[Tha Dave]

Back in the day (so I am told) you could buy a bundle of 15 Jap Arisakas for $25 and rebuild all you wanted for under a $100 per rifle when a Winchester 94 still cost over $200 so at one point it was something really worth doing. Now days it is something done more often for fun and to show what you can do Vs. an inexpensive game getter.

I did build a rifle for my son but it will be a few more years before he can shoot it still. I have had a number of people offer to buy it off me but I refuse to sell it. To me building something like that is a point of pride long after I am dead and gone that rifle will still be putting 7.62mm holes into things. That is a pretty cool feeling.

If you whole plan is to rebuild and you can why dont you get a striped receiver and work from there. Mauser receivers are still under $50 and there are probably more barrels and parts for them then any other rifle. If you like 7.62x54r and want that caliber get a Mosin barreled receiver and build around that. Dont worry about the politics there will always be a "greatest threat ever and most important election year ever" from the NRA and other Chicken Little types out there. Does that mean that there are not people that want to disarm us all of course not. There are lots of people that want us disarmed even though most of them are armed ( Anti-Gun Senator Shoots Intruder | Field & Stream ). As long as there are people there will be people that want to take something from others.

Dont think about the guns you might get one day for one you dont know what tomorrow holds and I dont know about you but I'd rather lose a few hundred dollars then lose another Grandparent or other family member.

To me guns are like any other hobby some guys have alot of cars some have alot of baseball cards other have firearms if you want to build something build it. Tou can always get a striped AR lower or AK flat and make it into anything you want usually for less then what it costs to buy a new one and you still have built it your self. Or you can go oldschool sporter and build a bolt action off a military surplus action.

You can see the Mosin Nagant that I rebuilt in my photo album if you'd like to see what I did on one of my rebuilds

[swedesrus]

Here is all I got to say, now it`s been a few years ago but, under $250.00. Enfield 2A...........

[polarbear2014]

Palladin, I was looking at getting an M44 to sporterize. The main reasons were that it would be less metal work by me, a skill that I have had little practice. The barrel would already be a good length for a hunting rifle and I would be able to use the iron sights from the original rifle instead of replaceing both since the front post would be cut off with the shortened barrel. The only drawback I could see is that they would be slightly more expensive than the typical 91/30 and the big problem is the bayonet. How did you remove yours? Does that affect the accuracy?

Dave, thanks for all of your great comments. I wanted to assure you that I would also wish to waste 100 bucks than to lose a grandparent and that I don't know what the future holds. However, I have to plan for the future. I am simply allowing for the possibility in my decision.

Does anyone know if the Mosin supplies are running dry? If they are not selling out, then I could wait for a while (year or so) to buy one and they will still be in the 100 buck range.

I have never seen the option to buy the the reciever alone. I will look into that.

[Palladin8]

polar bear I will be removing the factory barrel and replacing it with a .458 caliber barrel so I can have a 458 American 2". The M44 needs the bayonet extended for the accuracy. I don't know what would happen if you removed the bayonet.

[big shrek]

Milsurp prices for GOOD, Useable weapons have jumped heavily in the last 10-20 years...
I can remember $98 M1 carbines...and I ain't that old...try getting one for less than $500 now.
And all those Lugers you could get for $199?? HAHA, never see that again!! Even the unusable junkers are over $500...
Suffice it to say that as years go by, and more & more Original rifles are "Sporterized", it only raises the value of those that were left alone.
If your rifle is a "beater" or "shooter" and non-matching numbers/rusty with deep pits/etc...it might be a candidate for sporterization...
but if it is a good example of the breed/all original/matching numbers...leave it be and watch the value go up over the years.

And if you've read the Treaty, it is truly UGLY for gun owners, and not just American ones.
Remember, Europeans have mostly given up their weapon rights already...and they'd like nothing better than to see us disarmed as well...
The reason our kill ratio is so high in the conflicts we've been in is largely due to our Gun Culture...lots of practice and prep means more accurate shooters.
And believe me when I say that everyone else in the world, ESPECIALLY the Communist/radical Islamist countries, want to see US citizens disarmed!!
We are the Big Dog...they want us Toothless and emasculated...