sporter

A sporter, or sporterized firearm, is a firearm modified from a military or service pattern for civilian sporting use. The term is most often applied to rifles that were converted for hunting or target shooting, with emphasis on lighter weight, better balance, and civilian-friendly sights or optics. While historically associated with postwar surplus, the concept also covers factory models built to civilian specifications.

Historically, surplus service rifles were frequently altered by gunsmiths and collectors to suit hunting or competitive shooting. Common changes included shortening or contouring the barrel, removing bayonet lugs and military fittings, replacing heavy wooden stocks with lighter sporter stocks, refinishing metal surfaces, and mounting modern sights or scopes. Trigger work and bedding to improve accuracy were also typical, though the quality of conversions varied.

In contemporary use, the term often refers to hunting rifles designed from the outset with sporter features—lighter weight, slimmer profiles, and scope-ready receivers. Some modern sporters trace lineage to earlier sporterized guns, while others are purpose-built to civilian markets. The classification is common in catalogs, museums, and collector circles when distinguishing civilian sporting rifles from military or hunting-optimized non-sporter variants.

Etymology: the word derives from the aim of using the firearm for sport rather than service, and the concept spans historical conversions and modern sporting rifles.