Ross M-10 sporter advice/opinions

Kirk1701

Kirk1701

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Hi Guys,

I've been wanting a Ross for awhile, but I just haven't been able to pull the trigger as it were. I'm not sure what I'm getting into with the sporters. I don't mind that most are sporters. The full military are out of my price range.

I'd like some expert opinions or advice on this rifle available on the EE.

http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/958437-Ross-1910-Sporter?highlight=Ross
 
First thing to understand, friend, is that about 90 percent of the 'sporters' out there began their careers as miliatry rifles.

Next thing to understand is that NO Factory "Sporter" had that nice, finely-adjustable, drift-adjustable Ross Bettle Aperture Sight. They had the same lousy sights as a Winchester '94. Matter of fact, Ross bought the things from Winchester!

But things get chopped, so how do you tell the difference?

ALL true Ross Sporting Rifles have a SERIAL NUMBER marked on the Chamber of the Barrel at the 9 o'clock position, JUST above the wood. The figures are very small, about 1/8 inch.

About 27,000 Ross Model 10 military rifles were sportered in England after the Second World War. These are rifles which started off with the Canadian Corps, went ovrseas, were traded for SMLEs and then served through TWO World Wars with the Royal Marines. Many of them have interesting markings in the METAL, particularly on the Receiver Ring. All Canadian military markings, and the original Serial Numbers, were on the WOOD. These marking almost always were scrubbed during the sporterising process.

Late 1905s and all 1910s have the wonderful Ross roller-bearing trigger. There is nothing like it for SMOOTH.

Rosss had special rifling in them, 4 grooves, narrow lands, 1 turn in 10 inches LEFT.

They are wonderful and slick and fast and I only have a dozen of them, so scan the EE real fast before I get there!

You will NOT regret getting a Ross.

Hope this helps.
 
Great advice from Smellie and others. That particular rifle was a military Mk III, saw service in England, then sporterized into it's current form.

Main thing to watch out for...worn out, dark bores. Lots of them were shot right out, and used with corrosive ammo.
 
That's the bad part.

The Good Part is that Ross threads are to US standards, so no need to replicate some weird thread..... except that barrel shank thread on the Mark II.

What I said applies mainly to the .303 version, to the Mark III in particular.

The Mark III is the most common one available. It is ALSO the one which could be assembled wrong. If you are looking at a Mark III and you are not sure, look for a 1/8" RIVET straight down through the Bolt Sleeve, about halfway along. If the rivet is there, it has been modded and can NOT be assembled wrong. If no rivet, pull the Bolt-handle halfway back and LOOK AT IT. If the serrated Bolt Head is ONE INCH from the Bolt Sleeve, you are safe to go. It can only sit in 2 positions: 1 inch and 1/4 inch. It can NOT get out of whack by itself: you have to partly disassemble the Bolt to throw it out.

1905 and Mark II generally have 2 locking lugs; Mark III and 1910 have SEVEN. Likely it is the strongest action ever made: withstood pressures OVER 125000 pounds in tests. How MUCH over they don't know because they wrecked the pressure gun and the rifle still held!

They are very damned good.
 
Listen to smellie when it comes to ross rifles! he may have well written the book, if your wanting to get into ross rifles, i suggest you get a copy of the Ross Rifle Story, its the holy bible for ross guys! i personally have one, a 1905 MK2*** full military beautiful gun to shoot, bugger to reload, m10 sporter is a good gun, as you should know beware of the bolts! if put together wrong there is consequences, I like the m10 tinman204 has one and shooting it with cast bullets and the red dot powder is an all day event! enjoy your new found ross fantasy it will soon become reality and somehow they start to multiply quickly!
 
Correction to smellie's synopsis. The deluxe .280 guns did not have winchester sights. They either had a concealable flip-up bridge sight, or a European type folding blade rear sight with a piece of inlaid platinum wire to mark the center.
 
The expess rear sights could have more than one folding blade too, and mine never had the inlaid platinum or silver wire. It is too bad that the military style rear sight was never offered for the .280 sporter. The military match had a similar sight with longer graduations did it not? Too bad it wasn't offered on M-10s.
 
Thanks so much for all the input. As you can probably tell from my posts, I'm fascinated by WWI history. The biggest issue is I'm not a rifleman. I'm largely a handgunner and rimfire shooter. Upping my collecting to centrefire, milsurp rifles is a giant leap. I'm still working out what I really like. I wouldn't want to buy a Ross, then find I only bought it to sit in my safe.

Ideally, I'd love a Ross cadet. This would satisfy all my interests in one rifle. They aren't cheap, but I've seen them quite affordable. I've always adored 22 rifles.

I like Winchester30-30's suggestion of buying the Ross Rifle Story first. I'd like to be more informed before I buy a rifle. Then I know precisely what I'm looking at. Would anyone know where I can find an affordable copy?

I learned about Lee-Enfields from this website. Oddly enough, the learning about them seemed to scratch my itch to own one. That and I also bought a SMLE sporter that I didn't know had a cut barrel till I got it home. I don't like feeling that ignorant. I'm not in a hurry to repeat that.
 
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You can pick up a very good sportered military Ross, one which served with the Canadian Corps and then in the Royal Marines for 2 whole wars, for about a third of what a Cadet is going to set you back.

In the Cadet you have a very sweer little range rifle. In the old military model, you own a PIECE of both World Wars.

If you like to shoot a LOT, without hurting yourself, get a mould and start casting your own slugs, then get a tin of Red Dot. You can load your own midrange .303s with very little recoil, for about the cost of loading 9mm plateds. Nice point is that with the small charge, your barrel will last halfway to forever.

And you can take the rifle places where you can never take a pistol. Good for meat-in-the-freezer, too.
 
Well, I pulled the trigger! It's on it's way to me. I figured I'd at least try it and if it isn't something I want to keep, there seems to be a brisk enough business on the EE for Rosses that I'll be able to sell or trade it.

Now I need some .303. If anyone in the Quinte area, Hastings county, PEC, or anywhere nearby would like to help me out, I'd certainly like to buy some.
 
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Well, after a wrestling match with Canada Post (bastards), I got my Ross M-10 home. This has to be one of the most beautiful rifles I've seen in person. I love Savage 1899s from this era as well as Winchesters, but the Ross matches them in quality.

The seller's photos didn't do it justice. The bluing on the bolt and receiver have got to be at least 90%. The barrel is a little closer to 70%, but that's due to the sporterising process.

There's a rectangular section directly underneath the front sight that appears to have been deliberately scrubbed. I had thought that's where the serial number was. I don't know why someone would want to remove it. Unless it's hot. ;)

The wood is surprisingly beautiful. It's a very nice grain. It's as nice as my old man's 1909 Savage 1899. This had to be an expensive rifle to build.

There's an "MG" stamp on the forward face of the bolt handle just under the safety. Any clues as to what this might mean? I'll post some pics a little later this afternoon.

Summing up, I'm shocked at the quality and beauty of this rifle. It puts all other .303s to shame, including the Winchester 1895.
 
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