Why were so many rifles barrels cut shorter?
- Thread starter Nelson84
- Start date
Perhaps to be rid of the bayonet lugs, but I suspect in most cases where the muzzle was much beyond the foresight (e.g. Lee Enfield No.4 and No.5) it was to bring the muzzle back to the foresight, which would be a relatively inexpensive way to make it look more like a conventional hunting rifle.
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It is also a matter of "handiness" in a sporting rifle. Many Military rifles, particularly those of WWI era vintage, had longer barrels, usually 26 inches to 30 inches long. While this might be an advantage for hanging a Bayonet on, or more accurate long range shooting due to the longer sighting radius, the idea of the "Sporterized" surplus rifle was one of usefulness.
With tons of surplus rifles available, some money could be raised by a Government selling off captured or obsolete firearms. Hunters quickly found that these long barrels were a disadvantage in the bush, and cut them down to the 22 to 24 inch lengths of the sporting rifles available at the time.
After WWII, the European Countries were strapped for cash. England, for example, had a large population of returning Servicemen, an Industrial complex that was trying to gear up and survive by changing from a Wartime manufacture to a Peacetime one, but have very little cash and needed income. There were thousands of SMLE, Lee-Enfields, Mausers, and other surplus rifles available, and were sold cheap to the "Gun Trade."
It was difficult to sell these rifles "as is", so this provided a way to employ some people, and raise cash by converting them to a utility sporter for export to other Nations.
Also, at the time, sporting rifles simply were not too available. America was also converting to Commercial production, and Winchester, Remington and other name brand rifles were simply not available in quantities, and were much more expensive compared to a surplus sporter.
Back in the late 1950s, a standard SMLE was $9.95, a converted SMLE Sporter was $14.95 and a Number 4 Lee-Enfield was $14.95 and $19.95 respectively. A short, handy, Swedish M/94 Carbine sold for $29.95, and a chopped down Ross or P-14 could be had for a $5 bill in many second hand stores or gun shops.
Many of these sporterized rifles were sold across Canada by the Mail Order and Hardware chain stores; Eatons, Simpson-Sears, Fields, Macleods, and others, and provided an inexpensive firearm for a person to shoot a Deer to feed their family, particularly in the less populated areas. Money and jobs at the time were also scarce, so this was a factor to people who wanted to hunt or have a firearm available to provide meat. Road systems were not as well established as they are now so supplies were not as available too.
We also did not have to "Collecting" culture that we now have. Many do-it-yourself magazines and gun magazines featured articles on how to convert your surplus Mauser, Springfield, or other rifle into a Sporter, and a whole industry emerged to provide sights and other accessories to do just that. Why walk around the woods with an unaltered rifle, when you could carry one that was a couple of pounds lighter and handier, and more suitable for sport hunting?
A vision of 50 years in the Future was not even considered, even in the wildest imaginations. Most of the present "collectors" were not even born at that time. So now, the plethora of Military Surplus rifles from the 1950s and 1960s have dried up, and unaltered specimens are sought out and revered, while these sporterized versions that were chopped up in English Factories and Canadian Basements are looked down upon. Imagine what the Mosin-Nagants and SKS rifles are going to be like 50 years from now in 2065.
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It is also a matter of "handiness" in a sporting rifle. Many Military rifles, particularly those of WWI era vintage, had longer barrels, usually 26 inches to 30 inches long. While this might be an advantage for hanging a Bayonet on, or more accurate long range shooting due to the longer sighting radius, the idea of the "Sporterized" surplus rifle was one of usefulness.
With tons of surplus rifles available, some money could be raised by a Government selling off captured or obsolete firearms. Hunters quickly found that these long barrels were a disadvantage in the bush, and cut them down to the 22 to 24 inch lengths of the sporting rifles available at the time.
After WWII, the European Countries were strapped for cash. England, for example, had a large population of returning Servicemen, an Industrial complex that was trying to gear up and survive by changing from a Wartime manufacture to a Peacetime one, but have very little cash and needed income. There were thousands of SMLE, Lee-Enfields, Mausers, and other surplus rifles available, and were sold cheap to the "Gun Trade."
It was difficult to sell these rifles "as is", so this provided a way to employ some people, and raise cash by converting them to a utility sporter for export to other Nations.
Also, at the time, sporting rifles simply were not too available. America was also converting to Commercial production, and Winchester, Remington and other name brand rifles were simply not available in quantities, and were much more expensive compared to a surplus sporter.
Back in the late 1950s, a standard SMLE was $9.95, a converted SMLE Sporter was $14.95 and a Number 4 Lee-Enfield was $14.95 and $19.95 respectively. A short, handy, Swedish M/94 Carbine sold for $29.95, and a chopped down Ross or P-14 could be had for a $5 bill in many second hand stores or gun shops.
Many of these sporterized rifles were sold across Canada by the Mail Order and Hardware chain stores; Eatons, Simpson-Sears, Fields, Macleods, and others, and provided an inexpensive firearm for a person to shoot a Deer to feed their family, particularly in the less populated areas. Money and jobs at the time were also scarce, so this was a factor to people who wanted to hunt or have a firearm available to provide meat. Road systems were not as well established as they are now so supplies were not as available too.
We also did not have to "Collecting" culture that we now have. Many do-it-yourself magazines and gun magazines featured articles on how to convert your surplus Mauser, Springfield, or other rifle into a Sporter, and a whole industry emerged to provide sights and other accessories to do just that. Why walk around the woods with an unaltered rifle, when you could carry one that was a couple of pounds lighter and handier, and more suitable for sport hunting?
A vision of 50 years in the Future was not even considered, even in the wildest imaginations. Most of the present "collectors" were not even born at that time. So now, the plethora of Military Surplus rifles from the 1950s and 1960s have dried up, and unaltered specimens are sought out and revered, while these sporterized versions that were chopped up in English Factories and Canadian Basements are looked down upon. Imagine what the Mosin-Nagants and SKS rifles are going to be like 50 years from now in 2065.
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Bought my first Number 4 from the local hardware store back about 1961. It cost me $10.66 (no tax in those days) so I called it "William the Conqueror". It was full military and I used it with the DCRA guys out at our local 900-yard range. Bill Brown showed me how to set up the barrel float, do the trigger and all that, gave me an adjustable rear sight for it to replace the Mark 2 sight. And that is how I became a long-range target shooter....... with a $10.66 investment plus another 25 cents for a sling. You could DO that, back then.
At the same time, in the same store, a sportered Number 4, all shiny, from Parker-Hale, would set you back $26.95 and 94 Winchester .30-30 cost $36.95.
For the guys who wanted POWER there was the BSA conversion of the P-17 for $60, which beat hell outta a Winchester Model 70 at HUNDRED BUCKS....... in a time of a 50-cent-an-hour minimum wage.
MOST sporting ammunition with bullets with REAL COPPER jackets would cost you about $5 for 20 shells. Thutty-thutty was $4.25, .43 Mauser was $3.65..... so I hunted down a K.71 for $3 and bought a box of that.
Ammo for "William the Conqueror" came from the Army, but I had to turn in my brass.
And that is how it was, out here.
At the same time, in the same store, a sportered Number 4, all shiny, from Parker-Hale, would set you back $26.95 and 94 Winchester .30-30 cost $36.95.
For the guys who wanted POWER there was the BSA conversion of the P-17 for $60, which beat hell outta a Winchester Model 70 at HUNDRED BUCKS....... in a time of a 50-cent-an-hour minimum wage.
MOST sporting ammunition with bullets with REAL COPPER jackets would cost you about $5 for 20 shells. Thutty-thutty was $4.25, .43 Mauser was $3.65..... so I hunted down a K.71 for $3 and bought a box of that.
Ammo for "William the Conqueror" came from the Army, but I had to turn in my brass.
And that is how it was, out here.
There is also what they call duffle cut rifles. Service men had to cut the barrels off to fit them in their duffle bags to bring them home. I have a full wood P17 and so far all I have ever used it for was to empty out bad reloads in order to start over again. It actually shoots better then my 742 ever did but I would be pretty tired carrying up a mountain.
