Which surplus?

[Bigfatts]

I was curious and would like to see if any of the wonderful people on this forum are using military surplus rifles for hunting and if so, which ones and for what animal? It is a growing trend in my circle of friends to build sporters out of Milsurp rifles. I know some will think we are crazy for doing so but the fact is that quite honestly, I don't care what any of my guns are worth to anyone else, only what they're worth to me. Havong said that, one of my favorite hog/deer guns is a Smith-Corona Model 1903-A3. I picked it up rather cheap because it had been drilled and tapped and removed from the original stock. I then shortened and recrowned the barrell and added a full length Mannlicher type stock with a high roll-over cheek piece. It now wheres a Nikon Buckmasters 3-9x40 on the scope mounts that made it such a good bargain. Not a great collectable, but it's my favorite shooter. And man, talk about accurate... What about you?

[conradwojo]

I've switched to mil-surps almost exclusively and re-load the hunting ammo I use for them all, except the 7.62x39. Just a personal thing, I wouldn't hack on an original mil-surp, but would have no qualms about finding one already hacked and making it into a fine hunting gun. My M-43 Spanish Mauser is a real tack driver and has all the power and range I need for North American hunting, but I really am looking forward to scout mounting a scope on my M95 Steyr as it packs a real punch and is very unusual in it's own right. When talking mil-surps, I could go on and on and on.................... :D

Oops, forgot part two of the question. M43 is used for everything and it took 2 deer this year. M95 Steyr, if accurate enough, will most likely get a lot of use , also on everything. Looks like it could be a great full power fast handling brush gun. This year it took a small black bear. M-1 carbine eventually for deer at least once (don't get going on that power thing, eh!) Otherwise, whatever and whenever, i have a lot of mil-surps but not much hunting time. We do mostly whitetails but occasionally head west for Elk.

[Ursus horribilis]

M 96 Swedish Mauser 6,5x55! new stock(bedded), scoop mount,1/4 safety, bent handel, Weaver k-4 =sub MOA groups and proven in the woods (Beaver and Roedeer)
Cant bye this quality at 10 times the price.
My 2 cent
Ursus

[6mm4me]

I have a spanish model 1893 in 7MM that works just fine. I understand in it's time it was "The Gun" for use on game in Africa. I have a Russian M44 I'm playing with now for use on deer. Most surplus rifles have the power for hunting, it's the sights and getting it zeroed thats the pain, and finding the right shell. If you reload you can make them shoot just fine for hunting.

[Bigfatts]

Glad I'm not the only one. I love my surps. I also kick around a Mosin Nagant M38 carbine. I put it on a monte carlo stock (I found it at a thrift store of all places) and put an XS sight system on it. Shoots great. Nice close range hunter. Thanx for the responses guys. Keep on keepin' on!

[wyrdone]

Hmmm lets see, I have used the following for hunting:

Mosin Nagant 91/30
Yugo SKS
Swiss K31

Of these I think I like the Swiss K-31 the best, though the MN 91/30 is a close second.

[Long Path]

My favorite hog and brush deer rifle is my 1903 Springfield I had rebarreled to .35 Whelen and restocked (by someone else) in a walnut monte carlo stock that I've whittled down and painted and glass-bedded before putting an ivory bead-on-post front sight and Williams peep rear sights.

I've carried .303 SMLEs in full military trim for deer hunting and a No. 5 ("jungle carbine) varient for elk hunting in the black timber with 180g handloads.

I've gone coyote hunting with an AR-15 with plenty of M16 parts in it in the creekbottoms. (okay, not really a milsurp)

[Olaf]

I hunt with a Yugoslav M48, 8mm Mauser, in a "sporterised" stock, with iron sights. I also have an M48b, in the full military stock...and I will use this for hunting (in future), as well.

[Shorthair]

6.5x55 Swedish Mauser, Fajen stock, scoped, handloaded with Nosler Partitions. Shoots .75" at 100 yards. Very effective.
M1 Garand, used it to kill a nice doe with Federal Gold Match. Will use Sierra Game King 165 grainers next time...
SKS
Just built a .35 Whelan on a VZ24.
I have some "un-cut" originals as well, though they'll never see any mods - a 1909 Argentine will all matching numbers, and the swastika-marked Kar98 my father-in-law brought back from WW2.
But mostly I use my Savage 7mm Mag.

[armedtotheteeth]

+ 1 on the 303 british. Many deer and coyotes fell to my old mk4. Wise man say " dont try to kill 30 large wild pigs with M1 carbine unless you are in tree" Tried this once, I moved to a larger caliber. 30 carbines kinda bounce off the hard heads of ferrel hogs. Not cool!! I climbed a 3 inch wide mesquite tree.!!