Did Ross make commercial .303 sporters?

bdft

bdft

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I just picked up a Ross M10 sporter from a fellow CGN'er. Did Ross make commercial rifles other than the .280 or is this just a cut down military rifle? It has an ancient recoil pad on it, fold up rear peep sight and a shorter barrel. There are no obvious military markings on it that I can see but I'm no expert. That's why I'm asking. :)
 
Yes, Ross made a variety of .303 sporters.
Rear sight sounds military, most sporters had an open rear sight, either a Winchester step adjustable type, or a small express style. A military bridge and sight can be installed on a sporter, though.
The real givaway is the weight of the barrel. A service rifle barrel is heavier than a sporter's. If the barrel tapers gradually in front of the receiver, its military. If it tapers abruptly and is quite slender its a sporter.
Also, original sporters usually have a serial number stamped with figures about 1/16" high, on the left side of the breech of the barrel.
The civilian II** target rifles like BadgerDog's were assembled in the Ross custom shop, and are usually serialed in the manner I mentionned.
It has been said that Ross never made the same rifle twice, to a great extent, there are no absolutes when dealing with Rosses.
 
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Ross

Ross rifles for commercial sale had serial number on left side of chamber as a general rule. I f yours has a fold up sight on rear receiver, its likely an M-10 (on receiver ring) MKIII military rifle that has been sporterised. More details and pics would help.
Geoff in Victoria,BC.
 
It sounds more like I have a military version cut down. I forgot about the charger bridge. Mine has one along with a heavy barrel and no serial number. ( stupid CFC s/n sticker) Military Ross's had the s/n on the stock, didn't they? I'm not too concerned about it. I paid a fair price and a Ross is a Ross I figure. Every Canadian should own one.
 
Is the pad a slotted red one? I've seen a number of sported Rosses with this sort of pad. Wondered if they were done by some business. The muzzle end of the barrel was lathe turned to reduce diameter so that the front sight base could be properly fitted. Not the sort of thing you would expect to see if it were a home gunsmith job.
 
Yup they sure did.
From an old 1909 catalog reprint I found online...

.280 m/10 Sporter
The Ross .280 Match Rifle
The Ross .22 Sporting Rifle
Ross .22 Cadet
Ross Model R Sporting rifle
Ross Model E Sporting Rifle
Etc.

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I have a 1905R barrel with a poor bore that I would like to have rebored to .35 -.303. Would be very similar to a .35 Winchester.
 
If you have the 1920 model sporter, a real factory sportewr, that is, it will have a flat-top rear receiver bridge which is very easily drilled and tapped. Then you drill and tap the receiver ring and stick on a pair of bases and some rings and a scope..... just like any other rifle.

If you have the rear sight on your rear receiver bridge, it is just about necessary to wreck the bridge completely in order to get it flat enough to drill and tap. This is where your friends come in, and, if you ask, likely they can find you a receiver bridge that has already been wrecked...... or maybe even a commercial flat-top. But don't ruin a receiver bridge that has a usable rear sight on it. You will find that a Ross with the factory aperture sights can be an awesomely-accurate piece of equipment, even if cut down into a sporter as so very many were.

As to that rear receiver bridge, it comes off with 4 little screws, so changing them over is NO problem at all.

I recently did this to a sportered 1910 and, right now, it is wearing Weaver bases and rings and my old Bushnell 10x scope. So far, it's shooting a minute with almost anything I feed it....... serious load development hasn't started for this rifle yet.

Lotsa fun!
 
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