New Obsession…..Sporterized Milsurps

[Bridger]

Of course I’ll always be a lever gun guys, but…..

A while back I mentioned trading my REM 700 for a nicely sporterized 1903 Springfield. So far that has been the best trade I ever made though I think some folks thought I was crazy for it. I love shooting it and even better was some time recently spent shooting it with my grandpa. He used to have one very similar to it and I could just tell them memories it brought back for him. Anyway… I think I have a new obsession now of Sporterized mil surps. Next I want a 1917 Eddystone but at some point a Krag may be on my future as well. The cool thing is these rifles are typically pretty cheap it seems and parts are readily available for them.

Anybody else share this interest?

[Walt]

I'm keeping my eyes open for a decent Krag. The Krag makes a very nice cast bullet rifle.

[2ndovc]

I have several, three of which are '03A3s. I have an Arisaka that was heavily worked over into a very light, accurate .257 Roberts and a Mosin Nagant 91/30 that was built out of parts with a Tikka barrel. I've been shooting the Mosin a lot lately. It's set up as a scout rifle and deadly accurate.
My grandfather, dad and uncles would buy several 03A3s at a time from the DCM and turn them into something different every time. I still have the receipt for one of them for $14.00! They were tough, accurate rifles and the only limits were their imaginations. I have my grandfather's rifle, he liked short and light carbines. I also have the only original from those orders, an absolutely perfect Remington with a 12-42 barrel date. My dad still has two of his, both Smith Coronas, that I'll end up with someday, but not too soon hopefully.

I've also been looking at the 1917s and P-14s.

jb

[Ray]

I have a chopped and resighted 03-A3 2-groove barreled action in a gargantuan reinhart fajen benchrest stock. I've been wittling and sanding on that thing for ages and finally got the comb shaved down and in enough to get my eye lined up with the williams rear peep. Still weighs way more that it should due to the excess wood. I knew it had a morbidly obese buttstock when I bought it but the deal was so sweet that I thought the $70 for a ramline plastic replacement would keep me in budget. Then I discovered that ramline has been defunct for over a decade. How does the biggest supplier of affordable replacement gunstocks go out of business without it being all over the 'net and in the newstand glossies ? Perhaps it was there but I just missed it.

[OldWin]

Only one I have is this 1903A3 I built into a scout rifle one winter. It had already had 2 inches of barrel cut.
I cut it to 19 inches, made some pedestal bases for the barrel, installed a front sight, and have 2 complete bolts that will swap in. The one pictured is all military configuration. I have another with a forged and turned down bolt with a low safety.
It's a good shooter and handles pretty well, in spite of being heavy for a scout (8lbs).

[RIDERED350r]

A couple years ago while vacationing in Maine I picked up what I thought to be a tastefully sporterized 1903 at Kittery Trading Post. Serial number says it was made in 1930 so I don't think it's an A3. Has a very nice vintage Redfield rear aperture and front post. I get the feeling the rifle was modified some years ago. It's still a great shooter, I can put down a 1.5" group at 100yds with it. Was thinking if it didn't shoot well it might be my 35 Whelen I've lusted after, but the old girl just shoots too good to mess with.

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