Westley Richards Rifle

[Fred Baker]

I'm sorry if this is posted in the wrong place. I have acquired a small bore Westley Richards rifle and I'm am looking for some information about it. I reminds me of a Martini style rifle, one side of the receiver says Westley Richards, the other side has the letters NSW and Public School Cadet Force. I looked it up on line and I seen a Minex Rifle or model. It looks like it has been highly modernized, and a fine job someone has done. The stock has been refinished or replaced, it now has a pistol grip on the butt stock and a heavy barrel. Someone put a liner in the barrel and chambered it in 218 Bee, and it has a Unertl Scope. Does anyone have any idea what I have here. I was hoping I could find a gunsmith that might be able to replace the barrel and chamber it in a K-Hornet. Thanks in advance. Fred

 

[jds holler]

I'd love to see a pic of it Fred.
Also, I'd suggest that you won't gain much, if anything by rechambering to K-Hornet, from the Bee. --unless your Bee chamber has some challenge or shortcoming that you can't overcome with custom hand loading. jd

 

[snert]

^^^^ THIS

 

[Bugs]

Don't be teasing us. . . . . there's about a bazillion guys on here that would love to see pics of that rifle.

 

[jds holler]

The 218 Bee is a robust little case, which if kept at a reasonable pressure can be reloaded like a dozen times. I've simply quit counting on mine. When they finally go, it's from a neck crack or case separation down at the web. Never a primer pocket.

Down-side is it was designed for tube fed lever actions, with study little blunt nosed bullets. Not a problem for single shot rifles with no magazine constraints. jd

 

[ISS]

iirc; the Bee is based on the 32-20 case. If so, it is a larger diameter case than the Hornet.

 

[Martin52]

Used by the New South Wales, Australia, public school cadet force in competitions.

Some details here:

WESTLEY RICHARDS MARTINI CADET RIFLE:L/R - Price Estimate: $450 - $500

 

[TRSR8]

FWIW the 218 is far better than the K-Hornet and frankly the “ cool factor” is higher and likely to be more accurate if gun was well maintained.
WR used Martinis for small bore chamberings frequently.