I went thru a few years of tinkering hard on Milsurps. I prefer to start with an already "defaced" (I have no issue cutting up pretty much anything, but others really value the original configurations. Thus I prefer to send along those that arnt already molested or are restorable) sporter.... preferably one without TOO many holes in the wrong places.
I just realized ill need to sit at my pc to post relevant pictures and descriptions lol.
I had a 1903 before any of these guns listed but its pictures died with Photobucket. The gun was already nicely sporterized in a bishop stock when I got it, including a professionally installed bolt handle and low throw safety. All I did was have our local smith screw in a new rem 2 grove barrel and drill and tap for a set of vintage scope mounts. Gave that gun to a friend of mine 10 years ago or so.
Gun went thru a few iterations and was one of my first "major" projects. started life as a common 91/30 eventually ended up as the ubiquitous ATI stocked Mosin sporter.
A different and less heavily modified 91-30Mosin, rounds fired were 174SMKs.
Both of those Mosins actually shot SMKs REALLY well. The full sporter job would hold MOA +/-
Next up are the Arisakas
First one I got was a midwar T-99, already wearing a fajen stock. I modified the bolt to turned down and drilled and tapped for a scope mount. also added a thumb stud on the safety so I could use a thumb to get it on and off.
Next was actually THIS thing.....
This one got a lot of work, including sitting at the smith's place for a long while before i got it back.
Stock went away, so did the barrel. bought all the parts to put the bolt back together stripped it and hot blued it, then sent it to shaw for a 6.5-284 barrel and having the action tapped for a savage scope mount.
It had a couple stock changes and got some random add-ons as well as a Timney trigger.
Bought this next one off Gunbroker, but from a local seller. This was already in 6-284, with a fajen stock and bent bolt handle, as well as leupold mounts.
all I really did to that one was install a new extractor, re-profile the bolt handle a bit to give it the lines rather than being a lumpy....lump, and installed a savage centerfeed mag box so it would actually FEED the rounds i wanted to use.
Family picture.
only animal picture I have a picture of that was taken with one of my milsurporters
6.5-284 at a whopping 40+/- yds.
This rifle started out as a Spanish 98 Mauser. It laid around our shop for years and nobody seemed to know where it came from. I asked my uncle if I could have it to try and sporterize and he said have at it. It still had a few rounds left, still in the stripper clips. I burned them up in a local gravel pit then proceeded with my plan. With the help from an old time basement gun smith I knew I got it rebarreled to 25-06 and the straight bolt cut and rewelded then drilled and tapped for scope mounts. I bought a Bueller safety ,a Timney trigger, new for 35 bucks! and a Fajen stock. Did a lot of filing, sanding and polishing then sent it out to get blued. The Stock was a 98% inletted one but with the medium weight barrel it took a lot of work to fit but I finally got it done. It shoots sub MOA and I was a pretty happy kid in my early 20s. All in all I concluded that monetarily I’d of been better off buying a rifle but the experience and satisfaction of making something out of the beat up old Mauser was definitely worth it.
