sporterizeing surplus guns

My Father has a few of these. Back in the 60's and early 70's Golden State Arms imported a couple thousand Swiss 1911sr Long rifles. They were all sporterized and rechambered to .308. You can still fiond them once in a while, but I can tell you that the process was super professional and ours shoot moa with a 175gr SMK or Berger VLD.

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They named them Alpine Sporters. Some of the finishes are super refined and all of the wood was Walnut. I really like the feel and accuracy of these conversions, but I'd never ever convert a 1911 or k11 of my own.

Latigo
 
I have my grandfather's sporterized M1917 (Winchester) in .30-06. It mean's as much or more to me sporterized as it would as a mil-surp. It put a ton of dinner on his family's table and I'm sure it was an upgrade to what ever he was using before he got it. I still don't know if he sporterized or if he bought it that way. Either way, its an Enfield that I can do what ever I please with now. :)

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I generally don't like to see old military rifles like Mausers and Enfields Sporterized, particularly not the way a lot of them used to be "sporterized" which was just to saw off some of the wood furnishings. But there are exceptions. I've seen some nice sporterized mausers - but I've wondered if they didn't cost more than the owner could have bought a new Remington bolt gun for.

But there are some guns that just cry out for customization. There's a thread over on the pistol colum about S&W and Colt Model 1917 45 cal. revolvers, including the S&W Brazillian contract revolvers from 1937. Everybody on the forum who owns one of these 45 cal service revolvers has been invited to show a picture of theirs.

These run the gamut from Brazilian contract guns like mine that are beat up but still original, to pristine military models that I'd hate to see anybody customize, to between the wars commercial guns, to guns of all types that have been customized, some radically. Some of those customized guns have got me drooling; particularly the ones that are cut down like the S&W Model 1917 that was used in the first Indiana Jones movie, and a couple of others that have been chopped down into 45 cal. snubbies. One guy with one of the last posts had a beat up old Brazilian gun like mine, and you should see what he's done with it. It's FINE. Take a look at it on that thread. I don't think you'll find a lot of fault with it.
 
I believe some of you may not be seeing the bigger picture here.I am buying as many of the really fine sporterized 03's and K-98's as my budget will allow.These rifles represent a tremendous oppertunity to buy essentially hand made and fitted rifles at fire sale prices. Because these are truly beautiful firearms both in function and form they have enduring value over time.
One hundred years from now imagine the comparitive value of a Reminton Stainless with a composit stock or an AR compaired to a butter knife set trigger sporterized K-98 with hand select euro-walnut wood.
 
I've seen some nice sporterized mausers - but I've wondered if they didn't cost more than the owner could have bought a new Remington bolt gun for.
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I could have bought two for what it cost to build my Mauser. I could have bought three for what it cost to build my 03A3 but they will out shoot anything you can buy off a rack.
 
Oh, collecting vintage Jerry 98 sporters or old-school '03s could be a hobby in itself.

If a rifle's a basket case, I generally have no qualms about using the action to build something nice, rather than condemning it to a life as a wall-hanging tomato stake.
 
Rifles are made to be shot. I sporterized a Yugo M48. I doubt (at least for the next 40 years or so) it would ever be a collectable. I would never carry the full military dress Yugo into the field for deer or any other hunting. I am proud of the sportster I created.

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Originally Posted by Hawg Haggen
I remember when you could get Mosins for 9.00...
When was that? I mean, I've been slinging guns across the glass pretty much since the Berlin Wall came down, and I don't ever remember them being nine bucks wholesale...
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It wasn't that long ago you could order the excellent condition refurbed guns with accessories for $49.00 each (or it may have been $39.00 each) with free shipping if you ordered a pallet full. The market was flooded and they were turning them over cheap. A few years before that I jumped on them at $175.00 each :(
 
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jtb1967,

Tell me about it. :(

I bought my first Enfield, a horribly bubba-ized No.4 Mk.I, for right around a hunnerd bucks in early '86. Not a few months later, FOPA '86 went through and before you know it, the market was glutted with fresh intact imports for the same price... :o
 
Rifles are made to be shot. I sporterized a Yugo M48. I doubt (at least for the next 40 years or so) it would ever be a collectable. I would never carry the full military dress Yugo into the field for deer or any other hunting. I am proud of the sportster I created.
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If you kept talking I bet you could fill a cesspool. That M48 had collector's value until you butchered it up because you were too cheap to just buy a used deer rifle instead.


Another great condition M48 turned into a fudd's wet dream.

Next time you get an unmolested surplus rifle, message me and I'll trade you a random fudd deer gun for it.
 
If you kept talking I bet you could fill a cesspool. That M48 had collector's value until you butchered it up because you were too cheap to just buy a used deer rifle instead.
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Yep, he could have probably prowled around gun shows and found a Mauser that someone had already Bubba'd up. Then he could do a resurrection worthy of the pride!
 
You know, why don't you all go collect the original military weapon, a club, you could rhapsody over how pristine the grain is or how the nicks where just the right angle. Please. Like I said, better a useful hunting weapon than a dust collecting wall hanger taken out to impress other collectors of useless items.

I'm sure you all have fun dressing up in your costumes and doing the goose step carrying your original Mausers around but I would rather use it for something more utilitarian like putting food on the table.

Yes I could have bought a new plastic rifle for what I spent sporterizing this one. However I wouldn't have had the pleasure of shaping the wood, reworking the action, putting on the finish, crafting something that is uniquely mine.

Tell you what, next time I will buy one for $150.00 and you can pay me $300+ since it is so collectible...
 
Mine don't sit around collecting dust. They are all shooters, and get shot a lot. My first deer rifle was an Enfield No. 5 Jungle carbine as issued.
My first deer was actually taken with an M1 Garand. Again as issued. The same one that my son used to take his first deer. It's now considered by us as a family heirloom, but still makes plenty of trips to the range.
As I said earlier, there are plenty of military surplus rifles out there that have already been defiled by some Bubba. Most of which have not been done as well as yours. So why not look for one of them to build something to be proud of.
By the way, I don't own any military uniforms either!
 
mikerault:
That seems like a decent deal for a nice Enfield #4 (if FTF in this area), although my next rifle will be another CMP "S.G." Garand.

My last #4 cost $275 at the Ft. Worth show on Jan. 1st.
All of these guns are used fairly often, and the extras mean less wear on each.
 
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