Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Required rifles for Loony status.

Did I hear "Springfield Sporter"? This one was made at the Springfield Armory itself. Called the "NRA Sporter" but known officially as "Rifle, U.S. Caliber .30, Model 1903, Sporting Type, star gauged, fitted with Lyman 48 receiver sight". Only 4946 were built between 1924 and 1938. (Sales officially ended in 1932 but a few extra were built over the next 6 years, mainly as trophy rifles for dignitaries and winners of major shooting events.) Built to fulfill a demand for a quality sporting rifle, of which there were few such factory bolt guns in 1924, it was sold to civilians via the NRA and to commissioned military officers. It was discontinued when the Ordnance Department took flak for competing with commercial makers (after the advent of the Winchester 54 and Remington 30). A similar scenario today would be if the government sold match grade AR's, by mail with no background check, to NRA members only....

There were claims at the time that the Sporters could outshoot the National Match '03's, due to its less restrictive stock even though they both used star gauged barrels. I don't know about that, but this one will deliver accuracy that hovers close to MOA. And it ain't for sale!