Favorite beater?

[dualsport]

I was reading another thread in which a guy mentioned how much he likes his M44, even though it's rough as hell. It hit me that some of my favorite guns are beaters, even though I have a couple really nice guns. I like them too, they were carefully chosen and usually hard to come by, money wise. I saved for a year to get a CMP Service Grade Garand, it's a thing of beauty and I'm very proud of it, BUT, i also have guns that were free or dirt cheap because nobody wanted them. I have a beater collection, mostly milsurps but some civies too. Two of my favorite beaters are a 1960s Rem. 700 BDL in 7mm Rem. Mag., $150 with a Loopy 3x9 that's been on it since new, and a S&W M&P .38 Special that's a rattle trap of all time. It is really rough, inside and out, a lend lease gun maybe. Pits in the barrel that scare me (I only shoot very mild cast handloads in it), but it's very satisfying to still get good service from something so worn out. The 700 is shot out, dinged, scratched and just beat up, but it will hold 1 1/2" at 100 yds., and the 40+ yr. old Loopy is good as new except for looks. The S&W was 5 for $500, two of them were parkerized and chambered for the 38 S&W. I think the Brits used them with their 200 gr. load. I guess I have a 'truck gun' fetish, or I'm just cheap. Got a beater you really like?

[Richard B]

My beater/loaner/rainy day gun is a Lee Enfield No4 Mk 1 with an old Bushnell 2 1/2X. It works and can take a beating.
I'll bet that most Canadian memebers of this board have a Lee Enfield tucked away somewhere.

Richard

[Bret4207]

'93 Mauser 7x57 and a Charter Bull Dog.

[rhbrink]

Depends sometimes a 35 Remy, sometimes a 223 single shot, need to carry something to punch a serious hole old 30-06 all backed up by a 357 Smith

[bradh]

1903A3 in Bishop stock --- carrying it since 1979 when big game hunting. I don't call it a
"beater" I call it "A tool"! Get's the job done...3-10 leopold scope...

[Lead Fred]

Parker-Hale 30-06 Belgium mauser
Found it at a gun show for $200, looks like hell
Shoots like heaven
Miked the chamber, it was made to bench rest standards all those years ago.

It seems Parker-Hale bought a bunch of these 8mm mausers from the Belgium government, converted them to 30-06, this one was a long ways form home.

[9.3X62AL]

Not a "beater" (yet), but I have a Romanian M/N M-44 that makes a pretty good little truck rifle. Compact, light, and will light your way if fired at dusk with ball powder J-words. Its report might also set off earthquakes in fault zones, but that's an asset--not a liability--for those of us that enjoy anything that turns money into noise. It's a pretty good cast boolit flinger, too.

A little long for a break-front holster, though.

[TDC]

9.3X62AL....

Your descriptions crack me up!!:smile:

Mine is an old 1911 that was actually carried in the Pacific during WWII. It's as loose as it can be, shoots consistent 24" groups at 25yds. Has survived a stupid hand-load session that allowed a boolit to be lodged in the barrel, followed by another fully charged boolit that almost blew it up. Still have that swollen barrel hanging above my re-load bench to remind me to check all powder charges twice..

I love beautiful guns with beautiful wood... But I'm so sick of worrying about them getting scratched that a good 'ol beater that's accurate and dependable is a joy to carry anymore. They put a special joy back into huntin' again because I can think about other things than worrying about my pretty stocks getting dinged....

[69daytona]

1914 colt SAA that my wifes Grandfather carried through some border fights in texas and during WW1, its in nice shape just most of the blueing is gone, also a 1914 colt 1911 civilian model that I got from a General for working on his car, waiting for the paper work from colt but the general said he got it from one of General McCarthers aids while he was in the Pilippense (dont know if thats spelled correct) Great shooter and one of the best trigger of all my 1911s.

[Dframe]

Mines a Colt Metropolitan that banged around in a police armory for many years. It looks like **** but frequently outshoots some FAR higher dollar guns. In short it's the best shooter I ever had.
After I posted this I realised that the system had "starred" out the word I used which was Cr*p and not something worse. Can't figure out why that word would be censored.

[izzyjoe]

:smile:well i bougth a interarms mark x .270 from a fellow years ago, i think give a $150 for it. he said it shot lousy and it looked real lousy, and missed to many deer with it. the barrel was copper fouled bad, and the last 1" of the barrel was pitted bad. looked like a dirt dober had been in there, so i cleaned it real good and cut a 1 1/2" off the barrel and recrowned it. w/ a cheap tasco scope it will out shoot my friends new 270 m70. .750 at 100y!! you cant beat a beater.

[6.5 mike]

Guess mine would be a pot metal reciever( painted one) 94 30-30, & a 1917 pattern s&w 45 acp made for Bazil. The old thing was put together from parts & shoots almost as well as my 625 with cast. Parkerized & ugly, 94's going to get the same. Not pretty but shoots when it needs to.

[August]

I have a beautiful pair of usfa sa that have Doug Turnbull case hardening. The first time I used 'em, they showed holster wear. They've gotten a lot more holster wear since that first day.

I bought 'em to shoot 'em.

They shoot gud!

[atr]

an old COLT 1895 New Army 38 special revolver....I take it everywhere
if I need a rifle then its my .303 MK4

[jmsj]

20 years ago I traded a used set of chevy small block headers for a " sporterized 1903 Springfield". It was a pretty bad job. The barrel was in pretty bad shape but I found a unused Remington 1903 barrel made in 1944 for $25.00. I shortened and recrowned the barrel. Installed a Timney trigger, Leupold scope mount and a scope. Refinished and glass bedded the stock. It still has the millitary finish. The shorter barrel made the gun handier in the woods. She's not the prettiest rifle but shoots 1.5" groups @ 100yds. if I do my part
jmsj

[Guesser]

K98, I traded into, modestly sporterized by addition of Lyman front sight and Williams receiver sight. Was in a Ramline plastic stock but comb was too high to use the sights well. I found a take off J.C. Higgins Model 50 stock that had the European drop style comb. Had to do a little inletting to get it to fit, now it is a fine shooter with 150 gr. Hornadys over a case nearly full of H-380 for 2950 FPS average with no pressure signs and very consistant inpact point, even for me. And best of all; no scope to worry about.

[Bullshop Junior]

Husqavrna 30/06 with weaver K-4

[Guesser]

From reading this, it should be mostly in Military; as most of us are using military based guns.

[rbuck351]

I have a very used M92 Win in 25/20 that is no doubt my favorite beater rifle. Still shoots cast pretty well. In pistol, it's a Ballister Molina, with a set of Ruger MKI sights, that will shoot under 2" at 25yds. I left it sitting on top of a tire of a 3/4 ton PU in a gravel pit once and drove over it before remembering where I had set it. Scratched it a bit, but it's hard to tell now. Does that qualify as a beater?

[Bullshop]

For rifle a 98 Mauser that looks milsurp but is bored out to 9x57. Its beat up and ugly but shoots our 275 gn boolit to 2200 fps and groups good enough to pop ground squirrels at 200 yards.
For handgun your going to love this I have been for quite some time now putting on with my pants each morning a, are you ready, a 7.62x 38 Nagant. Hold the tamatters boys hear me out. These things are stout and well made, they just need a little TLC.
The thing is we bought a bunch and never sold a single one. I just decided I would take the time to figure them out. I have a couple hours labor in slightly changing the main spring angle, re heat treating, and a trigger tune up and have ended up with a respectable shooter. Oh I had to put a wider front sight blade on it because I couldn't see the too thin stock sight.
This thing will now out shoot my wife's 631 S&W. Its not up to the Ruger Buckeye but perty dern good. We just treat it like a 32/20 because that is what we shoot in it.
Not the hot carbine loads but the peace maker loads are good to go.
The fact that it cost $70.00 makes it seem all the more sweeter.
BIC/BS

[Bullshop Junior]

For rifle a 98 Mauser that looks milsurp but is bored out to 9x57. Its beat up and ugly but shoots our 275 gn boolit to 2200 fps and groups good enough to pop ground squirrels at 200 yards.
For handgun your going to love this I have been for quite some time now putting on with my pants each morning a, are you ready, a 7.62x 38 Nagant. Hold the tamatters boys hear me out. These things are stout and well made, they just need a little TLC.
The thing is we bought a bunch and never sold a single one. I just decided I would take the time to figure them out. I have a couple hours labor in slightly changing the main spring angle, re heat treating, and a trigger tune up and have ended up with a respectable shooter. Oh I had to put a wider front sight blade on it because I couldn't see the too thin stock sight.
This thing will now out shoot my wife's 631 S&W. Its not up to the Ruger Buckeye but perty dern good. We just treat it like a 32/20 because that is what we shoot in it.
Not the hot carbine loads but the peace maker loads are good to go.
The fact that it cost $70.00 makes it seem all the more sweeter.
BIC/BS
Don't listen to him. He is just trying to made me jealous - He wants my Ruger Security Six 357 Mag. (I paid almost $300 for it :( )

[Trapshooter]

I may have to mess with the trigger on mine some more, but it makes the trigger pull on all my other hand guns feel pretty nice. :) I always thought if Dr. Seuss designed a revolver, it would look like a Nagant!

Trapshooter

[Buckshot]

http://www.fototime.com/8D6431C4F7EECD5/standard.jpg

A 1903 with some gun mechanic's idea of a military barrel re-carved into a svelt custom sporter taper of his own fevered imagining, all residing a re-whittled scant grip stock which has gotten an eclectic collection of dings, dents, bangs, bruises, and a scratch here and there. To finish off the wonder rifle is an old ventilated recoil pad, which now has the recoil absorbing ability of an anvil.

It's one redeeming quality is the fact that it shoots like an essobee :-)

...........Buckshot

[jr545]

My favorite "beater" and always with me firearm is an older Marlin 1894C.
Well broke in but I did re-finish the stock as I really hate ugly guns.
It's a dream to shoot with just about anything I feed it.

[Four Fingers of Death]

7.62x 38 Nagant. Hold the tamatters boys hear me out. These things are stout and well made, they just need a little TLC.
BIC/BS


The Armourer at the pistol club gets the old SA nagants and reams out the cylinders and sleeves them to 32H&R Mag. Hedoesn't do it for the power, but the longer case works well. They sure are accurate when he's finished.

My fav is the 38/357 Rossi I am using in my avitar. Close to the cheapest gun I have ever bought and as reliable as all get out. Thousands of rounds through it without a hickup (welllllllllllllll it did fall apart once because I didn't check the screws for a longggggggggg while. SLapped her back together (eventually, hard with big fingers) and she swallered another coupla thousand rounds (screws check for tight before use now :(

[missionary5155]

Good morning
Years back when my boys were still small I bought 4 1896 mausers the Israelies had rebarrelled to 7.62x53 with an 18" tube. I think I paid $59 each. I still have mine. I only shoot cast out of it. It does reasonable well. I can hit 1 gallon cans at 100 yards with the military sights. I am not afraid if it falls out of my kayak, or down a bluff, or of a bench... it just keeps soildering on respectfully.
Down here in Peru I have a Police Positive 38 special with a 4" barrel that has about 30% blue left. Shoots OK. I had to ream the cylinder throats to get them the same. The front sight I cut with a jewlers saw to get adjustable elevation. It carries a hip grip for waistband carry about town.

[kir_kenix]

I have a couple of Rem 7600's that are my beater rifles. Pump action '06 or 35 whelen do a respectable job of hunting anything I need to shoot down here. Both wear low, fixed power lupies and shoot pretty decent too. The '06 I got from my stepdad who hunted hard but shot little (probably less then 50 rounds down the tube) and I've been beating it up for the last 10 years or so. I finally found a laminate stock to replace the scarred and dented original, however.

[felix]

Those pump guns are heavy duty, allright. Just too heavy to carry for any length of time. ... felix

[Beekeeper]

9.3X62AL,
I read a post over on surplusrifle.com by an older gentleman in Colorado that went deer hunting with a M44.
He wasn't sure if the bullet , the flash, or the noise killed the deer.
Made his shot just at sunrise and the resulting flash lit up the whole countryside like noon he said.

Theyrealy do make a flash at dusk and dawn.

How would you like to have been the soldier that had to carry one during the war. Surly they didn't shoot more than once from each position.

They are neat guns tho!!


Jim

[10 ga]

Stevens 311 in 12 ga. Goes boom and don't jam no matter who is shooting or what the situation. Raven 25 auto. I carry it in my pocket. 10 ga

[roverboy]

I got a M38 Turk Mauser in 8mm that's been sporterized. Its a good old rifle and shoots and handles good. Its got a 4x32 Bushnell on it.

[ktw]

Remington Model 81 Woodsmaster, 300 Savage.

It's one of the few rifles I own that would fall into the "beater" class. A friend gave me an old Marlin 1936 I was lusting after a couple of years ago. He threw in the woodsmaster at the same time. Despite being free, I almost didn't take it. Not a fan of autos in general and thought it was ugly as sin.

Since I didn't have any money into it, I went and bought a receiver peep for it at one of the local gun shows. After shooting it some it is starting to grow on me. I'm going to have to make work of refinishing the stock one of these winters. Makes a good beater truck gun.

-ktw

[oldhickory]

I've used a variety of beaters through the years, but I always seem to come back to the same old guns to use a utility guns. M1 Carbines and S&W M&P .38s.

[roverboy]

I've got a Ruger Security Six that I like to pack a lot. Good shooter with 158 gr. cast semi wadcutter and 14 gr. H110.

[Jim]

The "truck" handgun is a 4" blued Judge and the "truck" rifle is a Yugo M48.

[Uncle Grinch]

My go to truck gun is a 98 Siamese Mauser in 45-70. Parkerized with a peep sight and painted (black) stock. Been using it for close to 40 years.

[Heavy lead]

A circa 1980-ish 94 Winchester 44 magnum that I've modified the carrier to feed the 429421 and the Lee 310 RF loaded to the bottom crimp flawlessly. I was going to refinish this rifle, but it shoots good with a new 3/32" ivory bead and a take off (from a Marlin) full buckhorn rear sight with some file work to widen the rear notch, so it's just a beater. Some dumb a** that had it before me tried to drill the forend for a swivel stud and whatdoyaknow ran into the magazine tube (duh, here's your sign) so that's been fixed and I bought it cheap. It's my beater lever tactical general purpose truck/house/walkout basement/whatever or whoever go to gun.

[357maximum]

My beater is a pre-micro 336 in 35 rem...shoots better than I can....although it seems to have been cursed with some voodoo deer repellent[smilie=b:. When I get my sporterized mauser 308spaniard complete with peep installed it may replace the 336 for beater duty though.....it sure is ugly enough to be called BEATER.

[Three44s]

My M38 Russian ....... it needs a peep sight though ....... as my least expensive of my favorites it gets top beater billing!

Followed closely by a '17 ....... it's buba'ed but has a Redfield peep ........ and it cost more than the M38 so it gets second place beater status .........


Three 44s

[NickSS]

My beater rifle is an old and well used 94 Winchester in 30-30 it is setup with a williams FP sight and it is the rifle I take with me most places I go and use it for rainy day hunting rifle. For a hand gun in is a Ruger security Six that I bought back in the 70s and have used it ever since. The blue is warn but every now and then I put some more cold blue on it so that it does not look like stainless steel.

[Kraschenbirn]

A war-time VZ-24 in 8x57 that I bought for $65 after it had been totally "bubba'd" by a previous owner. Matching #s throughout on the receiver/bolt/mag but the barrel had been (badly!) shortened and the replacement stock was missing it's buttplate and looked like it had been inletted with a cold chisel. Scrounged a DWM "take-off" barrel from an old buddy, shortened it to 22", completely reworked the stock (including pinning and glassing a couple of splits (caused by bubba's lousy bedding job), and topped it off with a Lyman 48 receiver sight. It still ain't pretty but it'll shoot 3" (or better) 100-yd groups with any decent ammo...jacketed or cast...and I can drop it behind the seats of the jeep without worrying about scuffing/scratching the finish. One of these days, maybe, I'll get around to rebluing it and, if I do, might even consider a decent synthetic stock...but, if I did that, I'd probably have to find myself another "knockabout" gun.

Bill

[wallenba]

My Contender. I use various barrels when working up loads for my Smiths and a few others.

[dukenukum]

For a beater rifle I have my 91/30 shoots better than a lot of expensive guns
beater revolver is a Nagant it just plain works.
beater shot gun old Iver Johnson in 12 gauge.

[castshooter-too]

I would have to say my type 38 6.5 jap carbine.
fajen stock from the 60's, mud wasp bbl, pyramid
sights.
shoots 120 gr. sierras with H380 powder into an inch
at 50 yds. weighs 5lbs. fully loaded.

[.357]

my favorite beater is a 12 guage 870 that i found in a pawn shop for 25$ five days after i turned 21. I was all over that one and it's all scratched up and you know she makes me smile every time i take her out of the safe. I want to take the old girl out and really do some wing shooting this year.

[hickstick_10]

old winchester 94 trapper, that looks like it was stored under a leaky car battery.

That thing is so light it goes everywhere.

[wildwilly]

Savage 99F/308 Win manufactured 1956. Bought it on Gun Broker about ten years ago for a pittance (sole bidder). It had a cracked buttstock and, although it was factory d&t'd for a scope, the original owner had the receiver d&t'd for a Pachmayr swing mount. I repaired the stock and mounted a Lyman 56SA receiver sight I got off of Ebay. It's just a phenomenal shooter. :bigsmyl2:

[stubshaft]

Husqvarna 30/06 with iron sights is my favorite and a MK V jungle carbine with a 2 grrove barrel is the one I loan out.

[Crash_Corrigan]

I have upgraded most of my guns with newer stocks and rebluing over the years. What my beater was a few years ago is now a cherished and refurbished Smith 586 with a 6" bbl and a new blue job. It is over 40 years old and still as tight as a bank vault and a true pleasure to shoot. My Browning M 35 was made in '85 and has not a mark on it. It is just a beautiful gun. My Ruger Bh's are all in pretty good shape and my Llama .380 is just cute and light. My EAA Witness 9MM is a big target hand gun and I would not think of lugging it around.

My truck gun is a Baker 12 Gauge side by side with 20" bbls and resides behind my seat with a belt of 25 12 Gauge fodder on it.

I suppose my beater today is a Charter Arms Bulldog Pug in .44 Special. I just really like how it shoots and how easy it is to conceal and carry. I recently got the new Mihec. 44 HP mold for it and it is my carry gun. Strictly business from its rubber grips to the ground off hammer spur. It kicks real hard with heavy loads and I am working on a lighter load for practice as it not a fun gun to shoot.

However that being said, it's concealability and light weight make it very comfortable to carry and I expect that if I have to use it the last thing I would be worrying about would be recoil. This is one vicious and nasty revolver and I know it can do the job at close range. Just ask the Son of Sam's victims.

Yeah the 1911 can carry more rounds but it too big to carry and conceal. Ditto for the Browning Hi Power and pretty much every other handgun I have save for the 327 Magnum. Once I get comfortable with that one and grind off the hammer spur it may share carry duty with the .44.

[dualsport]

I've wanted a Bulldog for a long time, nice handy little tool. I do have an Undercover .38 that I had the hammer spur bobbed and checkered. I qualified with it for my Nev. carry permit. I can't say it's a beater but it was sure cheap, price wise. Reliable as the sun, very easy to pack. It shoots the old FBI load just fine, that's what I use for packin', but practice more with lighter cast loads.

[TDB9901]

Most carried in the truck would be my Savage model 24, .223 over 12 ga. with a Tasco pro-point red dot, second would be my H & R Handi in .22 Hornet. Working on a Remington 600 in .222 Rem. that I aquired last week that may move into contention eventually. Don't usually need a lot of thump here in the open grasslands,.... but I do toss in my cut down Krag on occasion...

Favorite handgun has to be my S&W model 36 3" that I got used back in about 1976. Has enough barrel shoot well, carries great........ Like my Nagant too......

[snowwolfe]

My Remington Baikal double rifle in 30-06. Enjoy it so much I bought a spare:)

[docone31]

So, you like the Double in -06.
I tried one, it felt really awkward. I am very large for it.
It was new, had a crappy finish, and the barrel was definately tight.

[flhroy]

Beater in my mind means something you would drive nails with. I have a shotgun that fits that description. Its a Cooey 12 gauge single shot that looks like it was made just before the Philipinne Insurection. Hell if you put that steel butt plate to the head of a nail and touched off a round I believe it would drive that nail home. It doesn't get used much anymore mainly because unless it's cold enough to wear a pretty heavy jacket it just plain hurts too much to shoot more then a few shells before old mister flinch comes around. Hey maybe I'm just getting soft, I'm finding I don't like riding my bike in rain anymore either.

Take Care Guys

Roy

[dualsport]

I've really enjoyed reading the responses in this thread. It seems we get sentimental about our 'working' guns. It gave me a new idea, "Favorite Safe Queen". I'll start a new thread for that, this oughta be interesting.

[snowwolfe]

So, you like the Double in -06.
I tried one, it felt really awkward. I am very large for it.
It was new, had a crappy finish, and the barrel was definately tight.

Yes yes and yes, plus it has terrible triggers that will soon be fixed. But it will shoot pretty much any load I put it in under 1 inch at 50 yards, and that is with both barrels. Very easy to regulate, just spin the wheel. Best kept secret out there is you ask me.
My next hunting trip I plan on carrying it and will leave one of my expensive doubles at home.

[wilddog45]

My favorite beater deer rifle is my remington 700 sportsman .270. It has a real hard trigger on it and the wood looks like stained birch but it has killed over 100 deer and is beat all to hell. Everyone that wants to buy it i tell em it isn't worth what i want for it (less scope)but i wont take a dime less than $700. My other beater I keep behind the seat is an old winchester 67 .22 single shot rifle with a model 68 stock that has been scratched with barbed wire and beat to a pulp but which in my opinion is the best coon rifle ever made. With it's 27"bbl it will flat knock any coon out of the tallest oak and I like them so much, I own 4 of them 1 for hunting and the other three have the grooved stocks which which I think were only made in 1934 and 1935 if my memory serves me correct and are kept in my gun safe and are only taken out when the grandkids come over to learn how to shoot.

[Four Fingers of Death]

My favorite beater deer rifle is my remington 700 sportsman .270. It has a real hard trigger on it and the wood looks like stained birch but it has killed over 100 deer and is beat all to hell. Everyone that wants to buy it i tell em it isn't worth what i want for it (less scope)but i wont take a dime less than $700.

I have a Remington 700 BDL which is like that. It was carried by a deer hunter for many around 25 years years and has filled the freezer on numerous occasions before the guy retired and I bought it. The stock is covered in thick varnish and looks like its been dipped in caramel sauce, filled up the checkering and all. The Bbl is good though and has been well looked after.

It would restore well, but I kinda like it's 'I've been carried a lot' look and the fact that it has an history as an effective and trusted tool.

I'm looking forward to hunting with it.

[Artful]

Marlin 336 RC in 30-30 - used to be a SMLE Mk4 in 303 but I converted it to 45ACP and refished the stock and well not a beater gun anymore - Single shot Winchester 12 ga with the long tom barrel - and I'd say for handgun - my EDC Sig 225 - I try not abuse it but it's a friend I like to keep around.

[bbs70]

Beater gun or just old friends that are comfortable and have a history to them.:bigsmyl2:

[Gerry N.]

My beater is a Chilean Steyr Mauser M1912/61 NATO in 7,62x51. For some unknown reason these were sold about ten years ago for pocket change. I paid $35 for mine. It looks for all the world like a K98k. The story I got was the Chileans bought several thousand 2-groove Springfield barrels for about a buck each, reconfigured 'em to Mauser profile, fitted 'em to M1912 Steyr rifles, rechambering to 7.62x51mm and cutting them to short rifle specs, with 22" barrels. In any case, it is a good shooting rifle I can toss into the pickup without worrying if it gets another scratch. It seems to like any ammunition I feed it from light cast boolit plinking loads to whatever factory stuff takes my eye. I've put many thousands of military surplus rounds through it and it loves it all.

[Four Fingers of Death]

I think I have another contender for a beater rifle, just picked up a pair of SMLE sporters. One which has a slightly heavier target barrel, shortened to about 22" (forgot to measure it) with a nice solid set of mounts and a Tasco 4x scope and a nice(ish) bore. The other one is a nicer looking rifle and has standard sights. The bore is not as good. I have an old Lyman steel peep sight to suit the SMLE and a new No4 barrel. I fancy setting the open sighted one up with the new barrel and Lyman sight and re-chambering it to 7.62x54 Russian or 303 Epps.

[Wayne Smith]

Long time ago when you could order guns through the mail I ordered a Mauser in 7x57 for $49. I recieved a Turk Mauser in 8x57 and a short apology. The Turk was well used, 30" barrel, and poorly cleaned. I was young and ignorant but thought I knew a little. Had the gunsmith re-chamber it to 8-06 or 8x63 and cut the barrel to 21", install a new front sight (off a Rem 700 he had) and a reciever sight. I thus basically had a good barrel and good sights. I cut down the stock and put a recoil pad on it. Shot it with surplus ammo and didn't know to clean it with water- that's when I learned that lesson. Still shoots condom ammo very well but doesn't do so well with cast - leads too fast.

I never did any refinishing of the stock except a little oil. Never polished any metal. It's a beater, but as accurate as I am or more so.

Just a couple of years ago I finally got a semi-bubba'ed Chilean 93 Mauser in 7x57. This one I had a lot of work done on and is beautiful - still need to find a nice stock for it. The 7x57 I have wanted for over 20 years.

[alamogunr]

My milsurps may look like beaters but they are too heavy for me to carry, so I just shoot them at the range. I just acquired a S&W model 65, 3" round butt .357. It apparently was a police trade-in. It's been around the block a few times and is a little loose but not too bad. I'm going to have the cylinder play tightened up but don't plan to do anything to the finish. I don't have the long association with it that most who have posted have with their "beater" but this gun just feels good in my hand.

John
W.TN