The Bubba Bible *uhg* Take a look....

Mykhaylo

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Found this on ebay,

"Turn those valuable milsurps into a fraction of what they're worth while destroying decades of military history while you're at it!"

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Chuck3436 said:
Yes...but this book looks like it was written at a time when these type of milsurps cost 20$ at the local grocery and there were thousands of them.

You're probably right there...so could you please sporterize my SKS:cool:
 
Chuck3436 said:
Yes...but this book looks like it was written at a time when these type of milsurps cost 20$ at the local grocery and there were thousands of them.
Yes and no. Thats an old copy, Williams still sells a more up to date version, I had a recent copy and gave it to someone, but forget who. Some nice stuff in it, the M1 carb in the thumbhole stocks are nice, but some of it, like Fajen stocks is a little out of date.
 
i think i remember seeing this thing way back in the 70's when i got my first 98- sop at the time was to drill and tap, and re-weld the bolt handle- before you freak, someone else got there first as far as the stock was concerned- and all the cartouches had been ground off anyway
 
I really don't understand anyone objecting to ''sporterizing'' a milsurp-given most of the hunting rifles were bubba'd milsurps at one time-its only as our society has become more wealthy,the ordinary guy can afford a ''store bought'' hunting rifle.Granted ,today if I wanted to play around, cut down a military stock, shorten the barrel and drill and tap for a scope-there's enough ''sporterized'' or refinished military rifles around[and cheaper] than to use an original.Those can stay as collectors-but for me-a rifle is a tool,the means to put meat on the table ,go shooting with my kids,enjoy the outdoors.
 
Sportsterizing a rifle nets you very little in weight savings, and it reduces how handy the rifle is...that wood was put there to protect the rifle and you. :)
 
I'd say half the rifles in my lockup have some sort of modification or significant improvement. All the target rifles ... The 10-22 ... The hunting rifles ...

I have the Williams book. My copy has a big disclaimer condeming the practice, so attitudes change over time.
 
Yes, those were the golden days of milsurps. You could walk into Marshal Wells, Fields, Eatons, Woolworths, Army & Navy, any local gas station or farm equipment dealer, not to mention numerous gun shops and depending on the size of the town, hardware stores and even grocery/drug stores and pick up a milsurp of some sort along with surplus ammo etc. They came in all shapes and sizes. Marshall Wells in 1962 had US Krag carbines in VG - EXC condition on sale for $7.50 - VG ns $10.00 for EXC and that included a box of 40 surplus cartridges. No4 Mk1 variants sold new in the grease back then for $5 and a cut down sporter went for $10-$12 depending on the type of wood and wether the bbl had been cut back and a new sporter ramps sight installed, the same thing applied to almost every other milsurp out there.
Nobody really collected them back in those days and governments were dumping them for scrap metal prices. There were a lot of people that couldn't afford a Remchester in those days and for a few dollars and a few hours labor, they could carve out a handy hunting rifle. Remember, back in 1960, if you were makeing $1.00/hour, you were an above average wage earner. So it's all relavent. We had a lot of fun experimenting with those milsurps back then and some really beautiful sporters were fashioned. Did it really hurt anything? I personally don't think so and also, just look at all of the milsurps comeing onto the market today, it's not over by a long shot yet and I'm looking forward to more of the old arsenals of the world opening their rusty doors and releaseing their wonders for us to play with some more, as well as research the history etc. bearhunter
 
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Boer seun said:
If it's your rifle who cares what you do with it.

that Boer war mauser I've got is just ACHING for a new stock and scope. Maybe a reblue, too. It's looking a little tired, like it went to war or something;)

I've got another bubba bible-Frank Dehaas's definitive work "modern bolt action rifles" or somthing like. It's an interesting, but painful look at the past. Not only does he butcher up rifles, but he even goes so far as to combine rifles, ruining 3 or 4 milsurps to make 1 uber bubba:eek: His recepies were something like K98 Action, handcarved stock, new barrel, trigger from a swede mauser, trigger guard from a Springfield 1903, P14 magazine and on and on... My hat is off to his creativity and gunsmithing skills, even if it makes me cringe!
 
http://www.chuckhawks.com/rifle_stock.htm

"But all of these features can be over emphasized to the point of grotesqueness. The Winslow rifles, now mercifully defunct, were a good example. They featured bizarre stocks with exaggerated Monte Carlo combs, roll over cheek pieces and tightly hooked, flaring pistol grips. They looked like a Weatherby reflected in a fun house mirror, a clear triumph of style over function. They were decorated with a profusion of inlays, multiple line spacers, and stock carving. Fortunately, such excessive, non-functional styles tend to run their course and disappear."

How's that for 1970's out of date?

Maybe I should commission a Winslow-like conversion of a plain ol' stock Long Branch #4, what say? :dancingbanana: :D
 
Back in the early '60s I used to visit Williams' facilty in Davison, Michigan. They had a large retail store, another room with military surplus rifles, and a range where you could shoot. I can remember the Russian '95 Winchesters and the Mk.V Lee Enfields. The Winchesters were really rough. They had a serious gunsmithing operation there, and manufactured their own product line. There aren't many businesses like that any more. Those were different times. Actually the techniques in that booklet are useful if you have a typical bubba that you aren't going to restore, and want to rework into a better sporter.
 
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