARTINI INTERNATIONAL"

".22 LR "

whilst on the LHS, at the very rear lower corner, was lightly stamped "MADE IN ENGLAND" in lettering less than half the height of this representation.

Very modest!

Below, the falling block and the extractor / ejector lever can clearly be seen. The large slotted srew to the left side of the action is the locking screw for the dovetail on which the Parker-Hale PH25 rear-sight mounts, permitting fore and aft adjustment. The original issue PH25 sights were just 4 clicks to the minute adjustment. The later rifles were fitted with PH 25A through E rear-sights with 8-click to the minute adjustment. Many of the "Mark I" rifles were understandably retro-fitted, by their owners, with the finer adjustment sights. The knurling on the rear of the action, under the eyepiece, is a non-slip thumb contact area for the "thumb-up" hand hold position. The groove just visible on the centre-line, below the knurling, is the cut-out for the aperture through which a barrel cleaning rod can be passed. The groove is continued back into the comb on the raised cheek-piece of the butt-stock. The standard comb height was too high to otherwise permit a clear run for the rod.

 

The underlever is clearly shown in the two images below, as is the section of the pistol-grip. The blacked disk at its base is the Parker-Hale storage drum for the fore-sight elements. The inverted lid simply unscrews. The underside of the action is one piece with the trigger-guard. In this original production International, trigger adjustment could only be achieved by removal of the action - a simple task involving only the unscrewing of the action locking pin with its large diameter knurled knob. However, whilst it is possible to access the three adjustment screws without removal of the falling block ( a workshop job, since the extractor lever bears back hard against the front of the falling block, with its considerable leaf-spring pressure, and itself needs to be removed before the fulcrum for the block can be driven out) one -drag adjustment - is accessed with a small but long allen-key through a hole in the lower face of the extractor lever, the second small and the third larger - vertically orientated - screws, respectively the central and smaller of which is the backlash adjustment and the third front screw bearing on the trigger's tensioning leaf spring for weight adjustment, are less than a half inch under the falling block and require short cranked allen-keys. This design was not conducive to quick adjustment on the range, and the modification, carried by the Mark II rifle to put the weight and travel adjustment screws into the front of the trigger-guard accessible externally from below, was also available as a factory retro-fit for the owners of first production "Mark I" rifles. This modification, and the addition of the notation "MK II" in place of the original marking " .22 RF ", were the only externally visible differences between the two Marks of standard rifle.

Even the "PATENT APPLIED FOR" marking in front of the trigger-guard remained the same.

 

Both the action / trigger-guard machining and the falling block had the serial number, less the prefix and the suffix letters, stamped on them to coincide with the main number struck on the RHS of the barrel just in front of the receiver body above the fore-end woodwork. This example is there marked up " U1505H".

 

The image to the left shows the action with the falling block up in the loaded / cocked position, whilst that on the right illustrates the block lowered for loading and the action locking screw back in position.

 

 

 

 

The Parker-Hale "PH1" fore-sight is mounted on a 'scope' type dovetail centred about one and a half inches back from the muzzle. The wide flanged rear screw fitting, loosening of which permits the changing of the fore-sight elements, made its first appearance here as a production item; otherwise, the sight tunnel was much the same as that which had been fitted to the BSA models 15, Centurion and 12/15, and was retro-fitted by many owners to their models 8 and 12 rifles. The International tunnel was longer, but remained the same diameter as its predecessors, the Parker-Hale "FS21" and "FS22", and the BSA and preceding A.G. Parker equivalents. ( The FS21 was for fitment to a barrel dovetail block as the International fore-sight, but the FS22 fitted into a laterally machined dovetail in the barrel).

 

Below are copies of the advertisements published after the introduction of the original International and lower is a second set for the later Mark II.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE BSA INTERNATIONAL MARK II

BSA International Mk.II - RHS

BSA International Mk.II - LHS .............................................and underside forward of the action showing trigger adjustment screws in the trigger guard

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Below: the barrel and action from above - showing usually standard telescopic sight mounting blocks and left hand rear sling swivel mounting eye for a right-handed shooter. Two point slings were still in vogue at this time, although single point slings were beginning to make significant inroads in the higher echelons of the sport.

Below: fore-end and action from underneath. This rifle has been fitted with a longer drilled strip for sling swivel adjustment; its owner presumably shooting with a short sling and the hand-stop well aft!

Below: the fore-end removed. It is held by only one screw into the underside of the barrel, thus transferring the sling load directly to the barrel. This was altered on the subsequent Mark III rifle, which was effectively a fully-floating barrel arrangement.

 Below: a two page contemporary advertisement for the Mk.II rifle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplied with each new rifle, in addition to the maintenance pamphlet ................................................

............................(do you by any chance have one available for copying here?) ......................................

............................................................................. was this folding card relating to the Parker-Hale sights supplied as standard.

The later Mk.III rifle had an improved Model 25 rearsight with one-eighth minute clicks

instead of the one-quarter minute clicks of the Mk.I and Mk.II rifles' sights shown on this page.

We also show the parts drawing of the Century as illustrated in the contemporary BSA Spare Parts List

Click on the image to view the original sized drawing

 

and the associated key tables showing the parts and their contemporary pricing in Pounds Sterling ( with shillings and pence as prior to 1971 decimalisation).

Quite apart from ongoing use, in original form, in historic competition,

it can be seen below that a Martini International Mk.II's day is never done!

The above rifle has recently been modified for benchrest use.....................

....................... visit WWW.BENCHREST22.ORG

Or see the "bull-barrelled" Mk.V shown on the page for the Internationals Mks IV & V.

 

More to follow

 

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