Want to Get Into a MilSurp...Need Help Deciding.
Hey all,
This is my first post here and it looks like I can learn a lot.
I have always been interested in Milsurp rifles, but have never owned one because I never had access to a range to shoot them. Well last night everything changed. I had my nephew at the range with my AK letting him have some fun and the guy next to me pulls out a K-31 and I thought it was awesome. We chatted a bit about it and on the way home I decided that now that I have a place to shoot one, I need to figure out what would be a good one to get and pick one up.
Here is what I am looking for. Something that would be fun to shoot out to 300 yards where I don't have to worry if every hole in the target is touching and groups size and that stuff that modern guys get hung up on. Also I would prefer being able to shoot lower cost ammo. That's about all I can think of.
Of course I would LOVE to have a Garand or an 03 Springfield, but those are out of my price range. Then I thought about getting an "enemy at the gates" rifle and thought it would be a lot of fun. Naturally I would have to use a mauser clone instead of an actual German mauser 98k sniper rifle. There's always the Mosins too, but those are not really on the top of my "desire" list if you know what I mean. Then last night someone told me about something else that I had forgotten about....the 1917 Enfield. I checked it out and it's a really nice looking rifle and I have read a lot of great things about them over the years. I could really see myself shooting one of these with my nephew.
I go to check GunBroker just to see what's out there and how much they are and boy did I get an eye opening. There were all kinds of Enfields in various states of completion, customization and so on. I have no idea on what serial number range to look for, how to make sure I am getting a shooter or end uo with a wall hanger and so on. If someone walked up to my door right now and had one in his hands and was asking $100 for it, I wouldn't know how to tell if it would be suitable for repeated range use or not.
Then I see these Enfields that have been "sporterized" years ago and wonder whether one of these would be best and then have it put back to near original condition.
Can you all help me here in knowing what to look for? I don't want to end up with someone else's headaches. I want something I can take out to the range with my nephew, shoot for a few hours, come home, clean it up and repeat in a couple of weeks. So if you don't mind, please help me figure out what Enfield rifles to look for or possibly buy and what a good deal would be on one.
Also if you have any other suggestions for a "fun" range rifle, I'd certainly like to hear them.
Thanks for your time.
Nalajr
Which Service Rifle - tips on narrowing down the choice
Nalapombu,
if you feel strongly that you want an old service rifle for target shooting, but are very unclear about which type to go for, then I recommend that before buying any rifle you purchase the book "Collecting Classic Bolt Action Militray Rifles" By Paul Scarlata. It covers all the types you are likely to come across, and a lot more.
Then:
Join a club where others are shooting old rifles. That way, you can get to try out various types to see if they suit you.
Sights: age and open sights do not go well together. For target shooting, it really is easier to point a Garand, Springfield 03-A3, M1917 or Lee Enfield No4 than any rifle with open sights. Best with open sights are the Swedish Mauser and the Swiss Schmidt-Rubin rifles.
And (surprise, surprise!) that is also roughly the price ranking, although condition variations cause a large overlap.
Ammo: assuming you are living on the West Side of the Great Pond, .30-06 is easier to come by than most others, apart from .308, but there are not so many examples of the types listed above on .308 versions.
Windage adjustment - I don't want to get to involved for a beginner, but if your main activities are going to be in the 100 yard region, with occasional 300 yard outings, then you can live very well without it.
Summarizing: get the book, join the club, try out various types - THEN you can make an informed choice!
Patrick