Bubba done it again

I thought I was done, had enough, then saw this un. My heart throbbed, eyes tears up, and had it shipped home. Just picked up today. Since my previous bubba-un-done threads don't have pictures anymore, and I failed to keep the originals organized, I suppose I'll do another.

Here is what we are starting with.
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There is no U on the upper band, but you can clearly see the "R", which is a rare find indeed! Hopefully the nut on the screw isn't there because the band is stripped out.

At first look it seems to have all it's parts but the upper band - and everything has beautiful, proud showing R's.
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The barrel has worn parkerizing, with clear stamp 7-42, and hasn't been cut back. We'll check the bore when we get it all taken apart for detail cleaning. Hopefully it's not a sewer pipe. The action was clean with light oil, let's hope that means it was well maintained and the bore is in good shape.

Why does bubba have a propensity for varnished or shelac'ed stocks perhaps they felt it enhanced performance!

My guess is that oiled stocks require a periodic oiling whereas shiny varnish requires no real upkeep.

Let us never underestimate bubba's propensity for being lazy and liking things what is nice and shiny!!

In a few places where the shellac is worn off, you can tell that bubba never removed the original oiled finish, just slathered it on. It looks and feels like a mosin. My eyeball sees a nice bore though. Trigger group was encased in cosmoline. There is evidence of former pitting around the outside of the receiver. It was clearly removed and re-parked.
I have read reliably accounts that this was common with marines in the pacific. They would religiously clean and oil, but no amount of frequency oiling the exposed exterior metal could keep the rust off in the salty island air.

The lower band is a paperweight. The threads were drilled out or stripped out, larger course thread screw inserted with that nut on the end. I can maybe tap what is left and blue up a nice fine thread screw to make it look closer to right, or just put an old springfield band on it and enjoy my paperweight.

There’s a lot of 1903 potential there. All that glistening stock in the small photos made me think mosin. Then I realized what was hiding underneath. Looking forward to your unbubba the bubba build. And no extra holes in the recvr! Done a couple myself since I retired. I did a much better job and enjoy my ‘03s more than my No1Mk3 and 1917 attempts. Sorry I bought them.

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Originally Posted by baltimoreed

1917 attempts.

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I've done maybe a dozen '03's and 2 krags (finishing up the second in another thread). By far the '03 is easiest for the DIY'er that doesn't mind doing their homework to get right. A lot of great, period sources have plenty of info. '03 stock fitting is pretty simple - three small surfaces to balance out, compared to the krag or a trapdoor where the whole darn length of metal has to be just so. I have a trapdoor stock and action ready to go, but the barrel is a sewer pipe. It's on my list to contract someone good to profile me a new barrel. I haven't done 1917 yet, other than cleaning up and preserving what I already have. The couple bubbas I almost bought screamed money pit, and they are hard to find with ears still attached.

I have a large assortment of Garand parts and a couple receivers. I keep telling myself I need to get to them. I really want to make an m1c out of one, but the mounts, even repro, are impossible to source - and the ones Griffin &Howe are making now are 1) different 2) made of aluminum now and 3) very expensive to have them fit and turnaround times getting it back are unacceptable. I could easily do an m1d - Sarco mounts are sloppy, but easily fixed with some delicate sweat-equity, shimming and filing, which is fine for me on a parts rifle reproduction.

Now I'm way off topic rambling. Let's scrub the bore and take a before&after today.

My M1 started out as a gifted bag-o-garand and a barrel from a hunting bud. Picked up the missing parts from gunshows [in the 1970s-1980s] and a commercial new SA recvr. Had a Marine armourer put it together for me in Jacksonville NC. After my retirement I put it into a Boyds laminate. Another friend had a M1D [repro] built that he didn’t care fore and eventually sold. Never shot his but did shoot an uncle’s NM Garand. Nice rifles.

Bore looks like it was at least maintained. Here we are before scrubbing...chamber had plenty of dried oil/grease, and some surface rust by mouth.
pics are of chamber, freeborn area, mid bore and crown, as it was out of the box.
Attachment 123639Attachment 123640Attachment 123641Attachment 123642

I lightly scrubbed the chamber with my 800 grit bore-hone. Some reamer chatter on the shoulder showed itself, but everything cleaned up nicely. Not much to do with the bore. Little bronze brushing, little jb paste to polish it up. No rust, no copper, no carbon fouling. just old tacky oil.
pics are chamber, shoulder, mid bore, crown.
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My muzzle gauge reads 0.3010

Bore looks promising. Just an even light frosting throughout.
I checked headspace after cleaning, but before I polished the chamber.
Here we are on a go gauge before polishing
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Bolt stops in the same spot on one of MY live rounds (no fire control and trigger completely removed)

Falls almost all the way on the gauge after polishing, and squeezes closed on a round.
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The chatter on the shoulder may be some raised burrs. I'll give it a very light chase with a finish reamer.

There was some rust under the front sight base after cleaning all the dried grease way from the spline (no key on early <1943 barrels).

I have a stock all ready for it. Just need to soak and scrub all the parts, reassemble, and see how it shoots before I decide what, if anything else, I'm going to do. I thankfully have some spare bands to get it range worthy.

Funny thing is that I rescued a similar looking 1903 back in the early "80s. Even down to filling in the top of the stack where the butt plate tang went. I wish I had kept the old stock.

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Originally Posted by jamie5070

I wish I had kept the old stock.

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You want this one? It's yours if you do, firewood otherwise. Send me a PM.

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Here are my unbubba the bubba ‘03s. A 21 inch from 1930 and a 1919 Mk1. The short one had a couple extra holes in the barrel but non in the recvr but the Mk1 has a couple on the left side along with the Pederson ejection port but none on top. I added a Sarco 10 round mag extension to the short rifle. I shoot cast in them in my cas clubs BAM matches. Run them mad minute style without removing my fingers from bolt. Great rifles.

Let's play a game of "find the cross pin". I have a brand new barrel - don't think I'll need it but no telling till we get to the range. In the meantime, doesn't hurt to think up contingencies (plan for worst hope for the best eh?) Did Remington use a cross pin? My other Remington build I had the barrel off of, and it has the parallel pin ~1 o'clock to prevent rotation. But of my now 3 Remington's I can't see a cross pin on any. Here is the base on for the subject of this thread...

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Should be a pin about where the oil stain is on the second pic. If you use the pop-out, the resolution is super large.

I don't think there is a pin. If there is, it was blended in very, very well before finishing.

EDIT: Saw this post...here. It would help if I were looking at the right end! Nonetheless, I don't see it. Plenty of Knicks and dings, but no pin...on any of my Remington M1903's.

Took most the day off work after a rough couple weeks. Not too bad for a quiet afternoon in the shop. Sorry about the lighting.
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This stock is an early M1903 (no groove for A3 hand guard ring) CMP stock, back when the quality wasn't so great. The inletting was tight, but slightly off. Tang screw hole was drilled big with a chincy thin brass thingy for a bushing, and the outside profile was pretty far off (band shoulders needed to be set back). I cleaned it up, finished the inletting, and reworked the outside a few months ago, and then finished and oiled a couple weeks back. The upper band came from another rifle waiting on me to finish it's stock (hence I didn't put the front sight back on here) and had to be shimmed with a piece of notecard to keep it snug because the nose of the stock was a bit small.
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I was able to save the lower band! I think bubba lost the screw, and reamed it out to fit his with a nut on the end. There were some threads left, and I happened to have an A3 band screw in my tub-o-parts, which is slightly bigger than the m1903 band screw. The only difference is the dimple at the end of the screw to peen and keep it from backing out.
I had a nice early tight-checkered buttplate in the tub as well.
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The rear sight was loose, and easily wiggled once the base was cleaned of dried grease. Easy fix...with sight assembled, give a couple raps on a large brass drift behind the front of the sight base to push the windage screw closer to the sight. Perfect now.
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I posted above that the chamber was weirdly short. It was still a bit short after I polished the chamber. Well, after getting everything all cleaned up I checked the lugs...90% contact right but <50 contact left. So I lapped the lugs even, and got ready to finish ream. Well, no point to that now, lapping the lugs was just enough to barely close on the go gauge. I suppose now all that's left is going to the range? maybe next week.

Nice work. Wish mine had ‘C’ stocks.

The 1903 rear-sight collar cross-pin is normally rather hard to find. The metal finish kind of hides it.

I've circled the areas, on your photos, where I think I see the pin.

(Rubbing the finish in those areas, with a piece of solvent soaked #0000 steel wool,
will likely make the ends of the pin more obvious).


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Originally Posted by butlersrangers

I've circled the areas, on your photos, where I think I see the pin.

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that's closer to the edge than I would have thought after looking at pics of takeoffs.
I'll get to the range first before I go down this road. I think the barrel will be ok, and we'll get some worthy groups.

This one is back in action!
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Took a bit of patience to get on paper. The front sight blade is slightly bent to the right...slight, but noticeable. Once I got in the black, shot a string of 10 shots. Solid 4 at the bottom touching inside an inch. I keep telling myself to get a few rear sight slides so I can enlarge the peep. With 1903 sights (and my Krags) my eye seems to always bounce back and forth between two consistent sight pictures, but not with the Garand, 03a3, or ar.

i see the cross pin, you can rub cold blue on the area, the pin will show up darker then the sight base,

Thanks, Chuck. That's a great tip to make life a lot easier the next time I need to swap an '03 sight collar.
Fortunately though...not this one! I think it shoots better than me, and that's what matters most.

I'll add a progress report...the range isn't the last step. While my alkanet + raw linseed oil produces a wonderfully authentic aged finish, it takes time for the alkanet root smell to gas out. We're about halfway there...it's only noticeable with your cheek against the stock shooting now, whereas 2 weeks ago my wife made me hang it in the garage.

There are some larger numbered peep sight around, just difficult to find,or like you said, just enlarge the standard peep


Photos show the #10 USMC and a pre war #8 peepAttachment 124752Attachment 124753

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Looks like it right here. If its any help to you now!

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Originally Posted by RCS

Photos show the #10 USMC and a pre war #8 peep

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I need to look up the hole diameters. I have a few spares in my kit I can play with. I think a skinny tapered rat file, inserted from behind and gently twisted in the opposite direction as its teeth spiral will do the trick with no burring. I don't where I read that, old smith book on my shelf or likely here.

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Originally Posted by Doco overboard

Looks like it right here. If its any help to you now!

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You might be the winner Brian! (Although I have full confidence that Chuck found it...he didn't point to its location:))

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RCS

There are some larger numbered peep sight around, just difficult to find,or like you said, just enlarge the standard peep


Photos show the #10 USMC and a pre war #8 peepAttachment 124752Attachment 124753

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I thought the USMC #10 slide had no open triangle aperture!?!?

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Originally Posted by 1903Collector

I thought the USMC #10 slide had no open triangle aperture!?!?

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I don't see one in RCS's first picture.
Here's some more https://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=18600

Well,
I guess you could you call me Bubba. Wouldn't be the first time, or the last I guess.

One time I needed a rear sight and thought a 1905 would fit up just right about right. :madsmile:

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Originally Posted by Doco overboard

I guess you could you call me Bubba.

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Nah...Bubba doesn't believe in the rule "Do no harm". Anything that can be swapped on and off is fair game...I have a flashlight zipped to an m1 carbine right now in the bedroom. do they make flashlights that fit on bayonet lugs?

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Originally Posted by ssgross

do they make flashlights that fit on bayonet lugs?

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That is a really fun idea! It wouldn’t be hard to do with a 3D printer.

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Originally Posted by ssgross

do they make flashlights that fit on bayonet lugs

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Make the handle with a set of loops at bottom, replacing the finger guard with the front loop. Those hold the flashlight...

https://botach.com/kz-bayonet-lug-mount-picatinny-rail/Here is a cheap Picatinny to AR bayonet lug adapter...https://botach.com/kz-bayonet-lug-mount-picatinny-rail/
I saw another one, over $100, discontinued (gee wonder why) that gives a ring with a screw to hold the flashlight.
hmm...nothing for my Garand home security system though.
Maybe I'll get one of those cheap knock off bayonets, and use duck tape to attach a flashlight, and gain the benefit of both.