Need help , I want to buy an old rifle and make it Sniper capable?

[Usmc-1]

What does that mean? It means I want an older style rifle for target shooting basically , maybe a 1903 or a Mauser , I figure the older Military rifles are cheaper right now , but with the right modifications that thing can be awesome , so please comment and send me in the right direction , I dont want to spend more than $300 initially , and I prefer a larger round , however if you can convince me as to why a particular round is better (shoots better, longer range,etc) ,Im all ears!

And yes I have seen some of the old Finnish sniper rifles at Centerfire Systems on sale , but they are in the $700 dollar range, I dont think I need to go that high to find a capable rifle, I may be wrong!

 

[coolhandluke]

You can always look for a drilled and tapped 1903 on the cheap and build a 1903 A4 clone out of it. I would hate to find an unmolested 1903 to convert. $300 price tag for anything that will be an accurate sniper/ target rifle is a tall task though. Unless you plan to go the Mosin PU route, any surplus sniper build will probably set you back at least $600-$700.

My personal choice for a sniper build would be a Finnish M39 with a PE scope. Accumounts sells everything that you need for the conversion including the scope, mount, and bent bolt.

http://home.comcast.net/~yzhu/accumount/Russian/Russian.htm

 

[SMS]

For $300 your best bet is probably going to be a Mosin these days. $100+/- for the rifle and the rest for mounts/low-end glass.

A good-shooting '03 is going to be out of reach at that price.

 

[Perplexed]

For $300, you'll be hard-pressed to find anything that fits your bill, unless you go with a Mosin Nagant 91/30 for $100. Then get a scout mount that replaces the rear sight (no drilling or tapping required) and slap a cheap scope on the rifle to stay within your budget. Even then, you're not likely to end up with a MOA rifle, unless you get very lucky and acquire a tack-driving 91/30.

Now if you're willing to go to $400 for your budget, you can get a Swiss K31 for under $300, put an aluminum St. Marie scope mount (Swiss Products, from Brownells) on it for $65, and find a cheap scope and rings. Then you'll have an incredibly accurate rifle, though the ammo is pretty pricey.

 

[been]

you can usually get sportzerised mausers for pretty cheap these days.ive seen some for $70.i think the 7x57 mauser is the best round you could get.it shoots flat and is strong and accurate with little recoil

 

[Dr_Mitch]

My brother told me MoBoost on this forum creamed everyone shooting 1903s and similar guns at the Military match at OKCGC using a Mosin Nagant. Those are all the details I have, and they are third-hand.

 

[MoBoost]

If you are on the budget - just buy Marlin XS7. If you set on C&R:

Now if you're willing to go to $400 for your budget, you can get a Swiss K31 for under $300, put an aluminum St. Marie scope mount (Swiss Products, from Brownells) on it for $65, and find a cheap scope and rings. Then you'll have an incredibly accurate rifle, though the ammo is pretty pricey.

That! Despite very short sight radius, K31s are very consistently accurate. The fact that you can scope one without modifications is a huge +. Sporterizing others is almost always destructive (both collector and price), and they are hit and miss as far as accuracy goes.

My brother told me MoBoost on this forum creamed everyone shooting 1903s and similar guns at the Military match at OKCGC using a Mosin Nagant. Those are all the details I have, and they are third-hand.

2009 state match LOL. Everyone but me and Ron shot 03A3 - it was crazy. I was shooting Russian war time 91/30.
http://www.okcgunclub.org/military/mb/match101009.html
There has been more variety last two years.

 

[ripnbst]

There's an 03 FS in the classifieds right now thats already scoped. You could ask the seller what kind of performer it is.

 

[THE JOKER]

There's an 03 FS in the classifieds right now thats already scoped. You could ask the seller what kind of performer it is.

It's probably sub-MOA.

 

[ronny]

Perplexed told you all you need to know. K31 and St Marie.

BTW, if you're in no hurry, spend time checking out your local gun shops and pawn shops. There are a lot of very nicely done conversions out there, mostly Mausers, already scoped. A lot of them were put together back in the 60's by guys who knew what they were doing.