.310 Cadet
| .310 Cadet | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Rifle | |||||||||||
| Place of origin | United Kingdom | |||||||||||
| Production history | ||||||||||||
| Designer | W.W. Greener | |||||||||||
| Designed | 1900 | |||||||||||
| Manufacturer | Westley Richards and others | |||||||||||
| Specifications | ||||||||||||
| Case type | Rimmed, Straight | |||||||||||
| Bullet diameter | .314 in (8.0 mm) | |||||||||||
| Neck diameter | .323 in (8.2 mm) | |||||||||||
| Shoulder diameter | .342 in (8.7 mm) | |||||||||||
| Base diameter | .350 in (8.9 mm) | |||||||||||
| Rim diameter | .405 in (10.3 mm) | |||||||||||
| Rim thickness | .038 in (0.97 mm) | |||||||||||
| Case length | 1.075 in (27.3 mm) | |||||||||||
| Overall length | 1.492 in (37.9 mm) | |||||||||||
| Rifling twist | 16" | |||||||||||
| Primer type | Small rifle | |||||||||||
| Ballistic performance | ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
| Source(s): "Cartridges of the World"[1] | ||||||||||||
The .310 Cadet, also known as the .310 Greener, or the .310 Martini, is a centerfire rifle cartridge, introduced in 1900 by W.W. Greener as a target round for the Martini Cadet rifle.[2] Firing a 120 grain heeled lead projectile at 1200 ft/s the round is similar in performance to the .32-20 Winchester and many rifles may chamber both rounds with some accuracy.[3]
The round was used in cadet rifles in Australia and New Zealand after early 20th-century Defence Acts. In New Zealand, after the start of the Boer War, a cadet corps had been started; by 1901 it was recommended that membership be compulsory. 500 Westley-Richards miniature Martini–Henry rifles were available by October 1902 (Auckland Star), and 5000 by April 1903 (Star). Such rifles gained popularity in Australia, New Zealand and the United States when thousands of Martini Cadet rifles were sold by the Australian government after World War II.