Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats How To Convert Military Rifles

I just received my new copy of the 1965 edition of the Williams Gun Sight Co. Book on sporterizing military rifles. I had this same book when I was a teenager, and when I saw it in near-new condition on Ebay, I had to get it. I read my original copy literally to pieces.

This little book is full of good info, including exploded drawings and tips on what to change on these old guns and how to do it. Some of the conversions are amazing and the price lists will break your heart. My favorite is the nifty Mannlicher-stocked '91 utilizing the original stock, reshaped a bit, checkered, and of course refinished. Very slick.

If anyone is interested, there are still a number available.

I have the "New Revised Enlarged Seventh Edition" that I got from them in the early 90s. It includes a reprint of the '69 edition. Prices from the 7th will break your heart as well. Both H-S Precision and McMillan stocks starting around $250.

I've got one of the originals in pretty good shape.

I have an old copy from the '60s as well.

I used to beg dad to let me sporterize his mint unfired condition '03-A3 ww2 Remington made Springfield.

I thought and still do that the Springfield made a beautiful rifle like the Owens customized ones shown in the Williams book.

I am very happy I did not touch that rifle now.

When we got those old army guns after the war we worked on them.

It kept my late dad and I busy in a winter. These days I have the net to look at guns and a dealer here has new Ruger M77's for sale for $249.95 ea!

Contact info for the dealer? $250 for a new M77 sounds too good to be true.

Hoffmans Gun Shop in Newington, CT had about 12 new Ruger 77's all in 270 Win. They all have syn. stocks. The price was about $249.95.

Here's a 40's model Smith-Corona 03-A3 I'm trying to get up and running for a friend.

I have been sporterizing Mausers for 49 years, Mosin Nagants for 12 years.
The best book I have seen is MacFarland's:
http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-modern-gunsmithing-Harold-MacFarland/dp/0064634264

This was a nostalgia purchase for me, although for someone actually working on the rifles, it can't hurt to compare notes on how to do stuff.

Williams is still in business, of course, and does some pretty nice work. I saw a pretty high-end custom by them in a magazine a few years back, and the work looked very nice.

When I started deer hunting in the early 70's, nearly ever jeep and pickup truck roaming the logging roads had old SMLE's, 1903's, Mausers, 1917's (my rifle) and the like that had been mildly sporterized in them. 30/06's ruled the popularity contests even though the deer we were chasing in Calif only weighed about 125lbs.

I had one of those old Williams books, too. Fun stuff!

I have a couple of custom Arisaka Type 38 carbines in 6.5MM that were probably done in the 1960s.