lefteyedom
Member
There value is solely what the market will bare
Having an original stock that has been "recontoured" or cut down. I don't care HOW nice a job it was, if they took the original military stock and tried to cut it into a sporter stock, its junk.
I'm familiar with Bubba's work...those don't look like Bubba to me.Here's a couple of my "sporterized" Argentine Mausers. Never underestimate Bubba
I don't have any pictures, but many years ago my best friend sold a 303 british to me because he need money. Paid $50 for it. I did a really nice job sporterizing it. Top shelf work. Surprised him with it for his birthday. He cried. How much was it worth to me? Priceless.
As long as the owner of the said sporterized or customized rifle is happy with it's looks and it performs to his/her satisfaction, functions properly and safely, who cares what others think.
collectors don't buy sporterized rifles so their opinions are irelevant and mean nothing
Among other things, I collect sporterized rifles. Apparently, you do too. Are you saying your opinion is irrelevant?
My opinion is relevant because I will buy something for what i think it's worth. Given that this thread is about resale value, and i'm a potential buyer, my opinion is relevant and meaningful. Yours too.
I had an option to buy one much like that third one...the '03...for $175 and should have but didn't. Pristine bore. Cut down original wood. Those are the ones that will command the lowest prices unless a new stock was poorly done.
I agree especially when you should be able to find a non stock one at a good price to sporterize. But if one wants to take a Mosin that was purchased for $99 and sporterize it for shooting, hunting, or learning on. It is a great way to go. With a Mosin ammo is cheap and the money would be saved on the ammo cost alone over a 30-06. Unless you reload of course. Plus they are plenty accurate for sport shooting and medium to large game. You can say that you are destroying original value and future value. But what will top price of a $99 dollar Mosin Nagant be? $500 dollars? I never sell my guns anyway. I give them to family or they will get them when I am gone. Be smart in what you sporterize. Plus my eyes are too bad to use iron sight any way.99% of the time, "sporterizing" a milsurp results in a reduction in resale value. A lot of collectors even advise against refinishing the original stock, although if you have a particularly beat-up specimen, refinishing can sometimes increase the resale value if done professionally.
I sold an Ishapore Enfield in excellent condition that I kept all-original. I got $450. By comparison, Ishapores that were modified (ex: drilled and tapped for scope mounts, put into a polymer stock, etc) were going for $250 - $350.
It is irrational for people to spend time and money to decrease the value of their historical rifle... but sadly it happens all the time.
It is irrational for people to spend time and money to decrease the value of their historical rifle... but sadly it happens all the time.
But if you have a pristine '03 Springfield and want to sporterize it, remember -- you can buy a new Model 70 or Model 700 for the cost of the sporterizing, and still have your '03 in original condition.
There is still something to be said for killing a deer with a 70 year old Mosin Nagant that you sporterized. Plus the skills you will learn along the way supersede the collector value of a mis-matched Nagant. IE: checkering, stock refinishing and shaping, metal work, tap and die, staining and finishing etc.... Especially teaching a young shooter these things. Most people under 35 cannot even change a tire. Lets leave the new guns to Japan China. or the lowest bidder. Its cheaper that way. One day I think the quality sporterized rifles of our Fathers will be appreciated like folk art from a time that was. Created and modified by one of the greatest generations ever. Only time will tell. Personally I would rather have the handcrafted quality sporterized handed down version myself. The hard work and craftsmanship of some of these great rifles in my opinion is way undervalued. You would be hard pressed to buy the quality wood on some of them for the price of the guns.Sporterizing made more sense in the past than now for sure.
Nowdays we are spoiled by the fact that you can buy an accurate hunting rifle, new, for as little as less than $300 (often in combo with a scope), heck even good quality pieces as a Remington 700 SPS or a Weatherby Vanguard can be had in the $400 range.We live in an era of big box big discount stores where bascically everybody can afford one of these,
50-60 years go was totally different, a good new hunting rifle was probably costing a good chunk of a man take home pay.
Military surplus rifles were very abundant and cheap (Springfields, Mausers, Enfields) and probably back then was costing less to sporterize one, even with the help of a good gunsmith, to make it suitable for hunting than buy a new Winchester 70 for example.
Gunsmith work has skyrocketed in price, surplus rifles dried up boosting up prices and mass produced hunting rifles (if you do not care about fancy wood stock) have significantly come down in price related to wages....in few words, the economics did change.
So yes sporterize does not make financial sense anymore even if you buy a rock bottom price military rifle like a Mosin. By the time you are done you problably spent amost the same amount needed to buy an inexpensive modern hunting rifle (new or used) or a nice sporterized Mauser or Springfiueld that someone already made 50 years ago, American gun shop racks are full of them.