Just thinking out loud.....

[Mr. 16 gauge]

O.k., gents, I think we can all agree that the days of 'cheap' milsurp rifles are just about over, esp. for certain firearms (Krags, Springfields). With the current group of firearms in military service having full auto or three shot burst capacity, it is highly unlikely, given the current political climate, that we will ever see any of these firearms in civilian ownership.
So, let me ask this question: Would you pay a reasonable price for a 'repilica' of a Krag, Springfield, Arisaka, ect? Seems to me that cowboy action shooting has brought a whole new bunch of shooters to the world, and replicas of Colt SAA, Schofield, Henrys, Rolling Blocks, Sharps, and trapdoor Springfields can be had for a fraction of the price it cost for an original.
I know it's not the same as having an original rifle, but seems to me that the enjoyment is in the shooting as much as the owning.....no?
I know that Mitchell arms tried to do it with the Luger pistol.....I think the mistake that they made at that time is that the Luger is a difficult gun to manufacture (a lot of hand fitting required, from what I understand) and there were still quite a few "shooters" on the market at the time they brought it out.
It also seems reasonable to me that if companies such as Remington and Winchester can make firearms, such as the M1 carbine, for war production, like they did in WWII, they ought to be able to make the same arms today with a minimum of tooling....might even open up a whole new class of prospective customers for them.
Heck, everyone and his brother has a 1911 clone out there nowadays, including Remington and S&W, and Remington makes an AR15 sporter......how hard would it be to make an M1, Krag, or Springfield look alike?

Thoughts?

[Adam Helmer]

Mr. 16 gauge,

It seems there is a nitch for an American company to build as you suggest. The funny thing is that the good old USA is about the only market place for such old military reproductions in view of the political climate around the world.

Adam

[Gil Martin]

Springfield Armory did come out with a reproduction M1 Garand and Fulton Armory sells a reproduction M1 Carbine. The prices seemed to be as high as original rifles and carbines. The day may come when someone brings out reproduction bolt action rifles. If the demand is there, someone will build them and someone will buy them. All the best...
Gil