just inherited a true BUBBA

[atr]

Winchester 1917,,,,Bubba-ized. I have never seen anything like this.
I will take a picture later, and I want some advise as to whether or not this can be reclaimed. The Barrel is pristeen...actually looks like a new heavy bull barrel, but the receiver is totally cobbed up. It is missing the follower and spring, but it does have a new aftermarket adjustable trigger. And the stock,,,well I really don't even want to try to describe it.....
It looks like whoever owned it tried to turn it into a single shot bench rest.

[DeanWinchester]

*sigh*
Ohh bubba. When will you finally die and go to }{3!! ? All those precious little guns, beaten hacked and chopped. It's about as bad as watching commercials about abused exploited children.


ATR, do your best to bring it back up to par.

[fatboy]

Awww heck abusin children is a hangin offense, but somebody who abuses guns should be tortured first then hanged!

[piwo]

wow...... very sad indeed.

[docone31]

Interesting mount hole placement.
I bet when you are done, it will look great though.
Lots of potential there.

[gnoahhh]

Here's your chance to shine! It can only get better, no matter what!

[Uncle R.]

My Gawd that is so sad...
I can almost forgive the Bubba who did it - he was only tryin' to copy what he'd seen in the gun rags. Too many of the magazine experts that Bubba looked up to were writing how-to articles encouraging folks to chop up those military rifles. It was a different time and perhaps the supply of surplus guns really did seem inexhaustible to some people, but I think it's those "experts" who most deserve the horse whip.

[Bullshop]

I have one that looks like that with too many holes in the receiver ring. I have not done anything with it because I wonder if the hole drilled at the point behind the top recoil lug will weaken that portion of the action to the point of being dangerous.
The holes should be drilled ahead of the abutment that is behind the recoil lug with the bolt closed and so would have no effect on the strength of the action.
I would like to hear others comments on weather this constitutes a safety issue.

[Char-Gar]

I would not consider that rifle beyond hope. Looks like there is still enough metal on the rear receiver bridge to contour it like it should be. Excess holes can be pluged and polished down to where they are almost invisable. Unless those holes on the front receiver ring are through the barrel I would not consider them a problem. Look at it this way, you can't screw it up, so have at it. Never say die!

[Bret4207]

I've seen and owned worse, even helped create a few like it in my young and "get a bigger hammer" days. They still shot fine. Have at it, it can turn out better with some work.

[oldhickory]

I had one given to me some years ago, a Winchester 1917 "cusomized" by an engineer in his teen years...Not nearly as bad as that though. At least I can still make a reasonable look-a-like of a Remingtn model 30 out of mine.

[DeanWinchester]

Something that has always bugged me about that action. What the heck is that oval hole? THe ones I have seen have a plug brazed in. I can only assume it was some kind of tooling hole for set up in a jig or fixture during machining????

[atr]

I am searching for thoughts and suggestions....I am not sure if this is a dangerous action due to all the holes drilled into it...
I am thinking that I would get a drop in composite stock, plug and polish out the holes, and find some type of mount for a scope (my eyes dont do well with iron sights anymore). I am wondering if the holes drilled into the side of the receiver were done to accomodate a scope mount system.
Guys....your thoughts and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
thanks
atr

[caseyboy]

I have a No.1 MkIII that was way worse than that. I figured that the damage has already been done so I might as well continue on and make it the way I think it should be done. Quite fun and educational really.

[Char-Gar]

You will find that oval hole on the rear receiver ring of all Winchester 1917s. It does no harm, but I did file out a chunk of steel and solder it in the hole once.

[Bullshop]

So would anyone have any techno data on how drilling a hole behind the recoil mortise on the receiver ring will effect the strength of the receiver and if it constitutes a safety issue with full pressure loads with chamberings such as A 270 Win where pressure can approach 60,000 psi?
Wow one sentence!

[LEDSLINGER]

So would anyone have any techno data on how drilling a hole behind the recoil mortise on the receiver ring will effect the strength of the receiver and if it constitutes a safety issue with full pressure loads with chamberings such as A 270 Win where pressure can approach 60,000 psi?
Wow one sentence!

I think the quickest way to tell about the location of scope base holes in the receiver ring is to check out where Remington, Winchester and other commercial makers locate the holes. I think you will find most of them are drilled behind the top bolt lug abutment. Drilling a hole into the abutment itself would not be recommended.

[Bullshop]

leadslinger
I am still not clear on this. Just to make it clear for me let us say that behind is to the breach end and in front is to the muzzle end.
abutment = the solid portion of the receiver behind the recoil lug recess at the point where the lug will be with the bolt closed.
There is nothing behind the abutment, the receiver ring ends there.
You must locate the holes in one of three places either in the abutment, or in the recoil lug recess, or ahead of the recoil recoil lug recess.
Either in the recoil lug recess or ahead of it should have no effect on strength but it seems to me that holes drilled into the abutment will take metal from that area so must weaken it. How much I dont know. Enough to become a potential problem? That is my question.
BTW if you look at the pic shown the rear most hole is most definitely drilled in the abutment and that may include the two farthest to the rear. That is why I asked.
IMO
The forward most set of holes was located correctly.

[LEDSLINGER]

I see what you mean. The scope base holes are generally located to the front (barrel end) of the receiver. Just ahead of the lug abutment (barrel end) is the clearance area provided for the bolt lugs to rotate when the bolt is turned to the closed position. This clearance area is where the rearmost scope base hole will commonly be located. As for drilling into the lug abutment, I have a 98 mauser that someone did that to. It is chambered in .308 Win and has fired many full power rounds with no ill effects. That's just one person with a single example.

[skeet1]

ATR,
All is not lost. I had a friend years ago that was given a Bubbaed model 91 Mauser that looked just as bad as the 1917 you have. After reinforcing the stock in the wrist where Bubba had taken off too much wood and installing some old sights, the thing actually shot lead bullets quite well. In fact this old guy seemed to enjoy shooting that old rifle as much as any other rifle he had.

Skeet1

[atr]

The two holes a the rear of the receiver....the one furthest to the rear is not drilled through....
the one forward of that is.....
The locking lugs (2)....1 top and 1 bottom have a dimensional width to them measured as .045"

The holes are located along the center line of the locking lug...the locking lug at the top is separated into two pieces by a 1/16" wide slot. So I am wondering if the loacation of the rear holes is NOT an issue since the topside lugs engage on either side of hole center-lines..
Just my ramblings for the morning
thanks all

[JKH]

dont worry about the screw holes, that actin is already so overbuilt that the truly miniscule amount of metal rmove will not weaken the action. I have seen many factory drlled rifles through the years that were D&T'ed in the same location not to mention a ton of sporterised mil-surps.

That really isnt a bad looking rifle you can have the rear bridge radiused to Win mod. 70 contour fairly cheap by William's Gunsight Co. and by other shops (I believe Adam's & Bennett do this as they do cutom blt handles and I have seen Mausers that they removed the clip slot lip from). You can most likely find a one piece scope mount (Redfield, etc.) that wil fit and cover all the holes, if not you can have the offending holes plugged and buffed by welding or using plug screws and then re-blue and drill new holes.

Have fun!

Jeff

[MT Gianni]

While we look at them today and cringe, they were once 3 for $29.99 and $25 for a gunsmith to drill. Lots of folks tried their hand. Most of us in the late sixty's tore apart cars to put a v-8 in where there had never been one or at minimum an AM_FM 8 track where a tube type Am radio once resided. Are we also abusers to tear machinery apart for our needs?

[atr]

what is interesting is that I just sold a nicely sporterized 1917 30-06 which I have had for the past 30 years....truth be told my shooting interests do not include the 30-06,,,I have settled down to .257 roberts, 7x57 and 308Win...and I have been shedding myself of shooters I don't need ...
I can see potential here, but not for me
thanks all
atr

[Brithunter]

Hmmm just a couple of suggestions here. The front ring I would fill the holes with sweated in screws and then sweat on a steel front mount. The oval hole is easiest to bore round then sweat a round plug into it then contour the rear bridge. The round plug can be drilled and tapped or a steel mount sweated on.

Here is one BSA did just after WW2:-

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL14/134492/4011864/50084755.jpgThis one is a P14.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL14/134492/4011864/50085069.jpg
Front ring commercial spacings for the holes.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL14/134492/4011864/376662540.jpg
They also D&T'd for a receiver sight as you can see here.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL14/134492/4011864/51040274.jpg

I believe Leupold make steel gunmaker bases for sweating on. The holes on the left side could have suitable screws sweated in then the bridge contoured either like the later Reming Model 30 and 725? or as mentioned the Winchester Model 70.

[zuke]

If it could only speak......