What's the point of sporterizing mil-surps?

[wlewisiii]

I'd rather go to a gun show and find one of those many "sporterized" or "bubba'd" rifles from the 50's, 60's or 70's for anywhere from $150 to $400. I'll get far more rifle for my money than any of the rifles from Marlin, Savage or the rest. Savage comes close, I'll grant, but I'd still rather a beat up bubba'd Mauser 93 in 7x57 over that Savage. At least it'll have real iron sights for the day you break that cheap scope on top of that cheap rifle...

 

[mf-dif]

I haven't modded any of my milsurps but lightening and increasing accuracy for something a person actually shoots is the primary reasons. Over the weekend I removed the bayonet, cleaning rod, sling and cleaning kit from my SKS. I put it all on the scale just to see how much it all weighted and it came to 1-lb. Rifle handling was noticeable easier...but it looked goofy so I put it all back on.

 

[tahoe2]

sporter milsurps

I have had Savage 110's and Remington 700's, I've shot A-Bolts and Mark V's M70's and a host of others.
Currently the only bolt action rifles I own are mausers, (5 of em) 7mm's & 8mm's from the 20's, 30's, & 40"s.
I have a sporter in each caliber and the rest are in military dress, they all shoot great and the nostalgia of them is the beauty of them.
They are from a time when craftsmanship meant something, machined by machinest's and hand fitted.
Granted todays rifle are made with CNC machining and computerized processes, which of course makes them better, however putting 5 shots into 1-1/2" with a gun from 1924 is pretty darned special, and taking an animal with said rifle and hand-loads is something very special indeed.
I grew up on those old guns and I'm passing it on to my young-uns. Nothing wrong with new technology, we should embrace it,
but let's not forget what got us here in the first place. I'll get down now, Sorry !! (ramblings of an old guy) LOL

check uncle grinch's links

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

Simple to understand - with perspective.

Most of these surplus guns which so many of us covet now were sold literally outa pickle jars when I was young. Your pick - $24.99, 3 for $60 sort of affairs. Proper sporting firearms were expensive to buy, more expensive to customize and often not regularly stocked so there would be order and wait scenarios.

Who here remembers the back-o-the-magazine adds (pre GCA) for surplus rifles and then in the same magazine might be the suggestions or instructions on making your own custom hunter in your shop?

Sporterized mil-surps? Was a time when it was THE way to go. Remember, they were dirt cheap and gonna stay that way 'cause we were never gonna run out.:banghead:

Even now, I still intend to assault one of my SKSs way beyond the standard forum sporterizing and know full well that someone may be holding it down the road asking their buddy: "what kinda moron would do this to something so valuable?"

 

[mljdeckard]

I have my Grandfather's sporterized 1917 Enfield. What it does to the cash value of the gun is entirely irrelevant to me, as it is not, and never will be for sale. And I actually like the balance on this one better. I added a no-drill/no-tap scope mount to it. Because HE made the modifications, that is worth more to me than the perceived value of military authenticity.

If I had another one, I wouldn't modify it.

 

[velocette]

Bubba'ized milsurps. Just the name implies disdain.
I have two sporterized milsurps. A 1917 Eddystone Enfield and an Inland M1 carbine. I built the '17 Enfield, bought the carbine. (actually traded for it.)
I spent a year taking a damaged US Rifle of 1917 from a mess to an accurate, reliable and good looking sporting rifle. Still has it's original GI barrel too.
No power tools were used, just files, hacksaws emery paper, and lots of elbow grease. It has a sporting rifle stock (bought on THR as I did the rifle itself)
with uncounted coats of Minwax Antique oil finish. Glass & Pillar bedded, Dayton Traister trigger & cock on opening kit. Still in God's own chambering, Caliber 30 of 1906. High polish deep blue finish with specialty blue on parts of the action and bolt.
It is 96 years old and shoots better today than it ever did in it's many former lives.

The M1 Carbine is a fine looking good shooting rifle that is quite unique. Shoots well and reliably.

 

[BearGriz]

Bubba'ized milsurps. Just the name implies disdain.

Velocette, those are beautiful! You won't hear me calling them "Bubba'ized"!

 

[zoom6zoom]

My question is whether the $1,000 gun show K98 is a #s matching, non-Russian capture specimen to command that price.

Likely is. I have an early war, all matching in pristine shape that's been professionally appraised at $1800.

 

[Uncle Grinch]

To Sporterize or Not

Just want to add.... none of my sporterized military rifles were in any way collectable. I would never sporterize a firearm that had collectable value in any sense of the word.
Making a decision to sporterize one can be a hard decision for some, but for those who collect milsurps, the answer comes through knowledge of your rifles history and your assessment of it's condition.

Here is one that will NOT get sporterized....




An all matching 1932 M94 Swede Carbine 6.5x55.

 

[Slamfire]

People actually have less free will than they think. Humans are herd animals, convince them that something is smart to do, and all their friends are doing it, you can get the whole herd moving in that direction.

Sporterizing lead to business for gunsmiths. It was they who put article after article in gun magazines of the period, promoting the wisdom of “sporterizing”. This increased the sales of stocks, sights, gunsmithing tools and yes, gunsmithing work.

The cheap way was to just hacksaw off wood and use the iron sights that came on the rifle. But actually few were happy with that and people wanted to use a scope. Now that takes drilling and tapping and bending the bolt handle and a new safety. Mission creep occurs and the customer wants more and more features, all to be found in Rem 721’s and M70’s, and at the end of the process, the customer has a unique rifle. And that unique rifle cost him as much if not more than one of those Savages, Remingtons, and Winchesters.

The previous owner lost money because he paid more for the work than the rifle was worth. I came out ahead because I wanted a 03 in 35 Whelen.

 

[madcratebuilder]

Bubba'ized milsurps. Just the name implies disdain.
I have two sporterized milsurps. A 1917 Eddystone Enfield and an Inland M1 carbine. I built the '17 Enfield, bought the carbine. (actually traded for it.)
I spent a year taking a damaged US Rifle of 1917 from a mess to an accurate, reliable and good looking sporting rifle. Still has it's original GI barrel too.
No power tools were used, just files, hacksaws emery paper, and lots of elbow grease. It has a sporting rifle stock (bought on THR as I did the rifle itself)
with uncounted coats of Minwax Antique oil finish. Glass & Pillar bedded, Dayton Traister trigger & cock on opening kit. Still in God's own chambering, Caliber 30 of 1906. High polish deep blue finish with specialty blue on parts of the action and bolt.
It is 96 years old and shoots better today than it ever did in it's many former lives.

The M1 Carbine is a fine looking good shooting rifle that is quite unique. Shoots well and reliably.

Drooled on my key board!

Nice work.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

Awesome carbine,velocette! I have been looking for a carbine (non-military) to do something similar to. I have an inherited General Motors/Inland in full military configuration including sling,oiler and bayonet,that will stay that way,not because of what it is/was but because of who I got it from(my F-I-L a korean vet).

 

[MilliradianDOT]

I think there is a certain amount of usefulness that applies here as well. We see it now with the Mosin Nagant. You have first time shooters who may not have $800 at one time to sink into a new hunting rifle and spend a dollar a cartridge to shoot it like with .243, .308, and others.

So they spend their $200 on a Mosin Nagant and a case of ammo. Then down the road another hundred bucks on a bent bolt and scope mount, then a little later $150 on a scope, then they work up to a dollar a shot on decent ammo. Yes, they have $350-$400 in a rifle that is now worthless to some people but it might be their first rifle and everybody has to have a "first rifle."

To these guys, the gun wasn't as useful to them until they "destroyed" it. It still cost them less than that savage and they got to shoot 440 rounds for $80. It may not have been sub MOA or even sub 5 MOA but they are likely a better marksmen because of it. I think surplus rifles that get sporterized are essential for forging new shooters who otherwise wouldn't have been able to afford to get into it.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

Remember many barrels were shot out, damaged or pitted from corrosive ammo, what may appear to be a Bubba'd gun may have saved the action from a blast furnace.

Here is a Colombian Model 50 in 30.06. I bought the receiver with bolt and sewerpipe barrel for $40. I "repurposed" it into something useful. Except for the barrel replacement and head spacing to .308 win,I did all of the work myself. No,it wasn't cheap but it made ME happy!

 

[tahoe2]

Looking at all the picks and reading the stories ! It's awesome !
We are human, it's what we do ! We make prized and functional possessions out of old relics, turn old beasties into outstanding preformers, like our dad's or granddad's who took some old car(or motrocycle) out of a barn and restored it or turned it into a hot rod.
I took and old Yugo 24/47 and turned it into a great hunter almost 10 years ago, still have it, still use it, and proud to have done it.
I have others in military dress and they will stay that way. I won't apologize for what I've done, just cuz someone may not agree with me.