Well, the bubba 88/05 shoots 6.5x57 Mauser finally. Chamber is nice and tight, brass had zero deformation, struck a gong without sights 2/3 times at 100 yards. I found a K31 diopter front sight I think I’m going to use on the rifle, but rear sights elude me. Being almost the same action as the Dutch Mannlicher, Romanian Mannlicher, Mannlicher Steyr, and Mannlicher-Schoenauer, I would have expected the options to be a tad less narrow than they are to my knowledge. It seems the options are either:
-80+ year old Parker Hale or Lyman 1A bolt sights that are expensive/rare
-60+ year old Lyman 36 receiver sights that are expensive/rare
-build my own rear aperture sight (likely involving cannibalizing some broken AR BUIS) to fit the receiver sidewall ahead of the bolt and stripper clip thumb cutout
-do a barrel mounted notch sight, a disservice to the rifle’s potential
-modify a more common and less expensive Lyman sight like their Mauser sight to fit backwards and fit the sidewall curvature
Or
-find/make a scope mount that will attach to the receiver sidewall and front ring without falling into the thumb cut or interfering with the bolt operation and save the diopter sight for another rifle
I don’t think my luck will hold for finding an existing sight anytime soon that won’t cost more than half the rifles I’ve ever bought without work, so I guess the questions become then:
-Does anyone know of an existing rear sight that’s not horrible to find that may work I don’t know of?
-Would it be better to modify another Lyman sight as described to fit how I’d like or make my own?
Or
-Are there any existing scope mounts that aren’t hens teeth to find that would likely work and not look like an attempted tacticool?
For reference, this rifle will be used for primarily 200 yard or less shooting, both in the woods and on the range.
