'Sporting' term

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LAR-15

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What makes a gun 'sporting' to you, ignoring what the law says in your country, or 'non sporting'?
 
LAR-15

I am going to say, broadly, that which makes a firearm "sporting" would be its intended use as designed by the manufacturer. Today shooting sports are far broader than even 20 years ago.

I will postulate that there is a wide gray line between sporting and let's call them "defensive" firearms.

I am going out on a limb here and say that very few handguns would be of the sporting variety based on where I am going...Contenders, S&W .500s...those kinds of things are "sporting" as would be purpose-built target pistols both center and rim -fire. I would submit that a Glock or an XD would be a "defensive" firearm...purpose built for law abiding citizens to use in the lawful defense of home and family. Ditto for AR-15, Mossberg 590, AK clones.

Of course one could certainly argue that any sporting firearm would server to defend and of course millions hunt, target-shoot, control varmints, and plink with defensive arms...how many coyotes have fallen to the AR-15?...a lot! How many burglars have been scared away by a single shot 12-ga or a 30-30?...a lot!

I am afraid even though we have a God given right to defend ourselves (and a right supported again by the Constitution), the use of the the word "sporting" is going to be used against us in attempts to limit what we may use to defend ourselves or for that matter, use for sporting purposes.

Bottom line, and please feel free to disagree THR members, but the anti's are going to classify "sporting" as anything big, wood, single shot or repeating (exclusive of semi-auto), with a low capacity, non-removable magazine. Your Model 94 or your Savage 99 is probably safe from the anti's for the time being...beyond that...watch out!
 
To me, a sporting gun is one that was designed for a specific sport, such as hunting or target shooting. For example, a field-grade shotgun that was designed for hunting has certain characteristics, such as light weight, shorter barrel, certain choke sizes, etc., and a Sporting Clay version might include more weight, longer barrels, and fancier wood.

However, pretty much any gun can be used for sport, self defense, or wall hanging, it's just that some are better for a specific use than are others.

brad
 
It's a sporting firearm if it meet's the Conservation Department's regs on being a hunting weapon.

I hunted deer for twenty years with a .308 HK 91. Just blocked a mag to nine rounds, and dragged it out to the woods. Mounted a 1Gen Aimpoint on a Swan clawmount. It survived agent scrutiny, and brought home deer - just like any semi auto. Just like fish don't know what rod/reel you're using, the deer didn't care what launched the bullet.

BTW, did you now this is the 100th anniversary of semi-auto, magazine-fed sporting firearms in America? Remington's been making them that long.

An R-25 .308, a AR-10 on the market now, should suffice - and take hunting abuse lots better than an exposed bolt action, presentation-grade warpy wood stock, shiny, blued to rust quicker, Great White Hunter classics. Gosh, just taking one of those out of the gunsafe could scratch it up. :evil:

I've gone from the HK to a stainless 700 .30-06, to a rusty Win '94 .30-30, to a plastic side lock black powder rifle. It's all good.
 
Any gun used for hunting, target and plinking. That being said anything that goes bang and hits what I am aiming at. That excludes M60's, M2's, mortars, heavy artillery, and sawed off shotguns. Those are not sporting although useful in a certain context. I'll admit blowing up a 6 pack of confiscated beer with a confiscated sawed off 16 gauge was a hoot. Also a bit painful, who knew there was so much kick from a trimmed down 16.
 
"Sporting" was a made-up term to suit a political goal 40 years ago just as "Assault Weapon" was a made-up term 14 years ago.

It is a way to classify a gun where no classification should exist because the 1968 law should not exist, just as the 1994 should not have existed.

But, to answer your question more directly, I'd agree with Mt. Shooter and say that all guns are sporting because any gun can be used for the sport of shooting.
 
If I can put a cartridge in the back of it and a bullet comes out the front of it when I pull the trigger. It's a sporting rifle...Dumb question for this web site...
 
The Remington Model 8 semi auto "sporting" rifle began production in 1906
 
Any weapon that has not seen combat first hand. Don't tell me you would turn down a chance to fire live cannon rounds for target practice, or even some type of competition. We need more new sports that use serious firepower.
 
THEY have it all wrong.

If I want to "blast" at a 55 gallon drum with my MG. Or shoot a Black Powder cannon with crement bullets at it. Those are both sporting purposes in my book.
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Sporting" means whatever the ATF decides it means when it comes to imports
Click to expand...

Sporting" was a made-up term to suit a political goal 40 years ago just as "Assault Weapon" was a made-up term 14 years ago.

It is a way to classify a gun where no classification should exist because the 1968 law should not exist, just as the 1994 should not have existed.

But, to answer your question more directly, I'd agree with Mt. Shooter and say that all guns are sporting because any gun can be used for the sport of shooting.
Click to expand...


AGREED
 
I know sporting was a term introduced by the GCA of 1968 (at least in the US) and so I put the caveat of ignoring what the law says
 
If a firearm can be carried by a single person and used for hunting, target shooting, plinking, or just making noise I'd consider it sporting. It's more in the mind of the user than the way the gun looks. If the politicians don't agree they could always go tell someone who really cares.... :evil:
 
"Sporting" has no meaning. It is MEANT to be fluid and vague by evil individuals.
 
A "Sporting" firearms is defined by the intended use of it's owner.

For example the No1 Mk3* SMLE was, in it's time, the most devastating military bolt action ever, loved by those who carried it and hated and feared by those who opposed it. The first major defeats suffered by both German and Japanese land forces during World War 2 were sufered at the hands of men carrying Lithgow made No1 Mk3* SMLE's.

A former Afrika Korp soldier once told me much of what if written about the war in North Africa was bull****, the most feared weapon among his "Kameraden" was not the Matilda tank or the 25pdr Gun, but the humble .303 rifle being held by an Australian.

For many years, those same NO1 Mk3 SMLE's have been widely used as hunting and target rifles throughout much of the old British Commonwealth of Nations.

(Having seen the some of the fellows at Military Rifle Club shoot, I still wouldn't like to be the first bloke over the parapet out to about 600 yards)
 
Strong and effective programs of gun control create a formal distinction between sporting and non-sporting firearms.

The framers of GCA ‘68 borrowed an idea — that certain firearms are “hunting weapons” — from the Nazi Weapons Law of 1938.

The equivalent U.S. term, “sporting purpose,” was used to classify firearms. But it was not defined anywhere in GCA ‘68. Thus, bureaucrats were empowered to ban whole classes of firearms. They have, in fact, done so.
 
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