Like many have said, you can get modern, accurate hunting rifles for under 400 bucks. I just cannot justify in any way, having people take a full wood No.4 worth 400-900$, and cut it up into a 150$ rifle. If you don't like the way it is in full wood config and just want a hunting rifle, sell the damn thing and buy a hunting rifle. Intentionally butchering a piece of hsitory and ruining its cash value makes no sense. Sportering full wood milsurps has no place in todays era of gun onwership. We should know better by now.
Will the sportster milsurps ever be back in style.
- Thread starter Nelson84
- Start date
antiqueguy
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- windsor ontario
i think theres a few ways around the UN ATT but i dont think it will last long anyway sks's and mosins should still be exortable but we will see
antiqueguy
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- windsor ontario
It was a very cold winter so I burned about 4 chords of sporter stock wood.
people like me love sporter stocks they make good pieces to make splices from
Just because a once full dressed milsurp has been turned into a sporter, doesn't mean it shouldn't be enjoyed or that it isn't well done.
Many socalled "Bubbas" are just that. Someone with absolutely no idea about what they were doing, got ahold of what are now considered to be rare and valuable collectibles, a hacksaw, some files and sandpaper. They spent a couple of hours the day before the big hunt hacking, sawing and sanding to take the weight off their new, wonderful sporter that they got for 1/10 the price of a commercial sporter. Even the sporters that were commercially converted were expensive in comparison.
Some of those rifles, rare makers or not, were extremely well done. Most weren't.
The big thing is, because of how many of the rifles in their original form were either sold off as surplus for comercial refits into sporters or just put onto big piles and all of the wood burned off so that the metal could be sent to the smelters, not many of the originals are left, in comparison to the amount of people that want to own them.
Many people with the sporterized rifles get quite pizzy faced when they can't get as much money for one in excellent condition as someone with a full military spec rifle can get for a relative beater.
That's life. When you have something that has become common and try to evaluat it against something that is becoming desireable or rare, the common offering will lose every time.
Bubba, is a relative term. Many rifles that get called Bubba, aren't. For instance, the Remington, Model 30 Express rifles. I have one of these. I haul it around to gun shows for effect, rather than to sell. It's priced reasonably but I like to see the look on peoples faces when they curl up their lips and proclaim Bubba. That's when I point out the history of the rifle and assure them it was made as a sporter from the billet to finished receiver. Then give them the history on why and how they came about. Usually, this is followed by looks of disbelief and distrust.
Many of the Lee Enfield actions were purchased to become well made and finished sporting rifles. They were the epitomy of firearms technology at that point in history. There just wasn't anything better available. Same goes for Martini, Mauser and just about every other type of military action ever made available to the public on a commercial level. Today, many of these fine sporting rifles are labled Bubba by the uninformed masses.
I for one, fully appreciate a well done conversion of a military surplus rifle into a handy sporting rifle. There are two reasons for this. One, every one I see done, makes the full milspec rifles in my safes more valuable. Two, this is just part of the real time history of this particular rifle.
If you come across a decent, well done sporter and you like the way it looks and feels, buy it. Enjoy it for what it is and don't expect to triple your money on it by calling it a milsurp. It is no longer a milsurp. It is what it is, a modified rifle that has been specifically done for a specific purpose.
The cartridges these rifles are chambered for, usually fall within the range and power of a 308Win or 30-06 Springfield. Those are still fine hunting specs for 99% of the hunting done in Canada. Enjoy these old girls, there is still a lot of life left in them and they are more than up to most of the tasks demanded of them.
Many socalled "Bubbas" are just that. Someone with absolutely no idea about what they were doing, got ahold of what are now considered to be rare and valuable collectibles, a hacksaw, some files and sandpaper. They spent a couple of hours the day before the big hunt hacking, sawing and sanding to take the weight off their new, wonderful sporter that they got for 1/10 the price of a commercial sporter. Even the sporters that were commercially converted were expensive in comparison.
Some of those rifles, rare makers or not, were extremely well done. Most weren't.
The big thing is, because of how many of the rifles in their original form were either sold off as surplus for comercial refits into sporters or just put onto big piles and all of the wood burned off so that the metal could be sent to the smelters, not many of the originals are left, in comparison to the amount of people that want to own them.
Many people with the sporterized rifles get quite pizzy faced when they can't get as much money for one in excellent condition as someone with a full military spec rifle can get for a relative beater.
That's life. When you have something that has become common and try to evaluat it against something that is becoming desireable or rare, the common offering will lose every time.
Bubba, is a relative term. Many rifles that get called Bubba, aren't. For instance, the Remington, Model 30 Express rifles. I have one of these. I haul it around to gun shows for effect, rather than to sell. It's priced reasonably but I like to see the look on peoples faces when they curl up their lips and proclaim Bubba. That's when I point out the history of the rifle and assure them it was made as a sporter from the billet to finished receiver. Then give them the history on why and how they came about. Usually, this is followed by looks of disbelief and distrust.
Many of the Lee Enfield actions were purchased to become well made and finished sporting rifles. They were the epitomy of firearms technology at that point in history. There just wasn't anything better available. Same goes for Martini, Mauser and just about every other type of military action ever made available to the public on a commercial level. Today, many of these fine sporting rifles are labled Bubba by the uninformed masses.
I for one, fully appreciate a well done conversion of a military surplus rifle into a handy sporting rifle. There are two reasons for this. One, every one I see done, makes the full milspec rifles in my safes more valuable. Two, this is just part of the real time history of this particular rifle.
If you come across a decent, well done sporter and you like the way it looks and feels, buy it. Enjoy it for what it is and don't expect to triple your money on it by calling it a milsurp. It is no longer a milsurp. It is what it is, a modified rifle that has been specifically done for a specific purpose.
The cartridges these rifles are chambered for, usually fall within the range and power of a 308Win or 30-06 Springfield. Those are still fine hunting specs for 99% of the hunting done in Canada. Enjoy these old girls, there is still a lot of life left in them and they are more than up to most of the tasks demanded of them.
I just bought a lee enfield sporter for $200 on saturday . It is a no.4 mk 2 dated 1950. Its in very good condition. It still has its original ladder type rear peep sight. I like peep sights. The stock is the orgininal but cut down in front. Front sight have been changed. I would have liked a full military stocked version and something that may have been used in WW II but they are not cheap anymore. I still have to try it out.
I have bought 2 lee enfield sporters for $80 each and one is a jungle carbine. I put the jungle carbine back to original because it looks awesome. I just bought a sporter 1895 steyr for $100. I also have a sporter Ross m-10. I bought all of these because they were cheap. I spend for filling my gas tank on my pickup than a rifle. So in reality these rifles in sporter are as cheap as when they were sold as surplus in the 50's for what a dollar buys you these days. Sure I would like all my rifles to be original prestine but I am not willing to spend over $1000 each for them. I bought 5 rifles for less than $1000 and I am not afraid to get them dirty. I like pulling out one of these antiques when we are camping and watch everybody gather around and say how cool and nice shape they are in. I also bought a mosin for $130 so that is 6 rifles under $1000. Next will be a swiss k31 straight pull to complete my collection.
I think it looks good both ways, I like the cheek rest on the top one but I would prefer the stock one color. Looks a little late 70's but still cool.Some old pics but here's what can be fixed:
I know which one I like better...
Quite a few, remember seing piles of them in the local war surplus store for 9.95 ea.
Thing is there were so many, no one saw the value in keeping them original, myself included and I'm guilty of a couple of Bubba jobs. Grizz
