OK, I'm a Bubbaising low life.

[RED]

I have seen a lot of posts lately that denigrate anybody that has a "sporterized" military rifle.

Hello... every one of my favotite centerfire hunting rifles are made on either 1903's or 98 Mausers. So I guess that makes me an idiot... I just ordered one of these just to infuriate the "collectors" here.

http://www.aimsurplus.com/product.aspx?item=F11903RSC&name=Smith+Corona+1903A3+Stripped+Receiver+and+Bol t+Action&groupid=12&utm_source=AIM+Surplus+Main+List&utm_campaign=0e58e8aaf4-05302013&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6870497a6a-0e58e8aaf4-17876985

[ClaudeH]

Hey, I agree. It's your money, it's your action if you buy it. People try to tell me to quit disposing of my motor oil by dumping it in my old well, but it's my motor oil and my land, right? ;<)

[Rick the Librarian]

There were a LOT of M1903s, M1917s and 1898s made into hunting rifles in the days when they sold for anywhere from $20-50.Obviously, your money. My only gripe is someone taking a $800 military rifle, spending $400 to make it into a $250 sporter.

Buying the receiver pictured in the link, probably taken off of a drill rifle is no big deal with me.

[Dave in NGA]

And let's not overlook the differences between the construction of such rifles as the Remington 700, Winchester 70, or Ruger 77. If you want a rifle made on a screw machine from a round bar of steel, go with a Reminton. If you want a cast metal action, try a Ruger. But for my money I'll always select a forged action such as the older Winchester or a 1903or A3 Springfield. Forged steel is stronger, tougher, and more expensive to work from. When I've got my face just inches away from an 50,000 psi explosion, I want the best.

[p246]

Red I have built several huntin rifles out of military receivers. However I always used donors that were already bubbed or taken apart. I see no problem with it. I just finished building an AIMS 03A3 on a Remington receiver on a new 2-44 barrel it turned out well. I'll try and post a pic. I built it to shoot so I wouldn't wear out the original one I have. I did post a b!tch about it on here because repair to mag cutoff sucked and I had to fix it.

[p246]

http://i1013.photobucket.com/albums/af257/p246/IMG_20130530_213726.jpg (http://s1013.photobucket.com/user/p246/media/IMG_20130530_213726.jpg.html)

[p246]

http://i1013.photobucket.com/albums/af257/p246/IMG_20130530_213709.jpg (http://s1013.photobucket.com/user/p246/media/IMG_20130530_213709.jpg.html)

[p246]

http://i1013.photobucket.com/albums/af257/p246/IMG_20130530_213559.jpg (http://s1013.photobucket.com/user/p246/media/IMG_20130530_213559.jpg.html)

[p246]

There's my AIMS receiver in finished form. The first pic shows mag cutoff. I rounded back so when I'm dead and gone any knowledgeable buyer should know its a reclaimed D.R. The 1903 stock should give it away to. FYI I reparked it and blended repaired area with Norells light grey. Have test fired it only. I need to get out and ring it out to see what kind of groups it will shoot. Have a blast building yours;I did.

[Marine A5 Sniper Rifle]

There were a LOT of M1903s, M1917s and 1898s made into hunting rifles in the days when they sold for anywhere from $20-50.Obviously, your money. My only gripe is someone taking a $800 military rifle, spending $400 to make it into a $250 sporter.

Scope - $1200 with rings
Barrel - $400
Stock - $400
Safety - $400
Machine work - From $500 to $1500
Bluing - $400
Incidentals - $300

You won't build a custom rifle for $400, unless you pick up a whole lot of bargains. I got lucky - a 416 Rigby and a lot of fun for about $300 total, but I did 100% of the work.

http://www.jouster.com/forums/showthread.php?21628-Reproducing-Harry-Selby-s-416-Rigby

Building a sporter can be a lot of fun.

jt

[BudT]

Me to, and I'm having another 98 built right now. A sewer pipe barrel piece of junk that cant hold a 6 inch group at 100 yards oil soaked stock and no finish left on it mis-match. When it's done it will be a slick sporter with a new 7X57 mauser ER Shaw barrel scope topped hunting rifle worth using and it will work for 2-3 generations or more. I wish I could find a screwed up 03 to set up for a nice .338/06 Ackley, that would be a great elk, bear or deer rig.

[dave]

Hey, I agree. It's your money, it's your action if you buy it. People try to tell me to quit disposing of my motor oil by dumping it in my old well, but it's my motor oil and my land, right? ;<)

Only while you are here (in this world). And maybe it will be in your new well before you are gone. I am not exactly eviormentally correct but thats a stupid thing to do!

[ClaudeH]

dave,

I appreciate your disdain, I couldn't help making the sarcastic rejoinder. RED has been on here stirring us up with that goad before, I think.

No point in reasoning with it and it's only one reclaimed receiver more or less, but it is one less intact (more or less) receiver if he Bubba-izes it. And it doesn't make a lick of sense when there are so many already sporterized '03s on the auction sites every day.

With one of those he would have a >not< reclaimed receiver and would not be Bubba-izing one more intact receiver and he'd probably come out well ahead financially. Downside? I don't see one. He still would have whatever he wanted built on an '03 receiver and he'd probably pick up a few free parts in the deal like proper bolt to clear a scope, proper safety to clear a scope, scope mounts, maybe the stock or barrel or whatever if they suited his project, and he could sell off the parts he didn't use. Starting with a stripped receiver he'll have to buy a lot of parts that would come with an already sporterized rifle, like the magazine/triggerguard, floorplate, trigger, etc.

So it's not a big deal but it's dumb and destructive to start with a reclaimed receiver, and I think he just likes rubbing our faces in his plan.

Anyway, I don't dump oil down wells! But I am looking for a pretty much intact '57 Chevy coupe that I can strip out and build into a retro sportsmans class dirt track racer. Plenty of them done in the day you know, and it's my money, my decision!

[rebound]

Only while you are here (in this world). And maybe it will be in your new well before you are gone. I am not exactly eviormentally correct but thats a stupid thing to do!

Dave it looks like you bit on Claudett's oil dumping in the well story...
I thought it was very funny myself..............
He may be strange, but not that bad.......
Sometimes one has to take things said on this site with a grain of salt, But oil in the well that
was a good LOL...

[Griff Murphey]

I think using the recovered drill rifle receiver is perfectly fine. I would disagree with sacrificing any (military or civilian) classic gun, pre-1964 if you want an off-the-cuff date, to build a custom one. However that is only an opinion, and it doesn't prevent anyone from doing whatever he wants.

There are so many poorly done bubba sporters out there, as well as these recovered drill rifles; I just think it is silly in this day and time to cut up any factory condition gun military or civilian, which has substantial collector value left as is

[Rick the Librarian]

To me a receiver, especially one almost certainly a drill rifle receiver, can be made into anything you want. An original military rifle, especially still with original parts, is another story.

[purple]

I think I found the right solution many yrs ago when I sportered an early Remington M1903 action. Everything about the rifle was pretty much toast, except the receiver and some of the action parts. The receiver below the stockline was pitted like the surface of the moon, but it was sound and slick and there was no pitting on any critical areas. I put on a new 03A3 barrel, chopped it to 22 inches, installed a new 03A3 bolt with the handle already bent, installed a Redfield Jr mount and a Burris 6x scope, a Buehler safety, and a commercial alloy trigger guard with a hinged floorplate, and fitted it to a sporter stock. The rifle has proven to be a reliable MOA shooter with 150, 165, and 180gr handloads and has gotten me some very nice Whitetails over the yrs. After 800 rds it is still shooting where it is pointed. It is a bit of an "Ugly Betty", but I did get a nice reliable and accurate hunting rifle without profaning history by altering a nice military rifle.

[Doug Rammel]

I sent an AIM remington receiver and a new remington barrel to Chuck. Had enough spare parts to put one together. Chuck worked his magic and I have a very nice shooter. It keeps me from shooting my originals. :icon_lol:

[Col. Colt]

The obvious point is, it would be economically STUPID to modify a full military rifle in sound condition into a sporter today. Throwing money away. Your cheaper and better options are obvious:

First - Best Value is an already Sporterized rifle that has been drilled and tapped. As already noted, you get a lot for $2-500, usually much of what you need. You may find a really nice stock, bent bolt, etc as already mentioned.
I picked up a beautiful 1903 in a very nice Bishop stock, Redfield 70 Reciever sight, great original barrel, polished and blued with some wear to the finish - for $350! If the reciever ring had not been rounded at the front it
would have made a great 1903 USMC replica sniper. As it is, it's going to be my .30-06 hunting rifle, so it's military brother doesn't have to get wet of dinged.
Second - Next best option is a Drill Rifle reciever with no real damage to the reciever ring. No collector is ever going to be happy with it, anyway, once an arc has been struck on it. Maybe more expensive, but it saves an
unmolested reciever from being wasted.

Seems clear enough to me...... CC