[Roadwild17]

Yepp, another person looking to sporterize a millsurp, and NO I DON’T CARE ABOUT THE CATS :evil: , I’m a dog person anyway. What I’m looking for is a highly customizable (stock and maby some optics & mounts) in an accurate make that shoots a readily available round. It would be even better if it was something ’06 that I could pick up at wally-world.

I;ve heard that the Swiss K-38 (I think thats right :confused: ) is a really good gun, are there any American guns that compare?

[rangerruck]

my fave is simple: Carl gustav's in swedish 6.5. the swedes took excellent care of their weapons. Many companies have raided their armories, and sporterize their weapons allready. Kimber and howa do an excellent job with black synth stocks, cut down the bbls, make sure they are tapped. and do it all for about 300 or so bucks.
In my mind , there is no question that these were among the most acc models ever, and the 6.5 cartridge is low recoil , hard hitting, flies straight and true, even in big wind, and the 1000 yd shooters love this cart. It is long and skinny , like a javelin going down range.

[critter]

Mauser 98's have been customized to a fair-the-well for many years and there is a world of after-market parts available for them at reasonable prices. Likewise, Mauser 98's are avaiable all over, some at really affordable prices.

They are quite usable as-is and you can go as far with the customization as your money will allow.

It will take more care (and maybe more money), but M-98's are available in both 30-06 and 308 if you look hard. The more common mil-surp calibers will also have ammo available at gun shops, gun shows, on-line, etc, but maybe not at the 'big box' mall stores.

[Technosavant]

The Swiss rifle is the K31. It really IS a tack driver, and at the price, is truly without peer. But it doesn't shoot a readily available round (7.5x55 Swiss is gaining a bit of production, but will never reach the level of the 8mm Mauser), and the aftermarket isn't as rich (most Swiss owners leave them mostly stock).

With your criteria, go with a Mauser 98 or maybe a Mosin-Nagant. There will be more aftermarket for the Mauser, but the M-N will be a bit cheaper.

[ArmedBear]

BTW there are many similar or maybe even identical Mauser variants that don't have the collector cache of the German K98. Therefore, you can pick up one in good shooting condition for a hundred bucks easily. It may have scant blueing left on it, and it will be soaked in grease, but it'll be a good gun.

Yugo M48 and 24/47, Czech Vz24 and 98/22, even Turkish guns if you're selective, can fill the bill quite nicely. The Turks are pretty neat-o as-is, though, as interesting collectors, and they seem to have seen more actual use than most of the others so some are pretty beat. Some other guns were warehoused brand-new, especially M48's. Some Turks are pre-1899 so they can be had "paperless" shipped to your door, but I'd question their use as an everyday field gun for various reasons.

And Enfields are pretty nice.

Again, if your "customizing" includes a barrel change, most 98 Mauser variants and Enfields make for a great rifle.

[chrisTx]

you could probably get a sporterized 1903 for next to nothing. most people don't want one that's been butchered anyway. i have a regular '03A3 and it's probably one of the most accurate bolt surplus rifles i own.

[Thefabulousfink]

Pick up a M-17 Enfield, @ $100 at big 5. They are 30-06 and are not prized collector pieces so you wont have people jumping down your throught for cutting up a classic. My primary deer gun is a sporterized M-17 that was converted by someone who knew what they were doing back in the '50s or '60s. I will easilly hold MOA with factory ammo and once I get a reloading setup, I'll see what it can really do. If you don't want to put down a lot of $$ on the gun before you start working on it, want it to be a good shooter, and don't want to deal with exotic or out-dated ammo, I would highly suggest the m-17.

[Limeyfellow]

My most accurate surplus would be my Swiss Model 1911 rifle. K31s are really nice too.

Finnish Mosins are really loved by people for their accuracy. You'll pay more than other Mosins but you get really good quality.

Swedish Gustavs in 6.5 are good but I only been able to borrow one for shooting.

If you want to shoot economically the Mosins are probrobly the best followed by one of the better Mausers so you can get 10 cents a round surplus ammo and extras.

I still perfer my Lee Enfields though.

An american surplus equivilents would be either the Springfield 03a3 or the M1917. I actually perfer the later with the peep sight and some nice features. Either one is going to cost you over $400 nowadays and some people ask for a $1000 for an 03. In the US you overpay for the american brand, same with any country's own rifles.

[GD]

Thefabulousfink:

A couple of points about your comments:

1. "Pick up a M-17 Enfield, @ $100 at big 5." Considering that these rifles are generally selling for more than $400 everywhere else, I am quite surprised that Big 5 would have them at this price. I am going to check this out and get as many as I can afford.

2. "They are 30-06 and are not prized collector pieces so you wont have people jumping down your throught for cutting up a classic." This rifle was the main battle rifle of WW1 and is actually a highly sought after rifle since so many of them were sporterized in the past. There are plenty of collectors who would be upset to see and original M1917 cut up. The originals have actually become quite rare, that is why they are selling for over $400.

Perhaps you were refering to the #1 Mk 3 that are currently selling at Big 5?

The only rifles that I would suggest sportorizing are the most common ones currently available - the Russian Mosin Nagant, Turk M38 mauser, and the Yugo M48A mauser.

The rest are collectable enough that I am not going to suggest any.

[Thefabulousfink]

GD I think I was mistaken, I could have sworn that I saw them at Big 5, but now I can't find the ad. I bought mine for $200 from a friend, and I had seen a 1917 in a pawn shop a few months ago for $120. Mabey I should have jumped on it.:banghead:

I had allways been under the impression that the 1903 was the WWI rifle that everyone wanted, and the 1917 was the cheaper, more common rifle.

Either way, if you can find one they are stil very solid shooters.

[mainmech48]

Another +1 for the K-31. The Swedes are sweet, too but around here nice ones cost as much or more than a new Savage 110.

Another option you might want to check-out is one of the Ishapore 2A SMLEs chambered for the 7.62x51 NATO (.308 Win) cartridge. Inexpensive, lots of aftermarket support, lots of relatively cheap ammo, and capable of amazing accuracy with tailored handloads or "Match" ammo.

[MechAg94]

Somone on another thread said the Big 5 rifles were .303 caliber.

I would like to get a 1917 rifle in 30.06. Hate to pay $400 though.


For the K31, the rifle is cheap. You can get a real nice one from www.aimsurplus.com for ~$150. Ones with beat up stock and still nice bores are $120. A $500 round case of near match surplus ammo will be $150. Hunting type ammo is available. I have bought a couple boxes, but haven't tested them out yet.

A 1903 in 30.06 is another good option. You can get a good one for $400 or $450 from the CMP. They sell surplus ammo as well. Never had a mauser so I couldn't comment there. I hope you wouldn't sporterize that though.

[jd46561]

If your going to butcher the thing , Buy a Mosin they made millions . Otherwise, go to Wally World and get a RemChester. My 2 cents.:banghead:

[mndfusion]

get an m-39 mosin -- ammo is about 40 bucks for 500 rds! And its the most accurate milsurp I ever shot.

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/2956/44rifle6lz.jpg

thats it next to the 91/30, same ammo, but one does things the other doesnt hahah

[Cacique500]

If you're going to chop something up, please make sure you KNOW what you're chopping up. Can't tell you how many valuable collector rifles I've seen that have really been butchered by people who didn't know what they had.

[mndfusion]

ya know thats a good point. I had a sporterized mauser I got at a garage sale for $90 One day I decided to take off the scope mount and saw something really cool...the rifle was made in ---DANZIG--- that country hasent even been around for like 100 years! I only knew it was a country cause i have seen some stamps from there in this guys collection.

[Tokugawa]

go to a gun show and find a mil surp that has already been cut up. Every show I see a nice Mauser or two for $50-100 bucks, that has had the stock shortened or barrel cut. Sometimes they are almost pristine as far as the action and rifling.Best buy? Maybe 7.65 argentine. And the Swedish 6.5 x 57 . Anything that is in original military configuration will command a higher price, except for a mosin. (just cause they are newer on the market)

[iamkris]

Pathetic. All this talk of chopping up beautiful old warhorses.

I'm going to go out and buy a minty 64-1/2 Mustang and drop a hybrid engine in it, spinny hubcaps and neon underlights just for spite and protest.

go to a gun show and find a mil surp that has already been cut up

I agree...if you are going to commit a sin, at least don't drag another rifle in along with you. Find one that some other hack has already taken the Dremel to.

[Gewehr98]

You will have already spent enough money to buy a commercial .30-06 boltgun that will shoot just as good, if not better. I'm talking Savage, Howa, Tikka, even the Remington 700 ADL variants. I've built 1000-yard precision rifles on military Mauser actions, but those guns had already been reduced to the receiver long before I got my hands on them.

Leave the original-condition U.S. 1917 Enfields, M1903 Springfields, and Gew98/K98 Mausers as is, enjoy them as rare examples of bygone times, and find either a pre-butchered milsurp to make your tackdriver, or just use the money to get one of the above commercial rifles. ;)

[swingset]

Yup, I agree buy a Savage bolt gun and save the effort. All you will do by hacking up an accurate milsurp is throw its collector's value and it's future monetary value in the toilet.

Unless, of course, the idea of spending $200 on a $200 rifle to come up with a $150 rifle somehow seems appealing.

Not to mention there's that whole pissing on a piece of history aspect.

[Cosmoline]

Stick with the many, many already partially sporterized Mausers, Springfields, Eddystones, and the like. DO NOT be an idiot and hack up a Swiss 1911 or Finnish Mosin. Those rifles, aside from being of great historical and increasing dollar value, are notoriously resistant to sporterization attempts. There was an article a few years back detailing the efforts of two gun writers who tried to turn a K-31 into a sporterized .35 Whelen. The end result cost them over $5,000, jammed constantly and was nowhere near as accurate as the original rifle.

I'd also hesitate to hack up an Eddystone if you're lucky enough to find an intact one. The mint examples run for $500 or more now. I can just see some bonehead finding one at a pawn shop and sanding through the "EK" stamp on the side. Lord knows it has happened before.