Sporterized Military Rifles

[NEPAKevin]

Disclaimer: I just need to vent.

It seems that every time I look at a local ad for a military rifle, its been sporterized. I begin to wonder if I am the only resident of PA who hates seeing what should be historic military pieces bastardized into mediocre Bambi slayers.

[SecondsCount]

While I agree with you about the destruction of history, I wouldn't necessarily call them mediocre.

My son has a nice old 03-A3 that has been sporterized and it is a nice shooter.

Years ago a friend had a sporterized 03-A3 that was a freak of nature. He paid $150 and it had a timney trigger with a Monte Carlo stock. The gun would shoot 1/2" groups at 100 yards with our hanloads.

[WDW]

A properly sporterized Mauser or '03, done by a professional, competent smith is a beautiful thing. But yes, your run of the mill Tapco hack job sickens me!

[Kyle Reese]

You mean I shouldn't hack and chop up a lovely Krag and add all sorts of 1950's style crap to it?

[NEPAKevin]

The one I was just looking at was a Lee Enfield No. 1 MK 3. dated 1917, with nice, clear proof marks. You know, the kind that was meant to have a sword bayonet mounted under its barrel to impale Huns during darker times.

[Chemsoldier]

The only reason most people care about it is that original condition rifles are not dirt cheap anymore. I frequently wish for that time machine so I can go to a 1990s gunshow with my current knowledge and money. I seem to recall that Biff from Back to the Future II did something similar...

[TGS]

Most sporterized rifles are done so poorly.

But, sometimes its best to hack it up. I have a Swiss 96/11, originally manufactured in 1900, with it's GP11 barrel replacement somewhere in the teens. The end of the bore was shot out...a 7.62mm pilot would wiggle in the muzzle ("Go" was between 7.51-.56mm, to give you a context).

So......I chopped it up and made it into a scout rifle. Now it's an utter blast (pun intended) to shoot offhand using a Ching sling and its Burris 2.75x20 QD scope, and does 2 MOA. Couldn't be happier (unless I could buy a synthetic or laminated stock, that is!).

I actually find it fun to buy bubba'd rifles and reconfigure them into useful, tasteful sporters.

[Malamute]

I've owned both original and sporterized military rifles, including a couple 03's my dad had sporterized ages ago. If well done, I much prefer them to the heavy, clunky original military version. Keep in mind, back when most of these were done, it was cheaper to buy a surplus rifle and work on it than buy a new sporting rifle. The guns were simply dirt cheap in most cases, and really, very few people cared about them or were interested in them in their original state. That the value has increased over time changes the picture, it isn't cost effective to sport a military rifle, but,...there are still tons of them around in original condition. I can't say I get all that excited about them, I like some, but still prefer a truly good sporter, especially when it comes to actually dragging them around in the hills and trying to shoot stuff with them other than plinking.

I recently sold a very nice No1 MkIII* Sht Lee Enfield. I liked it quite a lot, but needed money to pay bills. What I really wanted to do with it though, was make a really good early type Lee Metford/Enfield sporting rifle, in the Lee Speed style.

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1153&bih=687&q=lee+speed+rifle&oq=lee+speed+rifle&gs_l=img.3..0l2.7278.10800.0.12428.15.11.0.4.4.0.1 58.1213.2j9.11.0....0...1ac.1.34.img..0.15.1245.Qd-T3PDemZw


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