Anybody recognize this 303 sporter?

bdft

bdft

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It began life as a No.5 Mk1, no question of that. The barrel has been shortened to 17" and it has been blued and fitted with a one piece stock. The seller says the barrel was made by Bevan King and King is stamped on the rear sight. No other marks other than the No 5 Mk 1 markings on the receiver.The stock is curious as it is plastic. Not the synthetic stock we see today but more of a hard plastic from the 60's. It has been broken at the wrist and repaired with epoxy. This is not an Epps conversion one piece stock. I own one of those. This conversion still utilizes the butt screw somehow. I can't get the buttpad screws out so I'll have to cut them with a bandsaw. Before I start hacking I was wondering if anyone has seen one like this. I doubt that I have any kind of valuable collectors item here but it is an interesting rifle that someone spent a lot of time and money on. I can't imagine the stock being a one-off. Anyone remember a manufacturer of plastic stocks in the 60's?

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oops said:
Very rare...made by the bubba gun company....was in business till the beer ran out

Try Whitaker gun smith
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this is not really a bubba job. this looks professionally converted to a sporter.
the barrel must be new manufactured to 17" or it would be a prohib.

is that holes for a No4T scope mount on the side of the reciever?
 
scott585 said:
this is not really a bubba job. this looks professionally converted to a sporter.
the barrel must be new manufactured to 17" or it would be a prohib.

is that holes for a No4T scope mount on the side of the reciever?
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It's holes for a scope mount but not a No4T. Just your average Lyman side mount. Barrel is supposedly a Bevan King manufactured barrel.
 
Barrel looks like a lightened version. Knew a guy who did one piece stock conversions for fun, but not the groovy 1960s decorations.
 
Before you accuse Bubba of sins worse than loving Trudeau, how about reflecting on the skills applied to the problem at hand? The 1960s was a time when commercial rifles were expensive and pricey. Surplus guns were very common, and no one worried about 2021's opinions. If Johnny Toolbox managed to make a one-piece Lee Enfield stock, from a No.5 so be it. There were plenty more where that came from. Drilling holes for a Lyman sidemount? He probably used a fine thread, not coarse. Shortened the barrel, and likely crowned it too. Funky enamel artwork? At least he didn't pyroengrave frigging bunnies, mountains and spruce trees.
 
You guys are missing the point. This gun might have been put together in someone's basement but where did the stock come from? Backyard plastic manufacturing was not a thing in the 60's and 70's. The barrel is a new manufacture, not a shortened military barrel. This isn't a Jungle Carbine that someone ground the bayonet lug off and cut the stock.
 
Whoever made the barrel from a blank took the time to duplicate the lightening cuts. Must be custom work, because otherwise, if the original barrel was shortened to 17", the rifle would be prohibited. If the bore has 5 grooves, I would question it being a commercial blank.
If the butt screw is still used, then the butt socket was cut down on both sides, so that it would extend down through the one piece stock. Most one piece stock conversions lose the butt socket completely. Don't know that I have heard of this pattern of conversion before.
I am completely unaware of anyone producing a plastic stock like that. About the only ones around were the Tenite stocks made by Savage/Springfield, and it is certainly not one of those.
Is the stock built up, or a solid injection molding?
 
The stock looks like a solid injection molding. Note that whoever did it even filled the hollow bolt handle with plastic in the same design. I haven't taken it completely apart yet but it looks like the butt socket was cut off and a piece of metal was left for the butt screw to thread into.
 
tiriaq said:
Whoever made the barrel from a blank took the time to duplicate the lightening cuts. Must be custom work, because otherwise, if the original barrel was shortened to 17", the rifle would be prohibited. If the bore has 5 grooves, I would question it being a commercial blank.
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Maybe, what were the regs like in the 1960s or early 70s when this was likely done?
 
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