I suspect that the WR .22s were made on the same general size of frame as the BSA and Greener "Cadet" actions. Think I remember this from Frank de Haas' single shot action book. These were also made in centerfire for the Australian military school cadets in .310 Greener Cadet caliber and for commercial sale in a number of small "rook" centerfire calibers, as well as .22 RF.
De Haas' "Single Shot Rifles and Actions" has a chapter on these, as does his "Mr. Single Shot's Book of Gunsmithing Projects". And the NRA "Book of Gunsmithing" has details on how to convert a .310 into a sporter, as well as general info on the rifles.
These are strong actions. But the weak point is the thin section of the reciever where the barrel threads are cut into it. People have rebarreled Cadets to some hot ctgs., but hot, THICK diameter ctgs. are a no-no. .357 Mag OK; .44 Magnum not. .25-35 OK; .30-30 probably not. Some of the original Australian batch of Cadets were rechambered to .32 Win Spl. by the importer. Those kicked too much in the light short gun, but the action locking system held up OK. What did tend to go was the chamber swelling where it passed thru the barrel threads (that REALLY makes it hard to remove the barrel, too). But they ARE strong.
Like everything else, these guns are worth what you can get. The WR name is a plus, but this gun is no longer an collector's item since it was rechambered (unless you can prove WR did it). So it's a nice shooter. Check what they are actually selling for on the auction sites, NOT what people are asking. Somebody will think that the WR name is worth gold. Only if you are willing to come up with the gold.....
Nice little rifles,whatever they are "worth"! Certainly more than the $9.95 I paid for my first Cadet (now a .25-35).
