Hey guys, I'm a new guy here, found the board while researching some No.4 Mk.I (T) threads on Gunboards....I'll save the blah, blah, blah of my interests for the intro board, but I wanted to get this posted here...

Anyway, just got a new project yesterday from a friend who found it languishing in a small hole in the wall gun shop in Erie, PA....

It is a No.4 Mk I (T) sniper that some no good, SOB Bubba turdhead got a hold of. Chopped the forearm into sporter style, sanded the crap out of it, added bubba swivel... took off the cheek piece, sanded the crap out of the butt, filled the cheekpiece holes....you could still see the remnants of the scope number on top of the butt where it goes into the socket . No handguards....so wood was trashed, and useless.

Then the no good SOB tossed the rear sight, and removed the front pad, and drilled the top of the chamber, and dovetailed and drilled the charger bridge to add his piece of crap bubba mount so he could mount his piece of crap bubba scope!!!!

I can't believe some moron did this to an original sniper!!!!!

OK, so what I have is a correct BSA Shirley 1944 receiver and barrel, barrel is s/n'ed and matches the receiver, great bore too....left butt socket marked TR, left receiver side marked T, S on right side as it should be...did not look for the mark by the bolt raceway, just found out about it today while looking at "T" threads, but will check....matching bolt, original trigger guard assembly, complete, and mag.

We worked a deal, he had a recent import with crappy bore but otherwise nice 1943 Long Branch that used to be mine, and a real crapper Maltby that had been bubba'ed with a chopped barrel and put in a synthetic monte carlo stock. He owed me some trade, so....I stripped the Long Branch which had all Long Branch parts except the bolt (mismatched)...kept the nice wood set, bands, rear sight parts, small parts needed for the "T", etc....

Took the crapper bubba, stripped it, put the Long Branch barreled action in the synthetic stock, put it back together....(He wouldn't be able to sell it with the crappy maltby bubba in it)

Now he has a bubba special to sell (he'll be at the Syracuse show this weekend...by the way, he also has a primo 1921 Lithgowicon of mine he took in a trade, it'll be out on his table if any of you are going, its a nice, all matching gun if you need one!), and I've got the T with nice parts to re-assemble into a complete rifle....plus a donor action to try and get a new charger bridge out of.

So my plan....use the screws that were in the bubba mount to fill the drilled holes, along with some JB Weld to lock them in good, and fill any small spots...cut off the crew heads, carefully file smooth.....also would like to try to replace charger bridge...but need advice for that. I am thinking I can cut slots in the blind screws holding the bubba'ed charger bridge, back them out, then remove the bridge. The cut slots into the screws of the donor action bridge, remove and use it to replace the "T" bridge...then I would have to fill in the slots with JB Weld....but since the rifles were painted anyway (and there is still remnants of the black paint on the "T") I figured once done, I would repaint the whole thing with Moly-coat, or some other good bake on high temp finish, that would cover up the bubba holes....

I have the rear sight from the LB, I plan on dremeling off the peep, and filing smooth, I looked at his complete unmessed with "T" and the rear sight certainly wasn't perfect where they milled off the peep, so the dremel and file ought to replicate that pretty well...

I will have to find a new front pad and screws, and a new cheek piece...then a repro mount, and something close to a No.32 scope until someone does a repro, or I get very lucky and find a real one....

I do not have a "T", and could not let this one stay the way it is...it might not be perfect, but it is a real one, and will have to do until I might stumble on a real, complete one that I can actually afford! The price was very right, basically it didn't cost me anything...the only cash I will have to lay out is for the cheekpiece, the front pad and the scope and mount at some point.

I will get some pics tonight, and keep a running comentary on the project if you guys are interested...but right now my big question is the best way to replace that charger bridge, and any other suggestions you guys might have (besides pony up and buy a complete rig!)

Oh, and just as an aside, my buddy sells floor covering wholesale all over WNY and Western PA, so he is always out selling during the week, and hitting the small local joints....its a good job...earlier this summer he was out in the Rochester area, and scored a complete "T" rig, with transit chest, scope and mount, box for scope, basically just missing some small accessories...his out the door price (it just came in on consignment...) $1000....so they are still out there, and at bargain basement prices if you get REALLY lucky. I still hate him for that one!!! Ther's no way he is parting with it either!

So questions for the guys here....what do you think of my plan, re filling the holes, filing smooth, then painting the gun with a Suncorite substitute? And whats the best way to replace the charger bridge piece? Does my plan of cutting slots to back out the screws seem reasonable, or is there a better way? Anyone have a spare front pad with screws they would part with?
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