Lets say I want to scope a 1903 ...

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Sacrilege to some of you folk, I know, and I apologise to all those "anti-Bubba" people but it's already been modified and I just want to improve it with a scope .... and by improve I mean increase precision and the practical accuracy of the rifle.

Anyone have any opinions on something like the S & K Scope Mounts - InstaMount? According to their press they bolt straight up without the need for any alteration to the rifle. I would have thought that bolt handle modification might be necessary, but perhaps not ..... which may mean that they mount the scope very high

http://www.scopemounts.com/insta.htm

Other than this I guess its custom gunsmithing work ..... any other options?

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[mondocomputerman]

I have installed a scope mount on an old '03. The only thing I had to modify was part of the upper handguard to accept the mount. It is very accurate and have had no problems of it shifting. I put a 10 power scope on it and it's my funnest gun to shoot.

 

[TarpleyG]

Get a 1903 A4...

GT

 

[Sunray]

"...already been modified..." Bubba's already been there. One of my first rifles was a bubba'd Mk II Lee-Enfield. They're as common up here as 03's are down there. Nearly every Canadian shooter either has one or had one. If it weren't for Bubba(Up here, his name is Guido or is it Jean? Century buggered up thousands of Enfields near Montreal for years), our military rifles would still be worth $50.
Take it to a smithy and have it drilled and tapped properly. All these no smithing mounts are iffy at best.

 

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Yeah, Bubba has already visited his creative ingenuity upon this rifle ..... but I ain't complaining too much, 'cos "Bubba" was my dad.

It was his hunting rifle, bought some time in the 50s when mil surp rifles were pretty much the only practical option for the general citizen in NZ and we were in danger of being over-run by red deer in particular. The Govt was actually paying a bounty on deer tails and employing full-time hunters because of the threat to the country's agricultural economy and the natural forest resources caused by extremely high deer numbers. This was principally the result of the shortage of hunters during and after WWII as lots of people went to war and significantly fewer returned.

Anyway, its a 1903 with a custom sporter stock, receiver peep sight and modified magazine follower to prevent bolt hold open when empty. The plan is to add a scope, timney trigger (w/ safety), glass bed, perhaps rebarrel (depending on smith's recemmendation), refinish (possibly mil spec coating) and possibly restock in either synthetic or timber. I may just keep Dad's stock on it and adjust LOP by adding a recoil pad (currently doesn't have a recoil pad and my shoulder says it could use one).

So, yeah, well and truly Bubba-ised, but the aim is to breathe some life back into the old girl, have a practical hunting rifle with some real sentimental attachment and go out and bag a deer or two for the old man .... seeing as we never got to hunt together.

Sounds like its best to leave scope mounts to a smith anyway.

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