hunterinthewoods
Regular
- Location
- Nova Scotia
Sure you can ........its called a M38 or M44........
Sporterizing
- Thread starter iodine
- Start date
Sure you can ........its called a M38 or M44........
40-50 yrs ago it made financial sense to sporterize a MILSURP. They were cheap and available and the all up cost was less than buying a new sporting rifle such as a Win Model 70 or Savage 99. The No4/5 Enfields were the easiest and cheapest to do. M98 Mausers and M1903 Springfields involved more work and costs to re-stock, alter bolt handles, replace safetys, etc. Nowadays the economics just aren't there when you consider the initial outlay for the rifle plus parts and labour to do the sporterizing alterations. The cheapest/easiest route to go is to buy a sporting rifle for hunting.
I sporterized a No5 (bought for $18), a M1903 ($35) and a West-German re-worked M98 with a new 7x57 barrel ($40) many yrs ago. They have proven to be excellent hunting rifles, simple, reliable, good killers, true to their military pedigree, and have gotten me several truck-loads of game incl moose, bear, whitetails and mulies. I wouldn't do this today, if only because of the comparative costs of a purpose built sporting rifle.
I sporterized a No5 (bought for $18), a M1903 ($35) and a West-German re-worked M98 with a new 7x57 barrel ($40) many yrs ago. They have proven to be excellent hunting rifles, simple, reliable, good killers, true to their military pedigree, and have gotten me several truck-loads of game incl moose, bear, whitetails and mulies. I wouldn't do this today, if only because of the comparative costs of a purpose built sporting rifle.
I don't understand sporterizing! Those old military rifles shoot just fine the way they are. I watched a youtube video in horror the otherday that showed a hillbilly sporterizing a very original no1 mk3 cause "tha wood wuz dented!". He sanded the wood till the point that the stock looked Kim a 1" tube of wood. Then he preceded to take a hacksaw and "make a light weight 5 round mag". Now I'm no expert but doesn't the weight in the mag come from the bullets? Why not just load 5? And last time I checked, a guy can go to cabela's and buy a "hunting rifle", I think they sell those there. Sorry for the rant but I'm bottling it up and it helps to talk about it.
I'm not really into that sort of thing either but what is one man's gold is another man's garbage so to speak.To each their own I guess.At one time I owned several dozen military numbers in a variety of different calibers that I bought and used in their original full military garb.Some of the guys in my circle of hunters and shooters thought I was nuts,others were completely OK with them as they came.You can't please everybody and I guess what I'm saying is that people can choose to do what they wish with their own property.Not everyone agrees,that's OK but it is still the individual's choice in the end.
At the present time one of the rifles I own is a sporterised M96 Mauser(Oberndorf) that has been rechambered in 8X54 caliber.The job was done by professionals and looks absolutely fantastic.Now in this case somebody bastardised an original 96 Swede,a sacrilege to some, into a sporter and in this case I'm glad that they did.I absolutely love this gun but that is my own choice and my own opinion.It has a place of honour right alongside my other originals.
- Location
- Iroquois Falls ON
Perhaps "sporterizing" is the wrong word to use,,,, "customizing" (when done correctly and to a non collectable) might be a better term, in that it gets to the real point of the issue. Man has been "customizing" things for as long as he has been on this earth. It is born into some of us whether we are gun buffs or car buffs or horse or dog breeders. Making something unique for our own pleasure or for R&D is part of the human experiance. Like it or not, this part of human nature isn't going to change.
A further point to remember - milsurps have value because they're original. When you sporter a milsurp you're spending money to decrease the value of your gun. As soon as the gun is altered it is worth less, and if you spend any money to do so, that money goes down the tube too. I've build several milsurps back to original condition by buying multiple sporters for less than the value of their parts because they had been sportered and no one wanted them.
If you want to sporter something, buy one that has already been messed with for cheap - they'll typically sell for half or less of what the original would. The whatever mods you do will increase value rather than decrease it.
If you want to sporter something, buy one that has already been messed with for cheap - they'll typically sell for half or less of what the original would. The whatever mods you do will increase value rather than decrease it.
My father has a sportered M96 in 6.5. He has a friend who really enjoys doing this to 6.5 X 55 Swede's.
And I do consider it a bit of a shame, but he does a nice job. And he makes them capable of phenomenal accuracy, much greater effective range than an original with iron's.
A shame yes, but the increase in effective range is a bit of a point well made.
I don't know if you can buy a hunting rifle with that kind of worksmanship for as cheap as tweaking a Swede.
And I do consider it a bit of a shame, but he does a nice job. And he makes them capable of phenomenal accuracy, much greater effective range than an original with iron's.
A shame yes, but the increase in effective range is a bit of a point well made.
I don't know if you can buy a hunting rifle with that kind of worksmanship for as cheap as tweaking a Swede.
