Why sporterize?

[can14]

I purchased and still have various enfield No 3 and No4 sporters made by various gun british and canadian gun makers. These guns are in exc condition and have
been in the bush. Up into the 1980's you could buy these in exc condition for $50/70.00 in the box. I got a No3 sporter new in the box for $50.00 which someone
kept from the 1960's. It is still in the box because it is a collectable sporter. The No4 's are also sporter collectable's. But, these are excellent commonwealth 303 sporting rifles that have served hunter well in North America and elsewhere.

 

[flying pig]

All this the week after i saw that episode of Gunsmoke where they sporterized a very nice looking Ross.

PS guys & girls please remember that while this is a Canadian site, we are not all "in Canada" but on the World wide web, so please stop the "whilst in Rome" type comments.

This is exactly the point. Just because we have them here doesn't mean everyone else has the same privilege. Russian arms aren't abundant and cheap elsewhere. Rosses aren't abundant and cheap anywhere. If it makes you feel any better 5TH I have a MkI*, MkII3* and hopefully soon a MkIII (I have all of the parts and what I don't I'll fab) here to restore. Maybe ease the pain of those guys bubbaing that Ross.

 

[trebor2880]

I have an old SIR catalogue tucked away somewhere. A sportered Lee Enfield used to go for about $25. A Weatherby went for $125. People wanted cheap hunting rifles, and the war was still recent and not yet history to be preserved. Full wood stocks, bayonet mounts, and everything else not needed for hunting went in the trash. There are actually some pretty nice examples of modified sporters made by Parker Hale and others during this time. Others are backroom hacksaw jobs.

Yep, I remember them good ol' days. Sears sold sporterized Lee Enfields for $29.99 and Win. 94's for $99.95.
Back then, that 70 bucks differance, might as well of been a thousand.

 

[antiqueguy]

A Mosin Nagant or Swedish Mauser can still be had for half the price of any factory hunting rifle. And an SKS for $200. Can you buy another semi auto centrefire for under $700? It may not seem like a lot of money to most of us, but there are still a number of people buying these things to take hunting on a budget.

there's some decently cheap savages rifles out there. bubbaing a mosin is a big one for me most of them saw combat(especially the cheap one's) I think we should respect the men and women who used these guns without the Russians we would most likely be all speaking German right now