Thoughts on buying “Sporterized” Milsurp Rifles

[DennisCA]

Thoughts on purchasing “sporterized” milsurp rifles?
I have bought two;
One was a Remington 1903a3, which brought back to milsurp specs.
(It was a bunch of work, but worth it)
The other was a 30-40 Kraig, it was nicely done so I kept it as-is.

 

[Brandon Breeze]

Like you said, buy them and put them back to their original glory!

 

[Gromann]

I do like milsurp stuff but unless the original equipment is in "great"/"Excellent" condition, I don't see the issue in doing the gun equivalent of a restomod. I have an M39 action that I really am torn on, but I want to get a hardwood stock, bed it, and add target sights to.

 

[Tere_Hanges]

The only milsurp sporters I like are ones based on a Mauser 98 action, since that action was also used commercially throughout the decades.

Otherwise, I'm only interested in milsurp guns that are in milsurp configuration because they are milsurps.

 

[Atomic Soldier]

Some you can get a great deal and easily restore, mosins come to mind. Others are impossible or will cost you much more in the long run then buying a cherry example as issued. A sporterized type 38 Japanese carbine comes to mine. Scoured the Internet and couldn't find a stock anywhere. Didn't purchase. Shame because it had the mum intact.

 

[NATEWA]

I would buy one if it was done right.

 

[Gryff]

I've had a sporterized Lee-Enfield for decades. It was nicely done, but I wish it was un-modified.

 

[QQQQQ]

I collected a few. All antiques. They were pretty awesome.

Krag that had a 308 Austrian barrel? It was so smooth. I think I should have kept that one.. it was like new.

Enfield

Guild haenel

Mosin Russ refurb. it was like new also. I put in a at-one Boyd stock. lol

My view is they were eventually worth more than I thought they were so I sold them. I didn’t shoot them so that’s irrelevant but part of it also taking up space.

It’s also like the things people will pay for that they appreciate will change. Meaning older folks probably would have spent the most on these and younger folk would have little to no interest.

The whole market of imports and the no longer imported. It’s sort of a waste of time. Market manipulation. Just buy what you like and try not to buy too many because its not necessarily a headache to sell later but it takes time which you might not have at the time.. which is a headache. lol

 

[Gromann]

I've had a sporterized Lee-Enfield for decades. It was nicely done, but I wish it was un-modified.

I feel like once it's done like this, or to this level, it's no longer a milsurp, it's a .303 Hunting Rifle and should get priced accordingly which isn't necessarily lower than what Enfield's values would be.

 

[Forkknifegamer67]

9/10 of them aren’t worth the trouble of restoring imo. Often when the sights are removed for a target sight or tapped for a scope it becomes too much work just to end up with a forever marred rifle, plus when you buy up parts you support people taking apart perfectly fine rifles and parting them out to sell piece by piece.

Maybe it’s my luck but in my time I haven’t come across many bad sporter jobs outside of one ratF-ed mosin. They make good shooters when you can find them for a reasonable price.

There used to be a one handed guy who would go to every gun show close to the Bay Area who was trying to sell his collection of sporter mausers for thousands of dollars each and he would tell me that they are worth that much because they are “ marked” (as if that is rare lol) and the stocks he handmade for them were just that fine. To me it looked like a bright yellow 4x4. Wonder if he ever sold them

 

[doggman61]

I bought a Johnson M1941 that has a sporting stock for cheap thinking I could find a mil-surp stock and turn around to sell it for 10X.
Here I am 10+ years later still trying to find a stock lol. At least it is still super cool!

 

[dgil74]

What about the Sedgleys? Some were unissued and built by him, others were top notch sporters. I’ve got limited info on the models but have 2, including a full length manlicher stocked ‘03 which is straight up a beauty.

 

[dgil74]

By the way I’m new here, not trying to hijack anyone’s post just getting a feel for where I fit in. Thanks

 

[joefrank64k]

Sporterized rifles are just as much part of milsurp collecting as unsporterized.

They’re part of a long historical tradition, right? Off to war then, when back home, you use the war rifle (either yours or the war trophy you brought back) to put food on the table. Modify it for hunting use (shorter, lighter, add an optic).

I’ve had some sweet sporterized milsurps over the years. Very cool firearms.

 

[H. Bowman]

If it's a common ammo caliber and the price is right I'll grab it and throw it in the loaner safe or hunt with it or give it to a kid for their first rifle.

 

[shroom]

Avoid like the plague unless its bottom of the barrel cheap. Maybe if a bubba'd rifle is like 100 bucks it could be worth restoring.
Otherwise you're pretty much always better off searching for an unmolested example.

 

[QQQQQ]

Avoid like the plague unless its bottom of the barrel cheap. Maybe if a bubba'd rifle is like 100 bucks it could be worth restoring.
Otherwise you're pretty much always better off searching for an unmolested example.

Reminded me of the Argentine Mauser sporter I got from Martin b rettings in Culver City. Only thing I ever bought there. lol

 

[GoldensRule]

I bought a Johnson M1941 that has a sporting stock for cheap thinking I could find a mil-surp stock and turn around to sell it for 10X.
Here I am 10+ years later still trying to find a stock lol. At least it is still super cool!

That's a pretty rare and interesting beast. What caliber is it? I know they were made in .30-06, .270 Win and the Chileans produced their variant in 7x57mm Mauser. Also, have you tried searching for a stock on any foreign sites, Chile, Philippines, Netherlands, etc.

 

[Atomic Soldier]

A Russian sks that you could pick up for around 500 with the only bubba'd aspects being a polymer stock and maybe bayonet removed would be a good deal as the stock and bayonets are fairly common. With decent all originals going for about 900. The sales and sin tax of buying retail or on GB do obscure things though. I'm inclined to not give more to the state who clearly hates my guts and insists on holding me upside-down and shaking my pockets dry at every opportunity.

 

[DJD100]

My Dad left me a sporterized and shortened Schmidt-Rubin 1911 straight pull re-chambered in 308, sweet shooter.

It even came with a "Oswald Scope" (4x Hollywood brand telescopic sight).