What is "Sporterized"?

[BadMatt]

I've seen rifles advertised as "Sporterized" or "Sporters". What are they talking about? Thanks in advance.

[jfifer]

It seems like they take a basic rifle and give it upgrades- stock, bipod, scope. Mostly synthetic/plastic furniture.

[Divernhunter]

That is the art of taking a $400 mil surplus rifle, spending $500 modifying it to end up with a $200 rifle.

It was done allot in the 1940-1960's when you could buy mil surplus rifles for $15 and chop up the stock and maybe drill and tap for a scope to make a cheap hunting rifles. Some were rechambered. Some were rechambered and not marked as so. My brother shot his 1st deer with one. I used an orginal 30-40 Krag which I now wish I had kept.

In truth there were some really nice rifles made but they were still a mil surplus rifle/barrel. I would guess that today you are much better off buying a commercial rifle. Even the entry leval rifles today will usually shoot better than the sporters

[ojisan]

Take a military rifle and remove the hand guards, reshape the stock, change sights, remove bayonet lugs, maybe add a scope or cut the barrel down, etc.
There is no standard "sporter" design.
Do a Google image search for K98 Mauser, then try K98 Mauser Sporter.
You'll see the differences.

[Bobby Ricigliano]

'Sporterized' is a codeword that translates loosely as: "This used to be a collectible military surplus rifle. Some inbred mouth breathing bubba took a hacksaw to it and converted it into a a practically worthless hunting rifle".

[Jeff L]

Here's one.

See this thread: http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/s...d.php?t=812863

[Remus]

I can think of it being used in two legitimate circumstances, but more or less they both refer to using the rifle for hunting purposes. 1) Some manufacturers will refer to a sporter rifle (more to the point a sport barreled rifle) as opposed to a bull barrel target rifle that is better used on a shooting bench.

2) A sporterized rifle is a term that applies to a military surplus rilfle that was modified from its original configuration for the primary purpose of being a hunting rifle. This was done mainly in the era of the greatest generation. You know, those mouth breathers that went over to two different continents and kicked ***, oh and they also built the infrastructure that supports the current generation of mouth breathers.

Back to the topic at hand, in general a sporterized rifle would have the stock switched out (Fajen) and the receiver would be drilled and tapped for a scope. Sometimes the barrels were reworked to a high polish blue, it all depends on how much the owner wanted to spend on customizing the rifle. Insofar as current worth - not too much given there is now a glut of them in the used rifle bins, but certainly there can be sentimental value as many of these became the family deer rifle. Insofar as accuracy - the ones that I have used and seen used can shoot just as well at the gun range as any other rifle.

[DennisCA]

As the old saying goes; "A picture is worth a thousand words"
Here's my M1903a3 that someone had sporterized:

It's not the worst one I've seen.....
It's supposed to look like this:

[toby]

It means making something into what you want it to be. If it's ruined so be it ,if it works better for you then you succeeded, if it did not, you lost nothing except a just another old milsurp rifle but to some you are an idiot and you messed with some so called history and shame on you. I am guilty, proud and will do it again!.. looking to wreck a Spanish Mauser or Swede next.

[plumbum]

Sporterize can mean as little as cutting excess wood from a full military-style stock to a complete overhaul using only a military action and making a full on hunting style rifle. Since mauser rifles were so easily converted, you'll see a lot of mauser-actioned sporters. Because Mosin Nagants were so cheap, any schmuck with a hacksaw suddenly became a guiltless "gunsmith".

Back when bolt-actions were hard to come by, this was how American hunters were able to step up from, say a .30-30 levergun to a surplus .30-06 Springfield.

[BadMatt]

Thanks everyone!

[rm1911]

That is the art of taking a $400 mil surplus rifle, spending $500 modifying it to end up with a $200 rifle.

[L.A. Saiga]

That is the art of taking a $400 mil surplus rifle, spending $500 modifying it to end up with a $200 rifle.

This!

LMFAO

Amen!

[Bobby Ricigliano]

Look up 'sporterized' K98 prices versus milspec K98 prices on Gunbroker. They can't even give the sporterized ones away.

[NytWolf]

Made to look like a hunting rifle.