Sporterized military rilfes....Bubba's unite!

[451 Detonics]

WARNING!!!!
If you are a purist leave now, the following images may cause discomfort, nausea, vomiting, anal leakage, impotence, or bleeding from the eyes.​

However if you are like many rifle shooters worldwide who see a sporting arm struggling to escape the confines of it's military history when you pick up a rifle then read on...and please feel free to post your own Sporters.

Disclaimer​

I do not advocate cutting up rare or historical firearms but given the plethora of common surplus rifles available today I see nothing wrong with modifying an ordinary run of the mill military surplus rifle.

I have owned a number of sporters in the past ... Mausers, 1903s, and Krags to name a few. They have run the gamut from chopped military barrels and stocks to full blown customs. Today I own just one, a 98 Mauser. I bought this one after someone had already ruined any collectors value by cutting off the front sight (badly) and it was wearing a flimsy plastic stock. The bore was bright and shiny however and I saw potential. Here are the mods I made to it...

Had the barrel cut to 22 inches and recrowned correctly.
Had the action drilled and tapped for scope mounts.
I then added a Timney Trigger
Added a Buehler style low swing safety
Changed to a Speedlock firing pin
Bedded the action in a Boyd's Thumbhole stock
Exchanged the floorplate for a Gibbs detachable magazine
Modded a 20 round trench mag so it worked correctly and have it for fun.
Currently the rifle is wearing a Simmons Presidential 3X9 scope and Harris bipod.

This rifle shoots 1 1/2 groups with cheap 8mm ammo, haven't worked up handloads yet. The Boyds stock is very comfortable and felt recoil is mild...at least to me it is. The Gibbs magazine worked perfectly from the start and once I replaced the spring and follower in the trench magazine with modded components from a MG 13 mag it too works flawlessly. With the proper loads I would use this on any North American game and I suspect with handloads I can make it accurate enough for casual target shooting. Total cost without the scope (which had been sitting in a drawer for 5 years) was under $600 including the rifle, gunsmithing, and accessories.











So how about it folks...got a bubbarized rifle in your safe? Show it off here. Please list the mods you have made along with pics.

 

[BrocLuno]

Love yours

I got a three, but they are awaiting retirement to become projects complete.

The 22-250 is also on a Mauser action. It's nearly done and I'll post pictures in this thread when it is.

The two P17 Enfields (Eddystones) will take a bit longer. One is to be a field rifle - real sporter in the old school sense. One it to be "Tacti-cool" in the "Bubba what you dun" sense

They were all chopped long before I got them. This is great thread idea. Should get a lot cool stuff

This thread needs to be a sticky?

 

[slicksleeve]

Right on Bro! I am currently neck deep into a Mauser 98 build myself. I have parts everywhere.

 

[Observer]

I have been wanting another 03 Springfield 06 but this one I wish with a peep sight. I have seen several on Gunbroker that are decently sporterized and priced alright also.

Personally I prefer to buy something someone else has already spent the money on.

 

[madcratebuilder]

Your beautiful one time Mauser is hardly a sporterized mil-surp. To me a sproterize rifle would retain part of the military stock with the end of the barrel shortened and original finish. Maybe a set of aftermarket sights hung on the receiver.

 

[Moose458]

Couple of Mausers, K98 into a scout, and a Swedish Mauser sporter.


A sporterized military rifle is just that. A military surplus rifle that you change into a sport rifle. It can be anything from shortening the barrel to a full blown sportser. There are no set rules, so it is whatever you want it to be.

 

[451 Detonics]

Nice looking Sporters....

Is it me or for some reason do people tend to gravitate to the thumbhole stocks when they put a sporter together?

 

[Dr.Rob]

451, that's actually a clever mod for the bolt handle. Good looking rifle too.

 

[Jon_Snow]

I don't have any that I can add to the list, but that is a nice looking gun 451. And the 20-rounder just makes it better.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

I have about 10 to 12 Mauser 98 military rifles that I have converted to hunting rifles. None are "bubbas". That is a word that I absolutely abhor.

 

[earlthegoat2]

I do like that bolt handle as well 451.

Any details you would like to share no matter how sparse?

 

[451 Detonics]

That bolt handle is just a lazy man's way of bending it, kits are avaiulable from Brownells.

The 20 round trench mag is a hoot at the range...gets lot's of second looks...

 

[Magno]

Here's my Mosin Nagant all finished up.



I didn't try to sporterize it as much as I simply hate the way the Mosin stocks look and would have taken anything else. I love the way this stock looks and feels, but I'm not a fan of the tactical black plastic look either...but it was the lesser of two evils. One day I might try to make a wooden replica of this stock just for my own peace of mind...that way it can look like an antique rifle again, albeit a less ugly one.

 

[HOOfan_1]

Action is Spanish, barrel is Nazi, it currently wears a newer scope as well.

 

[mikerault]

Here you go:



did all the stock work myself, hand cut and trimmed the pistol grip cap from buffalo horn and the forearm tip from rosewood. Added a timney trigger and had a new crown done. Used a non-drilling scope mount. Topped with a 3x9 Nikon Prostaff. IN the picture is a Leaper that didn't make it past the sight in.

 

[Observer]

I may butcher a Mosin Nagant and see what I can come up with. I like your Spanish Mauser. I had one for years and traded it I think.

 

[Tomcat47]

451 ............. NICE!
Moose.......... NICE!
Hoofman........NICE!

Mikerault.... That is what I would like to see the Mosin kinda look like! KInda Rem 700 style!

Magno...... I would Like to see your Mosin..... dang photo bucket just never seems to work when you want it to.

Nice rifles on this thread....real diamonds in the rough!

Observer..... I would like to see what you come up with as well on the Mosin.

I have one of these ... and every time I touch it I want to tear the stock off of it and burn it! .......... sorry guys! just hate it! Rifle is awesome, but wood sucks to me on most of these rifles! I know what they were and that is understood as well.

 

[Ohio Gun Guy]

Swedish Mauser.....

 

[M91/30]

I bought it this way. Dont know if bubba'd is the right way to explain this but this is my 1928 Springfield 1903 30-06 with a weaver marksman 3-9x40 The trigger is superb, id guess less then 2 lbs breaks crisp. Havent got a chance to do any real accuracy tests, all i know is its at least 2 moa(5 rounds left, 4 degrees out, lpoor rest) not a good test. <(Oh forgot to add that i put the scope on it due to a bad scope that came with it. Also I added a low scope safety. Thinking about putting a new Firing pin spring in it, cleaning the bolt of tiny rust freckles, and inletting the stock to operate the magstop.


Sorry about the poor picture, used an unfamiliar camera.

 

[sayak]

Lee Enfield No1 Mk 3 and Mosin 91/30

Here are mine:

 

[D94R]

My Yugo SKS. Bought a cracked stock one for the sole purpose of this mod. At the time of picture I was having gas tube issues where it would pop up after a few rounds, hence the zip ties which worked, but now I need to solve the issue instead of band-aid it. That scope also didn't last very long as it wouldn't hold zero for more than a few shots.

 

[451 Detonics]

I figured semi-autos would start showing up in this thread however I don't consider an example like the SKS above to be a sporter, it is still in a military style configuration. This SKS is a sporter, nice stock and Lyman receiver sights....very nicely done...sadly it is not mine.

 

[kwelz]

I do not like Bubba rifles. Those are NOT bubba rifles!

 

[chicharrones]

That SKS is downright classy. I never thought I'd see one like that.

View attachment 528939

 

[ol' scratch]

I don't see the problem with people who what to make a sporter out of a milsurp. It is there rifle. Keep in mind, I am a budding collector. Not all of these are collectible rifles. I have two that I plan on sporterizing. One is a 1903 Springfield that is just a receiver and a VERY rusty barrel. I plan on spinning the barrel someday and building a 22-250. I also have a Garand that I want to sort of sporterize. That rifle I plan on glass bedding, working on the trigger and possibly mounting a long eye relief scope on. It is a 1943 with a mixture of parts. That one won't take too much and can be put back into its original configuration. I have thought about trying to build a 'sporter' M1C out of it, but may try and find a receiver and build up a parts kit if I do that. I have also considered springing for an M1D instead of doing all that.

I have others for collecting. I have a completely correct H & R M1 and a very nice 1939 rebuilt 1928 1903 Springfield. I picked up a cut down RIA bayonet and an early ammo belt for display on that one.

Edit--I don't know if I consider these 'bubbas'. Many seem to have been done well with rifles that had no collector value. A few months back, the guy who built an Arisaka into a hillbilly 'sniper' rifle, (complete with 'custom' spray paint finish) that was a bubba-ed rifle. It was posted on the High Road.